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: 
I 

i 


.    I 


ANNUAL   REPORT 


OF 


THE  UNITED  STATES 


Geological  and  Geographical  Survey 


OP 


THE   TERRITORIES, 


EMBRACING 


COLORADO  AND  PARTS  OF  ADJACENT  TERRITORIES; 


BEING  A 


UPOKT  or  PK06RES8  OF  THE  EXPLORATION  FOB  THE  YEAR  1874. 


BY 


F.  V.  HAYDEN, 

UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGIST 


GOKBUCTED  UNDER  THE  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  SECRETARY 

OF  THE  INTERIOR. 


WASHINGTON: 

OOYBBNMBNT   PBINTING    OFFIOB. 

1876. 


//V 

CONTENTS.  /^//l/ 


Page. 

Lbtfertothe  Secretary 1 

GEOLOGY,  MINERALOGY,  AND  MINING  INDUSTRY. 

Report  OF  F.  V.  Hayden,  United  States  geologist 19 

Chapter  I.  Brief  history  of  the  Ligoitic  group,  first  studied  on  the  Upper 
Missouri — early  views  entertained  by  Meek,  Newberry,  and  other  paleon- 
tologists on  the  age  of  this  group — the  Lignitio  group  of  the  North- 
west believed  to  be  continuous  southward  with  the  Colorado  and  Lara- 
mie beds 19 

Chapter  II.  The  Lignitic  group  as  examined  at  Cafion  City — Colorado 
Springs — northward  to  Cache  ^  la  Poudre  Creek — Monument  Creek 

group — ^probable  age  of  tbese  groups 28 

Appendix  to  Chapter  II,  by  H.  T.  West :J8 

Chapter  III.  R^sum^  of  the  geology  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Front  or 
Colorado  range :  Silurian,  Carboniferous,  Triassic,  Jurassic,  and  Creta- 
ceous groups  40 

The  Carboniferous  group 42 

The  Red  beds  or  Triassic  group 42 

The  Jurassic ^ 44 

The  Cretaceous 45 

Chapter  lY.  Ancieut  lake-basins — Glacial  lakes — Moraiual  deposits  in  the 
valley  of  the  Upper  Arkansas  River  and  along  both  flanks  of  the  Sa- 

watch  Mountains 47 

Chapter  Y.  General  view  of  the  geography  and  geology  of  the  Elk  Mount- 
ains— eruptive  granites — rhyolites  and  dikes — erosion  on  a  grand  scsde — 

local  drift-deposits 54 

Chapter  YI.  Report  on  the  Geology  of  the  Northwestern  portion  of  the  Elk 

range,  by  W.  H.  Holmes 59 

Letter  to  Dr.  Hayden 59 

The  Roaring  Fork  synclinal 59 

Geology  of  bopris  Peak  and  vicinity 61 

Geology  of  the  district  drained  by  Rock  Creek 63 

The  great  fault-fold  of  the  Elk  range 68 

Report  op  A.  C.  Peale,  M.  D.;  geologist  of  middle  division 73 

Letter  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 75 

Introduction 77 

Chapter  I.  Surface  geology — valley  of  Eagle  River 79 

Chapter  II.  Surface  geology — Grand  River  and  its  tributaries 85 

Chapter  III.  Surface  geology— Gunnison  River  and  its  tributaries 94 

Chapter  lY.  Archoean  areas  of  Ea^le,  Grand,  and  Gunnison  Rivers 106 

Chapter  Y.  Stratigraphy — Paleozoic  formations 110 

Silurian  age 110 

Primordial  period — Potsdam  group 110 

Canadian  period — Calciferous  and  Quebec  groups Ill 

Remainder  of  Silurian 113 

Devonian  age 114 

Carboniferous  age 114 

Permian  or  Permo-Carboniferous 117 

Chapter  YI.  Stratigraphy — Mesozoio  formations 121 

Triassic \ 121 

Jarassic 124 

Cretaceous 128 

Lower  Cretaceous— Dakota  group  (No.  1) 128 

Middle  Cretaceous  (No.  2  and  No.  3) 135 

Middle  Cretaceous  (No.  4) 137 

Upper  Cretaceous 137 

III 


I\r  TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 

Page. 
Report  of  A.  0.  Pealk,  M.  D.— Continued. 

Chapter  VII.  Stratigraphy — Cenozoic  formations 140 

Tertiarv .^. 140 

Fort  Union  or  Great  Lignite  group 141 

Bear  River  group 144 

Bitter  Creek  series 145 

Wasatch  group 147 

Green  River  group 147 

Wind  River  group 148 

Bridger  group 149 

White  River  group 150 

Lignitic  group 152 

Tertiary  between  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers 156 

Green  River  and  Bridger  groups 156 

Post  Tertiary  and  recent 161 

Chapter  VIII.  Eruptive  rocks — trachytes^trachorheites — basalt 163 

Porphyritic  trachytes 163 

Trachorheites 168 

Basaltic  areas 171 

Chapter  IX.  Economical  geology ., 175 

Catalogue  of  minerals 178 

Catalogue  of  rocks 179 

Report  OF  F.M.  Emdlich,  S.  N.  D 181 

Letter  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 183 

Introduction : 185 

I  Chapter  I.  Metamorphic  area 187 

Chapter  II.  Yolcauic  area 193 

Chapter  III.  Sedimentary  area 210 

Silurian 210 

Devonian 211 

Carboniferous 214 

Cretaceous • 221 

Cretaceous  (No.  1) 222 

Cretaceous  (No.  2) 224 

Chapter  IV.  Mines 229 

Occurrence  of  lodes 232 

Highland  Mary 233 

The  Robert  Bruce * 2;?4 

TheComstock  lode 234 

The  Yreteva 234 

Green  Mountain  lode 234 

The  Pride  of  the  West 234 

The  Little  Giant 235 

Excelsior  lode 235 

The  Prospector 236 

The  Pelican  lode 236 

BigCasioo 236 

Ouray 236 

Conclusion 239 

Report  of  Samuel  Augiiey,  Ph.  D 241 

The  superficial  deposits  of  Nebraska 243 

The  Drift 243 

The  Loess  deposits 245 

Fruit  on  the  Loess  deposits 249 

Scenery  of  the  Loess  deposits 250 

Origin  of  the  Lacustrine  deposits....  ^ 250 

Length  of  the  Loess  age 253 

Life  of  the  Loess  age 254 

Alluvium 256 

The  sand-hills 259 

Alkali  lands 260 

The  bad  lauds.'. 261 

Fuel  from  the  surface-deposits 262 

Water-resources  of  Nebraska 263 

Timber  in  modern  geological  times 265 

Mollusks  in  the  Lacustrine  deposits 266 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS.  Y 

PALEONTOLOGY.  Page. 

Rspoirr  OF  Lko  Lrsqurreux a71 

Letter  to  Dr.  Hayden 273 

On  the  Tertiary  flora  of  the  North  American  Lignitic,  considered  as  evi- 
dence of  the  age  of  the  formation - 275 

Table  of  anbdivisiona  of  the  Tertiary  of  Europe,  according  to  the  floras  284 

Table  exposing  the  relation  of  the  fossil  plants  of  Point  of  Bocks 2»6 

Description  of  species  of  fossil  plants  from  Poi  n t  of  Rocks 296 

New  species  of  Tertiary  fossil  plan ts  briefly  described 306 

A  review  of  the  Cretaceous  flora  of  North  America -  -  -  316 

$  1.  General  remarks 316 

$  2.  Description  and  enumeration  of  generic  and  specific  divisions ....  333 

ARCHEOLOGY. 

Report  of  W.  H,  Jackson 367 

Ancient  ruins  in  Southwestern  Colorado *  369 

ZOOLOGY. 

Report  OF  Ernest  Inobrsoll 383 

Natural  history,  1874 385 

Letter  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 385 

List  of  localities  of  specimens 386 

General  account  of  the  work 387 

Special  report  on  the  Mollusca : 389 

List  of  authorities 407 

I  TOPOGRAPHY  AND  GEOGRAPHY. 

Reports  of  Henry  Gannett,  S,  B,  Ladd,  and  A.  D,  Wil9on. 

Report  OF  Henry  Gannett,  M.  E 413 

Introductory  letter 413 

Chapter  I -• 415 

'                        Previous  explorations  in  the  district 415 

Geography  of  the  district 416 

Height  of  the  walls  of  the  Grand  Cation  of  the  Gunnison 426 

Distribution  of  vegetation '. 428 

Settlements,  trails,  roads,  etc 428 

;                 Chapter  IL  Elevations 429 

Revision  of  the  heights  of  summits  in  the  Sa watch  and  Elk  systems.. .  429 

Elk  Mountains 430 

On  the  plateau 432 

Report  of  S.  B.  Ladd,  M.  E.,  northern  division 435 

Letter  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 435 

Report 435 

Roads  and  trails 439 

List  of  elevations 441 

Report  OF  A.  D.  Wii^ox 443 

Means  of  communication  between  Denver  and  the  San  Juan  mines 443 

Comparisons  of  aneroids  with  the  mercurial  barometer 447 

Report  OF  Franklin  Rhoda ,..,  451 

Topography  of  the  San  Juan  country 451 

Ascent  of  Mount  Sneffels 479 

Methods  used  in  determining  the  elevation  of  points  in  the  district 488 

Notes  useful  for  the  location  of  miners'  monuments  in  Baker's  Park 496 

General  index 497 

Systematic  indrx 509 

LIST  OF  NEW  SPECIES  DESCRIBED. 

FOSSIL  PLANTS. 

FocQB  lignitnm 296 

Balvioia  attenuata 296 

fielagmellaf  falcata 297 

laciniata 297 

Seqnoia  biformis 298 

I 
I 


VI  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

Fage. 

Widdriugtonia  complanata 299 

Pistia  corrngata , 299 

OtheliaAruericana 300 

Dryophyllam  crenatam 301 

subfalcatam - 301 

Popalns  melanaroides ■ 302 

Trapa  microphj'Ua 304 

Lauras  (Persea)  prtesteDS  f 305 

Viburnum  rotundifolium 305 

Greviopais  Clebumi 306 

Rhus  membranacea 306 

Alnites  uneqnilateralis 307 

Juglans  alkalina 308 

Carpites  viburni 308 

Spheria  rby  tiBmoides liOS 

Uypnum  Haydenii 309 

Lygodium  Marvinei 309 

Dentooi 309 

Zamiostrobus  ?  luirabilis 309 

Sequoia  atflaiH 310 

acuminata 310 

Arundo  reperta 311 

obtusa 311 

Palmacltes  Goldianus 311 

Sabal  communis 311 

Myrica  insignis 312 

TLessigiana 312 

Betula  Vogdesii 312 

Castanea  intermedia 313 

Ficnsovalis 313 

Ficus  pseudo-populus 313 

Wyomingiana 314 

Diospyrost  licoidea , 314 

Viburnum  platanoides 314 

Cissus  parottiiefolia 314 

Leguminosites  alternans 31?> 

Sapindus  Dentoni 3ir> 

Lomatia  microphylla • 3ir> 

Sequoia  condi  la 335 

Myrica  cretacea 3:^9 

Dryopbyllum  (Quercua)  latifolium 340 

salicifolium 'MO 

Ficus  lauropbyllum 34^ 

distorta 342 

Laurus  protesefolia 343 

Daphnogene  cretacea 343 

Andromeda  affinis 348 

Aralia  tripartita 348 

concreta 349 

Towneri 349 

Saportanea '  350 

Hedera  Schim]>eri 351 

platanoidea 351 

Cissitee  acnminatus 353 

Heerii 35.'^ 

Ampelopbyllum  attenuatum 354 

Menispermites  ovalis 357 

cyclophylluB 368 

Steroulia  lineariloba •. 358 

Ilex  strangulata 359 

Protopbyllum  crednerioides 36.3 

MOLLU8CA. 

Pnpilli  alticola 391 

Limax  montanus :I94 

castaneus 396 

Helix  (Micropbysa)  Ingersollii 397 

Helisoma  plexata 402 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS.  VII 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 
Report  of  F.  V.  Haydmn. 

Kow  Faclog'pftg^— 

1.  Plato  L  SLowing  variability  of  the  Lignitic  beds 30 

^    }  Section  at  Bear  Creek (  '*'* 

3.  Plate  II.  \  l\«'  I'  ^*^^®  .^'^Vl!  "^^P^  ^'^^  trachyte  . .        >  34 

^  Fig.  2.  Deposit  of  lignite  m  an  irregalar  cavity  in  sandstone  ..  5 

4.  Plat«III.  Monnment  Park,  Colorado 36 

•'>.  Geological  map  of  Colorado  Springs  and  vicinity 40 

6.  Sections  accompanying  map  of  Colorado  Springs  and  vicinity 40 

7.  Preliminary  map  of  eastern  base  of  Rocky  Mountains    41 

8  Plate  IV  )  ^^^'  ^'  ^^^^^  Rock  in  Glen  Eyrie,  Triassio  sandstone )  ^l 

*  ^  Fig.  2.  Concretions  of  sandstones,  Cretaceous  period i 

9  Plate  V    i  ^^^^' ^*  Showing  changes  in  sediments /  ^« 

i  Fig.  2.  Thickening  of  sedimentary  beds  near  Manitou > 

C  Fig.  1.  Cross-bedding,  Lignitic  sandstones,  near  Colorado  Springs  ) 

10.  Plate  VI. -^  Fig.  2.  Silarian  limestones  resting  nnoooformably  on  stratiti^  >  44 

(  granite,  William's  Cafion ) 

11.  Plate  VII.  Surface-section  near  Glen  Eyrie,  Colorado 42 

12.  Plate  Vin.  Gateway  to  the  Garden  of  the  Gods 42 

13.  Plate  IX.  Cathedral  Rock,  Garden  of  the  Gods 43 

14.  Pleasant  Park,  from  the  south 44 

15.  Plate  X.  Foliation  of  granite  in  Estes  Park,  Colorado 46 

16.  Plate  XI.  Long's  Peak  and  Estes  Park,  Colorado 46 

I*    5  Sketch  and  sections  showing  the  moraines  of  the  Upper  Arkansas  Valley  >  .q 

*'•    )     inColorado 5  *® 

1^.  Moraines  of  the  Upper  Arkansas 49 

19.  Plate  XII.    Boulder  Cafion,  Colorado,  granite 50 

20.  Plate  XIIL  Chicago  Lake,  Colorado 52 

21.  Plate  XVI.  A  portion  of  the  east  face  of  Gothic  Mountain 54 

22.  Plate  XV.     Mountain  of  the  Holy  Cross,  Colorado 54 

Report  of  W.  H.  Holmes.   • 

23.  Fig.  1.  Sections  across  the  synclinal  valley  of  Roaring  Fork 60 

2*     J  Fig.  2.  Chart  of  Sopris  Peak )  go 

•    I  Fig.  3.  Section  across  the  Sopris  uplift ) 

25).  Fig.  4.  Sketch  looking  down  Rock  Creek 63 

26.  Fig.5.  Geolojp' of  station  23 64 

27.  Fig.  6.  View  ill  the  Snow  Mass  group ., 65 

28.  Fig.  7.  Treasury  Mountain 66 

29.  Fig.  8.  Cascades  on  Rock  Creek 67 

30.  Fig.  9.  Relations  of  the  coal-beds  to  No.  1  Cretaceous 69 

31.  Fig.  10.  Sections  across  fault-fold  of  Elk  Mountains ^n^4-«,«««  -rn  o«i^  -ri 

32.  Fig.  11.  Part  of  the  great  fault-fold  of  Elk  Mountains ?  between  7U  ana  71 

3;i.  Map  of  the  Elk  Mountains,  Colorado /  nz>*«r^««  to  ^r^A  yt 

U,  Sections  accompanying  map  of  Elk  Mountains J  between  7Z  ana  7d 

Report  of  A.  C.  Peale. 

33.  Sheet  of  conventional  s^gns 76 

SFig.  1.  Section  A.    South  from  Eagle  River ) 

Fig.  2.  Section  B.    Across  Eagle  River  to  Holy  Cross  Mount-  >  80 


SFig.  1.  Secti< 
Fig.  2.  Secti( 
ain  . 


37.  Plate  IL  Fold  on  Eagle  River 82 

•«  PUfA  TTT     5  ^^^J?' '•  Section  C.    Across  Eagle  River  to  station  9 )  on 

«.  riate  111.    ^  pj^  g   Section  D.    Eagle  River  to  station  9 J  ^ 

39.  Map  A.    Showinglinesof  section  on  Eagle  River 84 

Mi  Pi«+^TTT      5  ^^*S*  1*  S^^^*<>"  *^'    Across  Grand  River )  qh 

w.  riate  i\ .     ^  pj^  2.  Section  F.    From  station  13  to  station  14 }  ^ 

41.  Plate  V.  Bluffon  Plateau  Creek 91 

4*2.  Plate  VI.  Bluff  on  Grand  River  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison 92 

n  xi\  4-   XTTT    S  ^^^S'  ^'  Section  G.    From  station  38  to  Gunnison  River I  ^y. 

4i  I'late  VII.  J  pjg  2.  Section  H.    From  station  77  to  Cedar  Creek 5  ^ 

44.  Map  B.    Showing  lines  of  section  across  Gunnison  River 100 

f  Fig.  1.  Section  I.     From  Gunnison  River  westward ^ 

i.^  m  «  xriTj  )  FifiT*  ^-  Section  K.    Across  the  Gunnison  below  North  Fork  ..I  ^f^ 

«).  riate  V 111.  <  p^^  3   gection  L.    Across  angle  of  Gunnison  below  the  Grand  f  *"^ 

Cafkon .—.J 


VIII 


TABLE   OP   CONTENTS. 


46.  Plate  IX 


{  Fig.  1. 
.    ^Fig.2. 

I  Fig.  3. 


I7o.  Facing 

Fig.  1.  Section  across  monoclioal  fold  soath  of  Grand  River.. 
Section  across  monoclinal  fold  west  of  Gnnnison  River 
Section  M.    From  Gunnison  River  east  to  mesa 

47.  Plate  X.  Bluflf  at  head  of  Oli-be-joyful  Creek 

48.  Plate  XI.  Bluff  on  Coal  Creek 

49.  Plate  XII.  Dikes  in  sandstone  on  Anthracite  Creek 

50.  Plate  XIII.  Dikes  in  bluff  at  head  of  Oh-be-joyful  Creek 

51.  MapC.  Showing  areas  of  por))hyritic  trachyte 

52.  Plate  XIV.  1 1!!|;  J* 

I  Fig!  4.' 

53.  Map  D.  Showing  areas  of  trachorbeites  and  lines  of  sections  across  the  Gnn- 

nison River  

54.  Map  E.  Showing  basaltic  areas  between  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers  and  line 

of  section  M • 


Sections  across  Gunnison  River  above  Grand  Cafion 


poge- 

105 
138 

la^ 

164 
165 
166 

169 


170 
174 


Rbport  of  F.  M.  Endlich. 

55.  Fig.  1.  Monuments  near  camp  23,  east  of  station  10 ^ 195 

56.  Fig.2.  Lizard'sHead ..' 207 

57.  Section  I.  From  station  48  through  station  49 214 

58.  Section  II.  From  station  31  toward  Sultan  Mountain 217 

59.  Section  III.  Through  station  37 218 

60.  SeotionlV 219 

61.  Section  V.  A«station40 283 

62.  Section  VI.  Through  station  47 ^4 

63.  Section  VII 2l6 

64.  Section  VIII 227 

65.  Fig.  3.  Metalliferous  veins  near  Ho wardville,  Colo 232 


Report  op  Samuel  Aughby. 
66.  Arrows  found  in  the  Loess  (wood-cut  in  text) « 255 


67.  Plate  I. 

68.  Plate  II. 


69.  Plate  III. 


70.  Plate  IV. 


71.  Plate  V. 


Report  of  Leo  Lesqubreux. 

Fig.  1.  Aralia  tripartita 

Figs.  2,  2*.  Aralia  Saportanea 

Figs.  1,  2.  Aspidiophyllum  trilobatum 

Fig.  3.  Ampelophyllum  attenuatum 

Fig.  4.  Phyllocladns  subintegrifolius 

Figs.  5, 5*.  Gleichenia  Nordeuski51di 

Fig.  1.  Protophyllum  crednerioides 

Figs.  2;  8,  8^  Sequoia  fastigiata 

Fig.  3.  Hedera  platanoidea 

Fig.  4.  Myrica  cretacea \ 

Fig.  5.  Andromeda  affiuis 

Figs.  6,  6»,  7,  7*.  Pinus  Quenstedti  ffeer 

Fig.  1.  Aralia  Towneri 

Figs.  2,  4.  Aralia  concreta 

Figs.  6,  7.  Sequoia  condita V 

Fig.  8.  loolepis  ?  apeaea 

Fig.  9.  Prunnsf  cretacea  Lesqx.. 

Figs.  1, 2.  Laurus  prqte»folia 

Fig.  3.  Menispermites  populifolins 

Fig.  4.  Menispermites  ovalis 

Fig.  5.  Ficus  distorta 

Fig.  6.  Protophyllum  minus 

Fig.  7.  Ficus  laurophyllum 


366 
366 


366 


366 


366 


72.  Plate  VL 


73.  Plate  VIL 


fFig.  1.  Dryophyllum  (Quercus)  latifolium 
{  Fig.  2.  Lomatia  Saportanea  Lea^ 


Fig.  3.  Cissites  Heerii 

.Fig.  4.  Menispermites  eyclophyllus 

Figs.  1, 2.  Cissites  Harkerianus  Lesqat . . 
Fig.  3.  Menispermites  obtnsilobaXesfx. 
Fig^  4.  HamamelitesEansaseanaLe^gx. 
Fig.  5.  Hedera  Schimperi 


366 


Job 


TABLE    OP   CONTENTS. 


IX 


Ko. 


Facing  page— 


j  Fig.  2.  Drvopbyllam  (Qaercns)  salicifolium 

74.  Plate  VIII.  <  Fig.  3.  Ilex  straDffulata 

I  Fig.  4.  ProtophylTum  credDerioides 

i^Fig.  5.  Platanas  Heerii 


I 


366 


76.  Plate  II.     i 


Report  of  W.  H.  Jackson. 

Fig.  1.  Gronnd-plan  of  roand  tower  on  the  Rio  Mancos 

Figs.  2,  3.  Tower  adjoining  a  rectangular  foundation  in  the 
cafion  of  the  Mancos. 
75.  Plate  I.       \  Fig.  4.  A  portion  of  doorway  and  one  comer  of  a  oarefully- 

Duilt  house,  Mancos  Cation. 

Fig.  5.  Cliff-house  on  the  rocks  of  Mancos  Ca&on 

Fig.  6.  Inscriptions  on  cafion-walls 

Fig.  7.  Cliff-house  in  Mancos  Cafion 

Fig.  8.  Showing  the  tenacity  of  cemen ting-material 

Fig.  9.  A  square  tower  in  the  valley  of  the  MoElmo 

Fig.  10.  An  isolated  rock  in  the  valley  of  the  McElmo  covered 

with  ruined  houses  and  walls. 
Fig.  11.  Ground-plan  of  an  extended  series  of  houses  in  the 

valley  of  the  Hovenweep. 
'Fig.  12.  A  two-story  house  in  the  crevices  of  the  escarpment 

in  the  Mancos  Canon. 
1  Fi^.  13.  A  general  view  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Mancos  near 
I     its  outlet  from  the  Mesa  Verde. 
^       I  Fig.  14.  A  view  of  ruined  village  in  the  valley  of  the  Hoven- 

t     weep. ' 
rV.  Cliff-house  in  the  cafion  of  the  Mancos..... 

V.  Battle-rock  in  the  cafion  of  the  McElmo 

VI.  Cave-dwellings  in  the  cafion  of  the  McElmo 

VII.  Watch-tower  in  the  cafion  of  the  McElmo 

VIII.  Ruins  in  the  cafion  of  the  Hovenweep,  Utah 


369 


370 


77.  Plate  UI. 


k 


Plate 

79.  Plate 

80.  Plate 

81.  Plate 

82.  Plate 


370 


372 
374 
376 
378 
380 


Report  of  Ernest  Inoersoll. 


83.  Pupilla  alticola  (wood-out  in  text) 392 

84.  Limax  montanus  (wood-cut  in  text) 394 

85.  Lin^raal  dentition  of  Limax  castaneus  (wood-cut  in  text) 396 

86.  Helix  (Microphysa)  Ingersollii  (wood-cut  in  text) 398 

87.  HeUoeoma  plexata  (w<x>d-cnt  in  text) 402 

Reports  of  Henry  Gannett,  S.  B.  Ladd,  and  A.  D.  Wilson. 

88.  Preliminary  map  of  Central  Colorado 412 


LETTER  TO  THE  SECRETARY. 


Oppiob  United  States  Geological  and 

OEOaBAPHIOAL  SUBVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITOBIBS, 

Washingtonj  D.  C,  October  1, 1876. 

Sib  :  I  have  the  honor  to  present  for  pablication  the  Annual  Report  of 
the  United  States  Geological  and  Geographical  Survey  of  the  Territories, 
embracing  a  pi-eliminary  accoant  of  its  operations  in  portions  of  Colo- 
rado daring  the  season  of  1874. 

The  headquarters  of  the  survey  in  the  field  were  made  at  Denver,  as 
in  the  preceding  year,  as  the  most  suitable  point  for  procuring  the  outfit 
and  making  the  necessary  preparations  for  the  various  divisions  which 
were  to  investigate  the  districts  specially  assigned  to  them  by  the  geol- 
o^st-in-charge.  The  entire  survey  was  separated  into  seven  divisions. 
Pour  were  for  regular  topographical  and  geological  daty,  and  were 
assigned  to  specific  areas;  one  party  for  the  primary  triangulation ;  a 
photographic  division,  to  which  was  attached  a  naturalist ;  a  party  for 
special  topographical  and  geological  study ;  and  the  quartermaster's 
division,  that  furnished  all  the  parties  above  mentioned  with  supplies 
during  their  field-work. 

The  first  division  was  composed  as  follows: — A.  B.  Marvine,  assistant 
geologist,  director;  S.  B.  Ladd,  topographer;  Louis  Chauvenet,  assistant 
topographer ;  M.  L.  Ward  and  W.  S.  Holman,  meteorological  observers; 
E.  A.  Barber,  botanist  and  collector;  W.  W.  Williams,  general  assistant; 
together  with  two  packers,  cook,  and  hunter. 

The  party  took  the  field  on  the  20th  of  July,  crossing  over  Berthoud's 
Pass,  and  through  the  Middle  Park  into  the  North  Park,  by  the  Willow 
Creek  Pass.  The  survey  of  the  southern  portion  of  this  park  employed 
the  party  for  some  time;  and  it  was  not  until  the  middle  of  August  that 
they  crossed  to  the  main  field  of  their  work  west  of  the  Park  range. 

This  new  area  presented  all  the  different  forms  surface-erosion  peculiar 

to  a  granite,  sedimentary,  and  lava  country,  making  it  an  exceedingly 

interesting  study  both  for  its  topography  and  geology.     The  great 

lava  mesa  situated  at  the  head  of  the  White  Biver  is  cut  by  deep  cations 

that  penetrate  far  into  the  plateau,  dividing  the  mesa  into  what  appear 

to  be  isolated  masses,  but  which  are  all  connected.    One  isthmus,  from 

three  to  twelve  feet  in  width'  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  in 

leDgtb,  connected  a  plateau,  of  several  miles  extent,  with  the  main 

mesa.    The  highest  portion  of  this  mass  is  on  the  east  side,  and,  from 

the  base  of  the  almost  continuous  cliffs  which  border  it,  the  country 

descends  in  long,  timbered  slopes  to  the  broad,  open  area  of  Egeria 

1  H 


2         GEOLOGICAL  SUEVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Park,  lying  between  them  and  the  Park  range.  Portions  of  this  park 
drain  into  the  Grand,  but  the  greater  part  into  the  Bear,  the  divide 
between  the  two  being  very  low. 

The  old  Salt  Lake  wagon-road  enters  here  from  Gore'8  Pass.  The 
top  of  the  plateaa  is  a  rolling  bountry,  with  numerous  isolated  mount- 
ain-masses. It  abounds  with  numerous  small  lakes,  and  is  well  tim- 
bered, chiefly  with  fine  spruce.  To  the  west,  the  plateau  gradually  falls, 
the  lava  top  dies  out,  the  sedimentary  rocks  appear  on  the  surface,  and 
the  timber-growth  changes  to  aspen  and  pine. 

The  valley  of  the  Grand  does  not  present  the  attractive  agricultural 
features  of  the  White  and  Bear  Rivers.  It  has  formed  numerous  canons, 
which  show  in  a  very  interesting  manner  the  highly-colored  rocks, 
bent  and  twisted  by  many  folds.  Dwarf  cedars,  juniper,  and  the  finer 
pines  cover  the  slopes  for  some  distance  up,  and  the  ever  occurring  sage- 
brush the  flat  bottom-slopes.  South  of  the  Grand,  and  between  that 
and  the  Eagle,  the  country  rises  in  broken,  irregular  mountain-ridges  to 
the  rough  snowy  range,  of  which  Mount  Powell  is  the  culminating 
point. 

Going  west  of  the  plateau,  the  rain-fall  becomes  continually  less  until 
the  party  reached  108^,  when  it  entered  upon  the  dry,  barren  country 
of  Western  Colorado.  Snow  fell  in  considerable  quantities  early  in  Octo- 
ber, and  the  clouds  that  hung  around  the  topographical  points  caused  a 
great  deal  of  delay.  The  weather  finally  grew  so  bad  that  it  was  decided 
to  work  toward  civilization.  An  attempt  to  reach  the  White  River 
Indian  agency  by  a  trail  across  the  mesa  was  frustrated  by  the  snow. 
The  party  reached  the  top  in  a  blinding  snow-storm,  with  snow  nearly 
two  feet  deep.  One  of  the  party,  who  had  crossed  with  the  mail  two  weeks 
before,  reported  the  snow  as  belly-deep  to  a  horse  for  fifteen  miles,  aud 
in  places  for  a  considerable  distance  up  to  the  top  of  the  saddle.  After 
one  night's  camp  in  the  snow,  and  the  storm  still  continuing,  the  party 
decided  to  turn  back,  and  take  the  longer  but  easier  route  around  the 
mesa.  This  route  ofiered  no  difficulties,  and  they  finally  reached  Raw- 
lins Springs,  the  nearest  point  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  Novem- 
ber 27. 

A  barometric  station  was  established  at  the  agency,  and  one  of  the 
meteorological  observers  was  there  all  the  time.  This  station  will  serve 
as  the  base  for  all  altitudes  in  the  district.  In  October,  this  party 
divided,  a  portion  remaining  encampedatthe  mouth  of  the  Eagle,  where 
icareful  barometric  readings  were  taken  that  will  fix  this  important  point. 
.Approximate  determinations  of  the  amount  of  water  in  the  Eagle, 
Grand,  and  Bear  Rivers  were  made,  which  will  give  an  idea  of  the 
amount  available  for  irrigation. 

The  amount  surveyed  is  about  forty-three  hundred  square  miles,  com- 
prising a  narrow  strip  of  country,  taking  in  the  south  side  of  North  Park, 
stretching  from  Long's  Peak  to  the  Park  range.  The  main  portion  is 
bordered  by  the  Park  range  on  the  east,  south  by  the  Eagle  and  Grand 


LETTER   TO   THE    SECRETARY.  3 

Rivers,  and  north  by  the  Bear  Eiver.    Westward 'the  work  extends 
nearly  to  longitade  108^. 

The  operations  of  this  division  during  the  field-season  of  1874  were 
directed,  first,  to  the  survey  of  a  narrow  east  and  west  strip  along  tbe 
southern  edgeof  the  North  Park,  thus  extending  the  work  of  the  previous 
season  in  the  Middle  Park  northward  to  the  parallel  of  40°  30'  north  lati- 
tude; and,  secondly,  the  extension  of  the  same  work  westward  over  the 
Park  range  and  along  the  region  of  the  Bear,  White,  and  Grand  Rivers, 
this  being  the  principal  field  of  work.   Here,  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
survey,  40^30',  is  practically  the  Bear  River;   while  the  southern  boun- 
dary was  formed  by  the  Eagle  River  to  its  junction  with  the  Grand,  and 
below  thispoint  by  thelatterriver  itself;  ontheeastthe  Park  range,  about 
in  longitude  lOG*^  3(y,  limited  the  arfea  in  question ;  while  to  the  west  the 
survey  was  carried  to  an  irregular  border,  about  touching,  at  its  extreme 
point,  the  meridian  of  108o.    The  narrow  strip  in  the  North  Park  prob- 
ably covers  over  five  hundfed  square  miles,  while  the  principal  and  more 
compact  area  at  the  west  may  be  considered  as  averaging  nearly  seventy 
miles  across  east  and  west  and  nearly  sixty  miles  north  and  south,  or  about 
four  thousand  square  miles  in  area.    Topographicall^'^,  this  area  may  be 
dinded  into  three  well-marked  divisions:  first,  the  region  draining  mostly 
northward  into  the  Bear;  secondly,  that  draining  southward  into  the 
Graud  and  Eagle  Rivers;  and,  thirdly,  the  basin  of  White  River  and  its 
tributaries,  which  in  itself  forms  a  .complete  drainage-system,  trend- 
ing westward  directly  be^ween  the  two  preceding  regions.    At  its  source, 
the  Bear,  with  tributaries  of  the  Grand,  quits  the  sources  otHhe  White, 
which  rise  in  a  great  isolated  mesa-mass  of  lava,  between  which  and  the 
Park  range  is  the  deposited  basin  of  Egeria  Park. 

The  whole  region  was  examined  in  the  usual  manner  of  the  survey: 
first,  such  observations  were  made  as  to  enable  a  carefully-colored  geo- 
logical map  to  be  constructed,  showing  the  distribution  and  extent  of 
the  rocks,  and  formations  of  varions  ages  or  kinds,  which  compose  the 
surface  of  the  region ;  sections  numerous  enough  to  show  how  these 
various  formations  lie  upon  one  another,  or  how  they  probably  lie  beneath 
the  visible  surface,  or  to  show  the  various  foldings  or  fractures  to  whidh 
they  have  been  subjected  and  yielded ;  and  as  many  detail-sections  as 
possible,  to  determine  the  changes  which  take  place  in  the  character  and 
thickness  of  these  formations  in  their  lateral  extension,  and  to  deter- 
mine, as  closely  as  possiblo^  their  relative  ages  and  general  paleontolog- 
ical  relations.  In  this  connection,  the  extent  and  mode  of  occurrence  of 
all  economical  products,  as  minerals,  building-stones,  plasters,  springs, 
etc,  are  noted  as  far  as  observed,  while  collections  of  specimens  of  the 
same,  as  well  as  of  all  rocks,  fossils,  etc.,  are  made  as  far  as  possible. 
Second,  and  chiefly  to  enable  some  of  this  knowledge  to  be  more  accu- 
rately represented,  such  operations  are  carried  on  as  to  enable  a 
map,  or  representation,  of  all  the  surface-features  of  the  country  to  be 
prepared,  its  rivulets,  streams,  plains,  hills,  and  mountains,  its  canons 


4         GEOLOGICAL  SUBVET  OF  THE  TEBRITOBIES. 

or  valleys,  its  steeper  or  greater  slopes,  its  peaks  and  passes,  and  this 
with  all  the  accaraey  that  it  is  possible  to  give  on  a  map  printed  on  a 
scale  of  four  miles  to  an  inch,  and  in  200-foot  contour-lines.  These 
topographical  observations  are  directly  fonnded  on  a  careful  secondary 
triangnlation,  carried  on  simultaneoueJy  with  them.  At  the  principal 
stations  of  this  triangnlation,  stone  monaments  from  four  to  six  or  more 
feet  in  height  were  built,  with  a  wooden  stick,  on  which  was  deeply 
carved  the  number  of  the  station  and  of  the  map  (according  to  the 
scheme  of  maps  of  the  survey),  inserted  in  each,  thus  rendering 
them  available  in  the  future,  when  more  accurately  located  by  the  pri- 
mary triangnlation,  as  dat.a  on  which  to  base  the  usual  United  States 
land  surveys  when  these  may  be  needed  in  these  distant  regions,  or  for 
other  purposes  of  references. 

Further,  the  general  quality  and  distribution  of  timber,  bottom,  agri- 
cultural, arid,  or  generally  unavailable  lands,  were  also  made  the  sub- 
ject of  observation  ;  while  botanical,  natural-history,  and  other  speci- 
mens were  collected  as  far  as  possible;  and  the  amount  of  water  flowing 
in  the  larger  streams  was  made,  in  some  cases,  the  subject  of  measure- 
ment. A  permanent  and  quite  complete  meteorological  station  was 
established  at  the  White  Biver  agency,  the  base  of  supplies  of  the  party, 
while  similar  observations  were  at  one  time  continuously  taken  for 
nearly  three  weeks  at  a  point  near  the  head  of  the  White  Biver,  and 
again  for  nearly  four  weeks  at  the  junction  of  the  Eagle  and  Grand.  In 
comparing  with  thcMe  bases  the  observations  constantly  made  with  the 
party,  very  complete  and  accurate  hypsometric  results  will  be  obtained. 
In  these  observations,  the  usual  mercurial  mountain-barometer  of  James 
Green,  with  wet,  dry,  maxima,  and  minima  thermometers,  was  employed. 

As  the  general  results,  regarding  the  occurrence  of  economic  products, 
it  may  be  said  that  the  series  of  older  metamorphic  rocks,  such  as  the 
granites,  schists,  etc.,  of  probable  Archean  age,  in  which  alone  the 
precious  metals  and  minerals  of  Colorado  have  been  found,  and  which, 
form  the  foundations  on  which  all  the  bedded  rocks,  sandstones,  lime, 
stones,  etc.,  of  the  country  rest,  are  brough:  to  the  surface  and  exposed 
only  along  the  folded  ridges  of  the  Park  range,  and  in  the  bottoms  of  a 
few  caiions  in  some  of  the  southern  tributaries  of  White  Biver,  and  of 
the  neighboring  tributaries  of  the  Grand,  and  that  it  is  only  in  these 
regions,  therefore,  that, the  precions  minerals  may  be  looked  for.  Along 
the  northern  portion  of  the  district,  north  of  the  main  valley  of  the 
White,  and  in  the  extreme  west,  the  surlace*of  the  country  is  formed  of 
rocks  of  .Cretaceous  age,  which  are,  for  the  most  part,  horizontal  beds, 
flexed  here  and  there  into  quiet  undulations.  The  coal  of  the  region, 
which  consists  of  a  few  seams  of  fair  Lignitic  coal,  seems  to  be  confined 
wholly  to  pretty  definite  horizons  in  the  upper-middle  and  upper  por- 
tions of  this  group ;  and  as  these  particular  horizons  have  been  eroded 
away  from  the  region  in  question,  except  at  the  north  and  west,  it  is  here 
alone  that  it  becomes  worth  while  to  search  for  coal.    Farther  west,  it  is 


LETTER  TO   THE   SEGBETAB^.  5 

anderstood  tbat  both  in  qaantity  and  quality,  this  coal  improvea.  In 
the  sontheastcra  portion  of  the  district,  above  the  Grand  and  Eagle 
Bivers,  the  sedimentary  rocks,  from  the  extreme  base  of  the  Cretaceous 
down  to  the  granite  rocks  of  the  Park  range,  occar,  all  thrown  iuto  a 
series  of  complicated  and  pecoliar  folds.  Limestone  occurs  near  the 
Grand  in  abundance,  and  on  both  the  Grand  and  Eagle  Bivers  are  grea4; 
deposits  of  gypsum,  though  other  economic  products,  except  some  salt 
SDd  soda  springs,  will  probably  not  be  found  here. 

The  imposing  mesa  about  the  head  of  White  River  and  several  larger 
areas  near  the  Park  range  are  composed  of  great  floods  of  volcanic 
rock,  which  have  poured  over  the  country  in  comparatively  rocent  tiroes, 
but  some  of  which  are  yet  old  enough  to  have  experienced  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  Glacial  period  6f  the  West,  and  to  have  received  a  profound 
iojprees  from  erosion,  similar  to  that  now  going  on  over  the  whole 
country. 

The  topographical  work  of  the  party  under  my  immediate  direction 
was  intrusted  to  Mr.  G.  B.  Chittenden,  and  was  divided  into  three  parts : 
first,  the  mapping  of  the  peculiar  features  of  the  morainal  deposits  in  the 
Upper  Arkansas  Valley;  secondly,  the  reworking  of  the  topography  of  the 
Elk  Mountains  on  a  larger  scale,  and  with  more  detail  than  was  possible 
daring  the  preceding  season  in  the  regulfir  progress  of  the  survey ;  and, 
finally,  the  laying  down  of  the  topography,  and  the  line  of  junction  of 
the  metamorphic  and  sedimentary  rocks,  and  also  the  coal-outcrops  on 
the  eastern  base  of  the  mountains,  from  Canon  City  to  the  northern 
lioundary  of  the  Territory,  making,  in  this  latter  division,  small  detailed 
maps  where  points  of  particular  interest  or  peculiar  complication  made 
them  seem  desirable.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  the  work  began  at 
Colorado  Springs,  in  order  to  investigate  that  region  in  detail,  liefore 
the  main  party  would  be  ready  to  proceed  across  the  South  Park  to  the 
work  in  the  west.  Forty-five  topographical  stations  were  made  on  the 
sedimentary  rocks,  within  ten  miles  of  the  springs,  embracing  the  Gar- 
den of  the  Gods  and  Monument  Park,  so  curious  on  account  of  their 
geological  stmctore,  and  well  worth  mapping  as  typical  geological  fea- 
tures, which  might  be  readily  reached  by  the  student  traveling  from  the 
east  Joining  the  main  party  here,  we  crossed  the  South  Park  to  the 
Arkansas  Valley,  carrying  on  a  running  survey  of*t be  road  as  we  traveled. 
By  short  marches  for  five  days  up  the  valley,  we  were  euabled  to  study 
out,  with  a  good  degree  of  care,  the  heavy  masses  of  morainal  deposits, 
which,  for  twenty  miles  or  more,  sweep  out  from  the  base  of  the  high 
mountains  which  border^  the  valley  on  the  west  to  the  present  channel 
of  the  river.  It  will,  of  course,  be  impossible,  in  the  time  devoted  to 
these  moraines,  to  make  a  carefully-detailed  map  of  them,  but  enough 
notes  were  taken  to  give  quite  accurately  their  relations  to  each 
other,  their  general  forms  and  magnitudes,  and  their  particular  trends, 
together  with  their  relations  to  the  surrounding  mountains. 

Ijeaving  this  region  about  the  middle  of  August,  we  crossed  the  main 
divide  by  way  of  the  Lake  Creek  Pass  and  entered  the  Elk  Mountains. 


6  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

This  range  reaches  out  from  near  the  headwaters  of  the  Gannison 
River,  i'orty  miles  to  the  northwest,  and,  though  not  generally  as  high  as 
the  olher  ranges  of  Northern  Colorado,  is  by  far  the  most  rugged  of  them 
all.  The  reasons  for  re-examining  this  range,  when  it  had  been  sur- 
veyed in  the  regular  progress  of  the  work,  were  two :  first,  their  rug- 
gednessand  inacoessibility  had  made  the  difficulty  of  .working  them  last 
year  so  great,  that  they  were  not  surveyed  in  a  style  quite  up  to  the 
standard  of  fihe  remainder  of  the  work ;  and,  secondly,,  that  their  geo- 
logical importance  made  it  a  matter  of  particular  scientific  interest  that 
they  should  be  carefully  studied  and  mapped. 

The  geologist  and.  topographer  worked  side  by  side  through  them, 
making  forty-two  high  mountain-stations;  Mr.  Holmes  sketching  the 
different  portions  of  the  whole  mass  from  as  many  points  as  possible. 
They  contain  about  eight  hundred  square  miles,  and  will  be  mapped  on 
a  scale  of  one  mile  to  the  inch. 

Marching  from  here  by  way  of  the  Twin  Lakes  and  South  Park  to 
Cafion  City,  we  carried  on  a  running  survey  along  our  route,  and  from 
the  latter  place  commenced  work,  on  the  last  part  of  the  summer's  plan, 
the  mapping  of  the  sedimentary  border-line  and  that  of  the  coal  from  here 
to  the  Wyoming  line.  This  work,  carried  on  without  interruption,  was 
finished  by  Mr.  Chittenden,  Mr.  Holmes,  and  myself  on  the  20tb  of 
October ;  it  having  required  seventy-four  topographical  stations.  This 
survey  was  of  a  great  deal  of  practical  as  well  as  scientific  importance,  and 
of  immediate  need,  since,  in  the  coal-series,  we  wereenabled  to  lay  down 
pretty  closely  that  broken  winding  line  more  than  two  hundred  miles  in 
length  inside  of  which  no  coal  might  be  found.  The  labor  involved  in 
carefully  laying  down  this  line  cannot  be  realized  until  one  notices  the 
almost  numberless  prosi)ect-holes  that  hare  been  sunk  into  the  worth- 
less black  shales  which,  all  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  lie  inside 
the  coal-series  and  tempt  the  settlers  into  profitless  investments  and 
unrequited  diggings  after  coal. 

In  carrying  on  this  last  survey,  the  Land-Office  work  has  been  of 
great  assistance,  and  also  the  careful  studies  of  Captain  Berthoud  of 
the  coal  lying  to  the  west  and  north  of  Denver. 

The  maps  produced  from  this  special  survey  and  included  in  this 
report  are  as  follows :  — 

1.  A  map  of  the  eastern  base  of  the  mountains  from  below  the  Arkansas 
Biver  to  the  northern  line  of  the  Territory,  on  a  scale  of  two  miles  to 
one  inch.  On  this  map  are  plotted  the  line  of  coal-outcrop,  the  junction 
of  the  sedimentary  and  metamorphic  rocks,  and  the  inner  limits  of  the 
Cretaceous. 

2.  A  map  of  the  Elk  Mountains  on  a  scale  of  one  mile  to  an  inch,  plot- 
ted with  200-foot  contours.* 

3.  A  map  of  the  Upper  Arkansas  Valley^  showing  the  heavy  morainal 
deposits  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Twin  Lakes,  on  a  scale  of  one  mile  to  an 
inch. 

*Theee  maps  are  all  redaced  one-half  for  publication. 


LETTEB  TO   THE   SECRETARY.  7 

4.  A  map  in  the  vicinity  of  Colorado  Springs^  on  a  scale  of  one-half  a 
mile  to  an  iDch,  made  principally'  for  geological  purposes. 

The  meanders  of  traveled  roads  will  be  plotted  on  the  final  maps  of 
Colorado. 

While  all  this  work  was  looked  upon  as  special  work,  and  done  with 
more  detail  than  the  regnlar  work  of  the  survey,  the  results  will,  of 
course,  be  incorporated  in  the  final  maps  of  the  Territory,  and  form  a 
part  of  them. 

During  the  season,  Mr.  Chittenden  made  156  topographical  stations, 
and  the  total  area  surveyed  was  over  four  thousand  square  miles.  Mr. 
W.  H.  Holmes  labored  with  his  usual  zeal  and  skill  during  the  entire 
season,  and  much  of  the  accuracy  and  value  of  the  work  is  due  to  him. 

During  the  sickness  of  ^  member  of  the  party  at  the  base  of  Sopris 
Peak,  I  was  detained  about  twenty  days.  In  the  mean  time,  Messrs. 
Holmes  and  Chittenden  made  a  careful  geological  and  topographical 
study  of  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  Elk  Mountains,  the  results  of 
Which  will  be  found  embodied  in  Mr.  Holmes's  report.  Great  numbers 
of  topographical  and  geological  sketches  were  made  by  Mr.  Holmes, 
which  will  serve  in  a  remarkably  clear  manner  to  illustrate  the 
structure  of  the  interesting  regions  surveyed. 

The  district  assigned  to  the  second  division  is  limited  on  the  north  by 
the  Eagle  and  Grand  Eivers,  west  by  the  west  line  of  Colorado,  south 
by  the  parallel  of  latitude  38°  20',  and  east  by  the  107th  meridian.  The 
area  of  this  district  is  about  seven  thousand  square  miles,  of  which  the 
party  completed  5,300  square  miles. 

The  plan  of  the  geodetic  and  topographical  work  is  as  follows: 

1st.  The  latitude  and  longitude  of  certain  points  are  determined  by  as- 
tronomical observations  as  accurately  as  the  present  state  of  astronomical 
science  will  allow.  This  work  has  been  done  for  us,  thus  far,  by  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey.  For  the  prosecution  of  the  survey  of  Colo- 
rado, the  latitude  and  longitude  of  Sherman  and  Cheyenne,  Wyoming 
Territory,  and  Denver,  Colorado  Springs,  and  Trinidad,  Colorado  Terri- 
tory, have  been  determined  by  them. 

2d.  From  a  base-line  measured  as  accurately  as  possible,  a  system  of 
primary  triangulation  is  expanded  and  extended  to  cover  the  area  to  be 
surveyed  with  a  net- work  of  triangles*  By  this  operation,  the  positions 
of  a  limited  number  of  points  are  established  with  accuracy.  Connect- 
ing this  system  of  triangulation  with  the  points  whose  positions  have 
been  established  by  astronomical  observation,  the  latitudes  and  longi- 
tudes of  the  primary  points  are  established.  Ihe  first  base-line  for  the 
primary  triangulation  of  Colorado  was  measured  principally  on  the 
track  of  the  Kansas  Pacific  Bailroad  near  Denver.  Its  length  is  between 
six  and  seven  miles.  Check-bases  at  Colorado  Springs  and  in  San  Luis 
Valley  have  also  been  measured  and  connected  with  the  triangulation. 
The  angles  are  measured  by  a  15-inch  theodolite,  reading  to  ten 
seconds,  using  artificial  signals.    The  primary  triangulation  is  carried. 


8  GEOLOGICAL  fiURYET   OF  THE   TERBITOBIES. 

on  by  a  special  party.  Using  the  lines  of  the  primary  system  as  bases, 
the  topographers  of  the  division  carry  on  the  secondary  triangulation, 
locating  points  within  the  triangles  of  the  primary  system.  In  the 
secondary  system,  as  in  the  primary,  all  three  angles  of  the  triangles  are 
measured,  and,  in  most  cases,  artificial  signals  are  nsed  on  the  stations. 
The  instrament  nsed  for  this  work  is  a  sort  of  theodolite,  reading 
minates.  The  stations  for  triangulation  and  topography  are,  in  most 
cases,  the  highest  and  most  commanding  points,  and  are  so  selected  that 
the  limits  of  work  from  one  will  reach  the  limits  from  those  aronud  it. 
From  a  station,  a  sketch-map  of  all  the  country  within  the  range  of  vision 
is  made,  as  also  a  prospective  sketch.  Angles  taken  on  prominent  points 
and  recorded  on  these  sketches  serve  to  locate  them,  and  thus  to  correct 
the  sketch-map.  The  distance  between  stations  must  depend  on  the 
character  of  the  country,  but  the  average  distance  apart  is  seven  to  ten 
miles.  For  the  prosecution  of  its  work  during  the  past  season,  this 
division  made  eighty-six  stations,  or  one  station  to  every  eight  miles  of 
area. 

The  most  prominent  geographical  features  occupied  by  this  division 
are  in  brief  as  follows :  On  the  north,  the  Eagle  or  Piney  Jiiver  flows, 
through  most  of  its  course,  in  a  broad  fine  valley,  having  a  course  nearly 
west,  interrupted  here  and  there  by  short  carLons.  At  its  mouth,  it  is  a 
large  stream,  barely  fordable  at  the  lowest  stage  of  water.  The  Grand 
Biver,  sometimes  called  the  Blue  or  Bunkara,  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Eagle,  is  in  a  close  canon  about  thirty  miles,  interrupted  by  a  short 
meadow  at  the  mouth  of  Bearing  Fork.  Below  this  canon,  the  river 
flows  sluggishly  through  a  broad  meadow,  which  extends  for  fully  fifty 
miles,  but  is  narrowed  in  the  middle  of  its  length,  where  the  river  cuts 
through  a  plateau.  Below  this  meadow,  the  river  enters  another  canon 
about  eighteen  miles  in  length,  and  of  no  great  height,  from  which  it 
flows  into  the  broad  valley  in  which  it  meets  the  Gunnison.  The  course 
of  the  Grand,  at  the  month  of  the  Eagle,  is  about  west,  which  direction 
gradually  changes  to  southwest,  and  then  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gun- 
nison again  to  the  west. 

The  drainage  of  the  southern  part  of  the  district  is  by  the  Gunnison 
Biver.  This  stream  takes  all  the  water  from  the  southern  slopes  of  the 
Elk  Mountains,  the  western  slopes  of  the  Saguache  range,  and  the 
northern  slopes  of  the  Uncompahgre  Mountains.  For  twenty-five  miles 
below  the  month  of  Oochetq[>a  Greek,  this  river  is  in  a  narrow  valley, 
which  is  diversified  by  long  tongues  of  mesa,  which  separate  the 
numerous  streams  entering  the  river  on  either  side.  Below  this  valley 
is  a  very  heavy  caiion  cut  in  a  high  plateau  for  fifteen  miles.  The 
plateau  is  horizontal,  10,0<K)  feet  high,  and  the  course  of  the  river  is 
nearly  west  across  it,  the  depth  of  the  caiion  increasing  with  the  fall  of 
the  river  from  3,000  to  4,000  feet.  At  this  point,  the  plateau  breaks  off 
abruptly  on  the  north  side,  and,  while  preserving  nearly  the  same  height 
at  the  edge  of  the  caiion,  slopes  off  gradually  toward  the  north,  having 


LETTER   TO   THE   8ECBETAST.  9 

the  appearance  of  long  bog-backs.  On  the  south  side,  the  plateau  pre- 
serves its  horizoutality  for  a  few  miles,  then  breaks  off,  leaving  a  ridge 
of  uptarned  beds  only  to  separate  the  river  from  the  valley  of  the 
UDcoiupahgre.  At  a  point  about  thirty  miles  below  the  head  of  the 
canoD,  the  river  changes  its  course  abruptly  from  west  to  north,  and 
flows  parallel  to  the  slope  of  long  hogbacks,  it  holds  this  coarse  for 
aboQt  eighteen  miles,  then,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nprth  Fork,  a  large 
affluent  from  the  north,  it  tarns  again  abruptly  to  the  west,  and  a  few 
miles  farther  suddenly  emerges  from  the  cunon  into  the  broad  valley  of  the 
Uocompahgre.  The  character  of  this  cafion  in  its  api)er  part  is  extremely 
ragged ;  its  walls  are  precipitoas,  and  there  is  hardly  a  place  where  a 
man  could  clamber  down  to  the  bottom.  The  river  fills  the  bottom  of 
the  caiion,  leaving  no  beach  anywhere.  The  material  of  the  caiiou- 
walls  in  the  upper  two-thirds  is  gneiss  and  in  the  lower  third  stratified 
rock.  The  valley  of  the  Uncompahgre  Biver  is  very  broad,  extending 
forty  miles  up  the  Uncompahgre  Biver  and  twenty  miles  down  the 
Gunnison.  Below  this,  the  river  falls  throngh  a  canon,  which,  with 
slight  interruptions,  extends  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  while  the  country 
back  from  the  river  is  a  flat  open  valley. 

The  Elk  Mountains  extend  into  this  district,  occupying  an  area  of 
about  one  thousand  five  hundred  square  miles  in'  the  southwestern 
part  Their  character  is  not  that  of  a  continuous  range,  but  of  groups 
of  mountains  and  isolated  peaks.  The  elevation  of  the  highest  does  not 
exceed  13,500  feet,  and  the  average  of  the  peaks  is  scarcely  13,000  feet. 
These  mountains  are  drained  entirely  by  the  Gunnison ;  the  northern 
slopes  by  its  North  Fork.  Besides  these  mountains,  the  country  is 
entirely  plateau  and  broad  valleys.  The  plateau  has  an  elevation  of 
8,500  to  10,000  feet,  sloping  gradually  toward  the  west.  The  elevation 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison  Biver  is  about  j4,200  feet ;  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Uncompahgre,  4^500 ;  and  the  general  elevation  of  the  Uncom- 
pahgre Valley,  4,500  to  5,000  feet;  that  of  the  mouth  of  Cochetopa 
Creek,  7,400  feet;  and  of  the  Grand  Biver,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle, 
about  7,000  feet. 

The  division  was  constituted  as  follows,  viz:  Henry  Gannett,  topog- 
rapher,  in  charge  of  party ;  Dr.  A.  G.  Peale,  geologist ;  Fred.  Owens, 
assistant  topographer;  Frank  Kellogg,  assistant;  Arch.  B.  Balloch, 
general  assistant ;  with  two  packers  and  a  cook. 

The  part^'  left  Denver  on  July  21,  travelt'd  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  to  their  field  of  work,  commenced  work  August  3,  ended  work 
October  29,  and  reached  Denver  about  the  middle  of  November. 

On  July  14, 1874,  the  San  Juan  ot  third  division  of  the  United  States 
Geological  and  Geographical  Survey  left  Denver  for  the  field.  Itconsisted 
of  A  D.  Wilson,  topographer,  directing;  F.  Bhoda,  his  assistant;  F.  M. 
Eadlich,  geologist;  and  Mr.  Gallup,  who  was  for  a  short  time  attached 
aa  barometric  obsei'ver.  The  region  assigned  to  this  division  was  the 
one  generally  known  as  the  ^*  San  Juan  countiy".    In  1800  and  1861,  a 


10        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITORIES. 

party  of  prospectors,  the  "Baker's  party'',  bad  reached  a  section  of 
country  that  was  said  to  abound  in  silver  and  gold.  After  enduring 
many  hardships,  a  portion  of  the  men  succeeded  in  again  reaching  set- 
tlements, while  others  were  killed  by  the  Indians.  Ten  years  later,  the 
D)ining-region  was  brought  into  public  notice  a  second  time,  more  par- 
ticularly hy  the  discovery  and  working  of  the  "  Little  Giant"  mine. 
Since  then,  many  prospectors  and  capitalists  have  examined  the  indi- 
cations of  ore,  dud  active  mining  has  taken  the  place  of  mere  prelimi- 
nary examination.  In  1873,  the  tract  of  land  supposed  to  contain  all 
or  nearly  all  of  the  metalliferous  lodes  was  purchased  from  the  Ute  In- 
dians by  the  United  States  Government.  It  was  therefore  one  of  the 
main  objects  of  the  San  Juan  division  to  inquire  into  the  geological  and 
mineraiogical  characteristics  of  these  lodes,  with  a  view  to  obtain  some 
idea  regarding  their  relations  and  value.  A  report  thereon  will  be 
found  in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  geological  report  of  F.  M.  Endlich. 

In  every  respect,  the  country  surveyed  was  found  to  be  of  such  extra- 
ordinary interest,  and  the  demand  for  information  with  regard  thereto 
was  so  apparent,  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  publish  at  once  a  por- 
tion of  the  results  obtained.  Bulletin  No.  3,  of  the  second  series,  1875, 
contains  a  drainage-map  of  the  country ;  a  report  by  A.  D.  Wilson,  re- 
ferring to  routes,  roads,  grades,  etc. ;  one  by  F.  M.  Endlich  on  the  mines; 
and  an  itinerary,  together  with  hypsometric  data,  by  F.  Ehoda.  All 
will  be  incorporated  in  the  subjoined  report  in  their  respective  places. 
While  Colorado  has  furnished  so  many  districts  of  rugged  mountain 
country,  the  one  surveyed  by  this  party  during  1874  surpassed  all.  In 
consequence  of  this  character,  it  was  not  possible  to  complete  so  large 
an  area  as  was  first  intended,  and  about  five  thousand  two  hundred 
square  miles  were  surveyed.  Of  these,  three  thousand  two  hundred 
were  plotted  during  the  winter  following,  and  the  geological  report  con- 
fines itself  to  them.  The  remainder  will  be  attached  to  the  work  of 
1875,  thus  obviating  the  necessity  of  mapping  an  isolated  area. 

From  the  report  and  sketches  accompanying,  it  will  b^  seen  that  the 
district  was  one  of  unusual  character,  containing  i)henomena  of  great 
geological  importance.  Enormous  quantities  of  volcanic  rocks  were 
found  to  form  the  highest  peaks,  reaching  an  altitude  of  14,280  feet 
above  sea-level,  while  many  unique  features  of  detail  were  noted  in  the 
same  formation.  Metamorphics  and  sedimentaries  were  also  observed, 
the  former  rising  to  very  considerable  altitudes.  As  might  be  expected 
in  a  country  so  favorable  to  the  formation  of  water-courses,  the  head- 
waters of  several  large  streams  were  discovered  and  mapped.  Among 
the  most  prominent  are  those  of  the  Bio  Grande,  Eio  Animas,  Bio 
Dolores,  Bio  San  Miguel,  Bio  Piedra,  and  the  Uncompahgre.  Ethno- 
logically,  the  southern  section  was  found  to  present  interesting  data- 
Through  co-operation  of  the  geological  work  with  that  of  Mr.  Wil- 
son, the  topographer,  it  became  possible  to  render  a  geological  map 
that  represents  the  horizontal  distribution  of  the  various  formations 
and  their  members,  while  sections  display  the  vertical  arrangement. 


LETTER   TO   THE   SECEETARY.  11 

Ou  October  19,  1874,  the  party  again  reached  Denver,  after  having 
completed  the  work  above  speciiied.  During  the  season,  sixty-five 
topographical  stations  were  made  and  seventy-four  camps.  Of  these 
stations,  eighteen  were  over  13,000  feet  above  sea-level. 

The  photographic  and  naturalist's  division  was  again  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Jackson,  the  photographer,  who  has  been 
connected  with  the  survey  for  the  past  five  years  in  the  same  capacity. 
The  party  organized  in  Denver,  and  took  the  field  July  21.  It  com- 
prised the  photographer;  Mr.  Anthony,  his  assistant;  Mr.  E.  Ingersoll, 
naturalist ;  and  Mr.  Frank  Smart,  assistant,  with  two  packers  and  a 
cook. 

Middle  Park  was  first  visited,  as  it  had  not  been  worked  up  the  pre- 
vious season.  A  series  of  beautiful  and  very  characteristic  views  of  the 
peculiar  features  of  the  park  were  secured,  including  views  about  Grand 
Lake,  the  Hot  Springs,  the  Great  Gallon  of  the  Grand,  and  the  mag- 
nificent mountain-forms  and  the  charming  vista  as  seen  along  the  Blue 
River.  From  the  head  of  the  Blue,  the  party  progressed  southward, 
via  the  Arkansas,  Poncha,  and  Gochetopa  Passes,  to  the  Los  Piuos 
agency  Jbr  the  Ute  Indians,  where  a  series  of  views  were  secured 
illustrating  their  life  and  peculiarities.  The  San  Juan  Mountains  was 
the  next  objective  point.  A  camp  was  established  in  the  upper  end  of 
Baker's  Park,  in  which  was  left  all  extra  material  in  charge  of  two  or 
three  of  the  men,  and  then,  traveling  with  but  few  animals  and  very 
light  packs,  rapid  side-trips  were  made  Juto  all  the  strongholds  and 
fastnesses  of  the  grandest  mountains  in  all  Colorado.  Panoramic  views 
from  the  tops  of  the  highest  peaks  were  secured,  illustrating,  by  bird's^ 
eye  views,  the  geology  and  topography  of  the  whole  mountain-system. 
Especial  attention  has  been  paid,  all  the  time,  to  make  these  views 
instructive  as  well  as  pleasing  to  the  eye,  and  the  system  of  panoramic 
views  which  has  been  carrit^d  out  has  been  of  very  great  assistance 
to  the  topographers  in  working  up  their  notes  and  expressing  the 
peculiarities  of  mountain-forms.  To  the  geologist,  also,  they  prove  of 
great  value  in  recalling  to  the  mud  the  surface-features,  inclination  of 
strata,  proportion  of  valley  to  mountain  land  and  of  timber  to  the  rocky 
summits  lying  above  it. 

From  the  permanent  camp  in  Baker's  Park,  a  side-trip  was  made  into 
the  southwestern  corner  of  the  Territory,  in  search  of  the  picturesque 
aud  interesting  ruins  of  the  habitations  of  a  long-forgotten  race.  Ko 
search  was  made  until  the  Kio  Mancos  was  reached;  but,  from  this  point, 
ruins  without  number  covered  the  plateau  and  filled  the  valle^vs  aud 
canons.  Through  the  canons  of  the  Eio  Mancos,  were  found  houses  of 
two  stories  in  height,  in  the  escarpment  of  the  mesa,  800  to  1,000  feet 
perpendicularly  above  the  valley,  of  well-dressed  sandstone,  true  in  all 
their  angles,  laid  in  a  firm  and  ienacious  mortar,  and  the  inside 
plastered  and  paneled  in  two  colors.  The  greater  msyority  of  these 
houses  were  smaller,  but  as  perfectly  built  as  the  larger  ones,  and  all 


12        GEOLOGICAL  8UBVEY  OP  THE  TERRITOEIES. 

were  very  difflcnlt  of  access,  and  resembled  swallows'  nests  more  than 
anything  else.  To  reach  these  with  the  photographic  apparatus,  it  had 
to  be  haaled  up  with  long  ropes  taken  from  the  pack-animals.  From 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Mancos,  the  party  proceeded  northwesterly 
into  Utah,  finding  group  after  group  of  towns  and  isolated  watch- 
towers  perched  upon  great  bowlders  and  upon  the  promontories  of  the 
mesas.  In  one  place  was  found  a  wall,  evidently  surrounding  a  town  oi 
a  very  considerable  population,  which  was  fully  tweuty  feet  in  thickness, 
the  outer  surface  of  dressed  stone,  laid  perfectly  true,  the  space 
between  filled  with  large  undressed  blocks  in  adobe  mortar. 

The  entire  trip  to  these  ruins,  from  and  back  to  Baker's  Park,  com- 
prised about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  traveling.  Only  two 
weeks  could  be  devoted  to  it,  which  necessitated  a  somewhat-  super- 
ficial examination.  Two  series  of  views  were  made,  the  stereoscopic 
and  fiveby -eight  plate.  About  forty  negatives  were  made  altogether, 
illustrating  perfectly  all  the  leading  features  in  a  very  unique  series  of 

views. 

From  Baker's  Park,  the  party  returned  by  rapid  marches,  via  the  Rio 
Grande,  San  Luis  Valley,  and  Mosca  Pass,  to  Colorado  Springs,  where 
they  met  with  the  special  party  under  my  charge.  Mr.  Jackson  joiued 
him  with  his  apparatus  for  a  few  days,  while  his  party  proceeded  to 
Denver  and  disbanded.  The  four  or  five  days  he  was  with  the  special 
party,  about  one  hundred  additional  negatives  were  made,  mostly  of 
camp-life  and  the  manner  of  conducting  the  various  operations  of  the 
survey  while  in  the  field.  The  result  of  the  trip  sums  up  as  follows: 
350  negatives,  stereoscopic  and  five-by-eight,  and  the  most  extensive 
and  interesting  conchological  collection  ever  made  in  the  Territories. 
The  party  was  out  eighty-four  days,  making  sixty  camps,  and  traveling 
one  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty  miles. 

Not  a  negative  was  broken  or  lost  on  the  trip,  and  the  naturalist's 
and  different  zoological  and  entomological  collections  came  in  safe. 

The  work  of  the  survey  during  the  season  of  1875  will  be  extended 
westward  in  Colorado  to  the  meridian  of  longitude  109^  3(K.  The  area 
now  remaining  to  be  explored  lies  west  of  108o  on  the  western  slope  of 
the  main  range  of  the  Kocky  Mountains  and  comprising  the  eastern  por^ 
tion  of  the  drainage  of  the  great  Colorado  River.  Hundreds  of  streams 
of  greater  or  less  size  cut  deep  gorges  through  this  couptry  in  their 
westward  course  to  the  Colorado  River.  There  are  some  groups  of 
mountains  yet  to  bo  surveyed,  but  the  highest  peaks  have  already  been 
located. 

According  to  the  instructions  given  by  the  Department : 

First.  There  shaH  be  tvo  classes  of  maps :  one  known  as  "  general  *\  the  other  as 
"  special "  maps ;  and  the  "  general "  maps  shaU  be  sabdivided  into  two  classes,  viz, 
"topographical"  and  "geological". 

Second.  The  **  general "  maps  shall  be  on  a  scale  of  fonr  miles  to  an  inch,  or  jb^aao* 
The  sheets  thereof  shaU  be  twenty-six  (2<>)  inches  long  by  thirty-seven  (37)  inches 
wide,  including  the  border,  and  be  folded  once.    The  area  to  be  represented  on  each 


LETTER   TO   THE   SECSETABY.  13 

aheei  shall  be  two  and  one-half  degrees  in  longitude  and  one  and  one-fourth  degrees 
in  latitude.  The  I12th  meridian  shall  be  taken  as  the  standard  from  whioh  the  majM 
aie  to  be  projected  in  an  easterly  and  westerly  direeUon,  aud  the  38th  parallel  as  the 
standard  from  whioh  they  shall  be  projected  in  a  uortherly  and  southerly  direction ; 
these  lines  forming  the  division-lines  between  the  atlas-sheets  adjacent  thereunto. 

Third.  Maps  or  charts  of  the  second  or  '*  special "  class  may  be  constructed  ou  other 
softies  and  embracing  other  areas,  whenever  it  shall  be  found  necessary  for  the  purpose 
of  properly  representing  mining-districts,  mineral,  agricultural,  pasture,  or  timber 
lands,  or  for  other  q^ial  purposes. 

At  the  end  of  the  next  season,  if  suitable  appropriations  are  made  by 
Congress  for  the  purpose,  the  survey  will  have  completed  the  most  rug- 
ged and  mountainous  portion  of  our  continent,  lying  between  meridians 
1U40  3(y  aiid  1090  30'  and  parallels  40o  45'  and  40o  3(K.  This  will  form 
an  atlas  of  six  sheets,  each  comi)ri8ing  about  11,500  square  miles,  or  a 
total  of  about  69,000  square  miles.  These  maps  are  intended  to  express 
not  only  the  topographical  features,  but  the  geological  also ;  and,  in 
accordance  with  the  directions  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  these 
charts  will  indicate  the  areas  of  grass,  timber,  and  mineral  lands,  and 
such  other  country  as  may  be  found  to  be  susceptible  of  cultivation  by 
irrigation. 

Numerous  special  maps  of  the  mining-regions,  isolated  mountain- 
ranges,  and  other  localities  remarkable  for  their  complicated  geological 
structure,  have  been  prepared  on  different  scales.  Much  more  of  this 
detailed  study  of  interesting  localities  will  be  made  when  the  final  maps 
are  completed.  Collections  of  great  value  were  made  in  geology  and 
mineralogy,  all  of  which  will  be  reported  on  in  due  time. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  annual  report  for  1873,  several  volumes 
have  appeared  in  connection  with  the  survey,  which  must  be  regarded 
as  of  great  value.  Volume  II  of  the  quarto  series,  by  Professor  Cope, 
on  the  "Cretaceous  Vertebrata  of  the  Western  Territories",  contains 
304  pages  text,  with  57  plates.  Volume  VI  of  the  quarto  series,  on  the 
**  Cretaceous  Flora  of  the  Dakota  Group",  by  Leo  Lesquereux,  constitutes 
an  original  contribution  to  the  vegetable  paleontology  of  America,  and 
will  prove  very  useful  in  fixing  a  most  important  geological  horizon. 
It  contains  130  pages,  with  30  plates.  Much  new  material  has  come  to 
hand  since  the  publication  of  that  memoir,  a  portion  of  which  will  be 
fbund  in  this  report.  A  third  edition  of  the  "  List  of  Elevations"  and  a 
second  edition  of  the  "  Catalogue  of  Photographs"  have  been  printed  to 
supply  the  demand  for  the  miscellaneous  i>ublications.  The  most  import- 
antvolnmeof  themiscellaneous  series,  however,  isthe^Birdsof  the  North- 
west", by  Dr.  BUiott  Cones,  which  comprises  over  eight  hundred  closely- 
printed  octavo  pages.  Much  of  the  text  is  written  in  popular  style, 
treating  of  the  habits,  or,  as  it  were,  the  domestic  life,  of  the  birds ;  and 
on  this  account  the  demand  for  it  among  onr  people  has  been  unusually 
gteat.  Although  it  does  not  pretend  to  be  a  general  work  on  the  orni- 
Ibology  of  the  Western  Territories,  it  contains  a  more  or  less  complete 
descriptive  list  of  four-fifths  of  the  birds  of  the  United  States. 


14        GEOLOGICAL  8UEVEY  OP  THE  TEBRITOBIES. 

The  memoirs  that  are  either  now  in  press  or  in  an  advanced  state  of 
preparation  are  nnmeroas  and  important. 

Volume  IX,  "The  Fossil  Invertebrata of  the  Western  Territories,"  by 
F.  B.  Meek,  is  nearly  through  the  press.  It  will  contain  45  plates,  with 
a  great  number  of  wood-cuts  scattered  through  the  te^t.  Mr.  Meek  Las 
most  thoroughly  elaborated  every  genus,  and  given  the  synouyuiy  ot  all 
the  species  with  unusual  care.  He  regards  this  mem  oirashis  great  life- 
work,  and  it  will  add  greatly  to  his  fame  as  a  paleontologist. 

Volume  X  will  be  a  "  Monograph  of  the  Geomitrid  Moths'',  by  Dr.  A.  S. 
Packard.  It  will  form  a  memoir  of  ^50  pages  quarto,  with  13  plates, 
on  some  of  which  are  engraved  one  hundred  figures.  This  work  is  now 
rapidly  passing  through  the  press. 

Volume  VII,  "  The  Fossil  Flora  of  the  Lignitic  Tertiary  Formation  of 
the  Western  Territories",  by  Leo  Lesquereux,  is  intended  to  be  a  njono- 
graph  of  that  subject.  It  will  contain  sixty-five  quarto  plates,  all  of 
which  have  been  engraved  by  Messrs.  Sinclair  and  Son,  Philadelpbia. 
Mr.  Lesquereux  is  now  at  work  on  the  text,  and  it  is  expected  to  be  much 
superior  to  the  Cretaceous  Flora,  which  was  received  with  such  marked 
favor  throughout  the  scientific  world. 

Volume  VIII  was  originally  designed  to  form  an  extended  memoir 
on  the  Fossil  Flora  of  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  formations  of  the 
West,  by  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry.  Twenty-six  plates  have  been  engraved, 
and  an  edition  of  2,500  copies  printed  for  over  ibur  years.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  some  portion  of  this  volume  will  be  issued  the  'present 
season. 

A  very  interesting  memoir,  in  octavo  form,  entitled  *'The  Ethnog- 
raphy and  Philology  of  the  Hidatsa  Indians  (Minnetarees  of  the  XJp})er 
Missouri)  is  now  in  the  press.  It  was  prepared  at  my  request  by  13r.  • 
Washington  Mathews,  U.  S.  A.  Dr.  Mathews  spent  some  years  at  Fort 
Berthold,  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  as  surgeon  of  the  military  post,  and 
his  leisure  time  was  devotQd  to  the  study  of  the  language  and  history  of 
this  interesting  tribe.  An  edition  of  lOO  copies  was  printed  by  Mr. 
Shea,  of  New  York;  but  since  that  time  Dr.  Mathews  has  very  much 
enlarged  and'improvod  the  memoir,  and  many  portions  af  it  he  has  en- 
tirely rewritten.  I  had  originally  intended  that  it  should  be  substituted 
for  a  chapter  I  had  written  on  this,  many  years  ago,  in  a  volume  on  the 
Indian  tribes  of  the  Northwest,  which  is  intended  to  form  one  of  the 
quarto  series  of  the  Survey ;  but  when  I  found  the  manuscript  to  be  so 
elaborate  and  complete,  I  preferred  to  issue  it  as  a  separate  volume  or 
monograph.  I  am  confident  that  this  memoir  will  be  received  with 
great  favor,  and  that  scholars  in  this  country  and  in  Eerope  will  be 
profoundly  grateful  for  this  his  labor  of  love. 

The  Bulletin  of  the  Survey  was  originally  started  to  embrace  such 
articles  as  demanded  immediate  publication  on  account  of  their  i)ecu]iar 
value  or  character.  Many  new  species  of  animals  and  plants  have  been 
collected  from  time  to  time,  which  needed  to  be  published  promptly  to 


LETTER   TO   THE   SECRETARY.  15 

secnre  for  the  Survey  that  priority  of  discovery  which  is  its  right.  The 
first  two  numbers,  issued  during  the  year  1874,  are  not  paged  consecu- 
tively; but  those  of  the  second  series,  which  have  been  issued  during 
tbeyear  1875,  will  be  paged  consecutively,  and  the  illustrations  num- 
bered, so  that  at  the  close  of  the  year  all  the  numbers  may  be  gathered 
together  and  bound  in  one  volume.  A  title-page,  table  of  contents,  and 
a  complete  index  will  be  printed  in  the  final  number  of  each  year.  The 
numbers  for  the  year  1874  and  1875  may  be  bound  together  as  volume  I. 
The  irregularities  in  some  of  the  publications  are  due  to  the  unexpected 
progress  of  the  Survey  and  the  acquisition  of  an  unusual  amount  of 
material. 

The  history  of  the  Survey,  from  the  small  appropriation  of  $5,000  in 
1807,  was  briefly  told  in  the  Annual  Keport  of  last  year.  It  has  contin- 
ued from  year  to  year  with  a  constant  growth,  though  dependent  upon 
tbe  annnal  appropriation,  Vhich  will  cease  or  be  renewed  each  year  at 
the  option  of  Congress. 

Dnnug  the  years  1867  and  1868,  the  Survey  was  under  the  Commis- 
sioner of  the  General  Land-Office,  and  the  two  small  annual  reports 
were  incorporated  in  the  annual  volume  of  that  Bureau. 

In  1869,  the  Survey  was  placed  under  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
and  the  first  independent  annual  report  was  made.  When  the  demai)d 
was  so  great  that  a  reprint  of  the  report  of  1809  was  ordered,  I  united 
the  two  small  reports  of  1867  and  1868  with  the  report  of  1869,  as  First, 
Second,  and  Third  Annual  Eeports  of  the  Survey. 

Tbe  original  plan  of  the  quarto  seriea  only  extended  to  five  volumes. 
Volume  V  was  to  include  all  the  natural  history,  and  on  tbe  title-page 
of  volumes  I  and  V  it  is  stated  that  the  entire  series  will  be  in  five 
volumes,  of  which  the  AcrididsB  was  to  be  the  first  part ;  but  the  mate- 
rials in  all  branches  accumulated  so  rapidly  that  the  number  of  vol- 
umes was  increased,  and  at  the  present  time  it  will  be  limited  only  by 
tbe  duration  of  tbe  Surrey. 

The  annual  reports  will  be  continued  from  year  to  year.  Circum- 
stances beyond  tbe  control  of  the  geologist-in-charge  may  delay  them, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  present  one,  but  they  will  appear  as  soon  as  they 
can  be  prepared. 

Besides  the  regular  members  of  the  Survey,  there  are  several  collabo- 
rators, whose  time  is  more  or  less  occupied  in  the  preparation  of  special 
reports.  Prof.  Leo  Lesquereux  has  been  continuously  connected  with 
the  Survey  for  several  years,  with  a  regular  salary,  devoted  to  the  elabo- 
ration of  reports  on  vegetable  paleontology,'  Mr.  F.  B.  Meek  has  also 
been  a  member  of  the  Survey  most  of  the  time  since  1867,  with  a  fixed 
salary,  as  paleontologist.  Professor  Cope  has  prepared  the  reports  on 
Vertebrata,  and  will  continue  to  devote  his  time  at  intervals  to  that  special 
department.  Dr.  A.  S.  Packard  spent  several  months  during  the  past 
aummer  in  Colorado,  Wyoming,  and  Utah  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Survey,  making  large  collections  in  his  favorite  branches,  entomology 


16        GEOLOQICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITOBIES. 

and  invertebrate  natural  history  generally.  The  results  of  his  labois 
will  appear  in  the  annual  reports,  and  in  the  beautiful  quarto  volume 
on  the  Geometrid  Moths.  Mr.  P.  B.  Uhler  visited  Colorado  during  the 
summer.  His  collection  of  insects  amounted  to  about  1,000  species. 
In  the  Annual  Beport  for  1875,  he  will  present- an  elaborate  essay  on  the 
geographical  distribution  of  insects.  A  very  valuable  paper  on  the 
Hemiptera  of  our  Western  Territories  appeared  in  No.  5  of  the  Bulletins 
for  the  year  1875,  illustrated  with  woodcuts. 

Two  volumes,  quarto,  by  Professor  Cope,  are  in  course  of  preparation, 
and  will  be  published  within  a  year  if  the  Government  provides  the 
money  for  completing  the  engraving : — 

Volume  III,  "  Vertebrate  Paleontology  of  the  Eocene  Formations  of 
the  West." 

Part  I.  Distribution  and  Belations  of  the  Tertiary  Basins  of  the  West 

Part  II.  The  Vertebrata  of  the  Eocene. 

Part  III.  The  Belations  of  the  Fauna  of  the  Eocene. 

Volume  IV,  *'  Vertebrate  Paleontology  of  the  Miocene  Formations  of 
the  West." 

Part  I.  The  Fauna  of  the  White  Biver  Epoch. 

Part  II.  Tbe  Fauna  of  the  Loup  Fork  Epoch. 

Part  III.  Tbe  Belations  of  the  Fauna  of  the  White  Biver  and  Loup 
Fork  Epochs. 

The  Survey  is  under  great  obligations  to  Dr.  Elliott  Goues,  U.  S.  A., 
Mr.  Bobert  Bidgway,  and  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Scudder,  for  very  valuable 

« 

contributions  to  its  publications. 

The  obligations  of  the  Survey  for  favors  of  various  kinds  have  been 
numerous  as  usual,  but  few  of  them  can  be  mentioned  in  this  connection. 

From  D.  Appleton  &  Go.,  of  New  York,  very  great  assistance  has  been 
received  by  permitting  the  use  of  the  illustrations  of  Colorado  scenery, 
taken  from  their  magnificent  publication  ^^Picturesque  America.''  The 
publishers  of  that  work  were  permitted  by  the  Interior  Department  to 
use  the  photographs  of  the  Survey  on  condition  that  the  Survey  should 
have  the  electrotypes  of  the  illustrations  for  use  in  the  reports,  and 
some  of  the  beautiful  cuts  in  this  report  are  the  result  of  their  gen- 
erosity. 

The  illustrations  for  this  report  have  been  prepared  in  part,  while  the 
text  was  passing  through  the  press.  This  fact  will  account  for  irregu- 
larities in  the  numbering  of  them.  The  pen-sketches  and  sections  were 
made  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Holmes,  a  member  of  the  Survey.  For  beauty  and 
accuracy  they  cannot  be  surpassed,  and  they  add  greatly  to  the  value 
of  the  report 

To  the  Union  Pacific,  Denver  Pacific,  Kansiis  Pacific,  and  Denver 
and  Bio  Grande  Bailroads,  the  Survey  is  under  obligations  for  half-fare 
tickets  for  its  members. 

The  various  changes  which  have  occurred  in  the  personnel  of  the 


LETTER   TO   THE    SECRETARY.  17 

party  duriDg  the  past  year  has  thrown  an  immense  amount  of  executive 
labor  on  me,  which  has  exhausted  my  strength,  and  consumed  my 
time  to  such  an  extent  that  1  have  not  been  able  to  give  the  necessary 
att€^ntion  and  study  to  my  portion  of  the  report.  The  editing  of  so 
many  publications  is  sufficient  labor  for  one  person,  and  yet  this  is  the 
smallest  duty  that  has  devolved  on  the  geologistin-charge.  The  various 
executive  duties,  as  correspondence,  foreign  exchange,  settlement  of 
accounts,  and  the  supervision  of  the  parties  in  the  field  and  office,  seem 
to  increase  from  year  to  year,  so  that  only  mere  fragments  of  my  time 
can  be  devoted  to  scientific  study. 

The  present  annual  report  is  submitted  with  the  belief  that  it  contains 
much  that  is  new  and  interesting  to  geologists  and  the  intelligent  world 
generally. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

F.  V.  HAYDEN, 
United  States  Geologist 
Hon.  Z.  Chakdler, 

Secretary  of  the  Interior. 


2  H 


4 

Library.  ) 


CIirPTER  I. 


/lUr.P   HietTOKY   OF  THK    LIGNITIC  GKOUP  ;   FIRST  STUDIKD  ON  THK  UPPKR   MrSSOCRI— 
KAKI,Y     VIKW8    ENTEKTAINKD    BY    ME£K,    NKWBKKRY,    AND   OTHER    PALEONTOLO- 
GISTS  ON  THE    AGE    OF    THIS   GROUP— THE  IJGNITIC   GROUP    OF    THE    NORTHWK&T 
BEMKV£D  TO    BE   CONTINUOUS   SOUTHWARD    WITH    THE    COLORADO  AND   LARAMI 
BEDS.  • 

In  this  chapter,  I  desire  to  note,  as  briefly  as  possible,  the  progress  of 
the  development  of  the  Liguitic  group  of  the  Western  Territories;  aud 
in  doing  so  I  need  not  go  back  farther  in  the  past  than  the  commence^ 
meut  of  my  own  explorations  on  the  Upper  Missouri  in  1854.  Prior  to 
that  time,  the  observations  that  had  been  made  by  various  travelei-s  in 
regard  to  the  existence  of  coal-beds  in  different  parts  of  the  West  were 
of  so  indefinite  a  character  that  they  cannot  be  used  as  evidence,  though 
they  may  form  a  part  of  the  early  history  of  discovery. 

I  have  frequently  stated  in  my  former  reports  that  I  regarded  this 
group  as,  in  many  respects,  the  most  im(K)rtant  one  in  the  West;  that, 
in  its  relations  to  the  well  defined  Cretaceous  group  below  it,  it  had  a 
more  important  bearing  on  the  physical  history  of  the  growth  of  the 
western  portion  of  our  continent  than  any  other  in  the  geological  scnle. 
Althoagh  this  formation  has  been  studied  with  great  zeal  by  several 
parties  within  a  few  years,  and  most  important  additions  to  geology 
liave  resulted  therefrom,  there  is  evidently  much  more  work  to  be  done 
before  all  the  problems  will  be  solved  with  sufficient  clearness  for  onr 
euiii-e  satisfaction.  That  the  evidence  is  very  conflicting  is  shown  by 
the  wide  differences  of  opinion  that  are  entertained  in  regard  to  its  age 
by  geologists  and  paleontologists  whose  views  have  great  weight  in  the 
sejentific  world. 

The  assistant  geologists  connected  with  the  survey  under  my  charge 
bare  been  continually  instructed  to  gather  all  the  materials  possible 
beiiring  on  the  age  of  this  group,  while  Messrs.  Meek,  Lesquereux,  and 
Cope  have  been  urged  to  study  the  subject  from  their  own  jieculiar 
standpoints,  regardless  of  unity  of  results.  Many  extremely  valuable 
anil  instructive  memoirs  have  already  appeared  in  the  reports  of  the 
Survey  touching  upon  this  group,  and  several  more  are  in  process  of 
preparation  or  publication. 

One  fruitful  source  of  difference  of  opinion  has  been  in  the  nnsunder- 
BtaDdingin  regard  to  the  different  horizons  of  the  coal-strata  of  the  West. 
That  there  are  important  coal-beds  in  rocks  of  well  defined  Cretaceous 
age  cannot  be  disputed,  and  I  have  long  since  yielded  that  point.  What 
we  wish  to  show  more  clearly  is  that  there  exists  in  the  West  a  distinct 
aeries  of  strata  which  we  have  called  the  Liguitic  group,  and  that  it  is 
entirely  separate,  paleontologically  and  geologically,  from  a  great  group 
of  strata  in  the  Lower  Cretaceous,  and  perhaps  extending  down  into  the 
Jurassic,  which  contains  a  great  number  of  thick  and  valuable  beds  of 
roah  It  is  not  necessary  to  discuss  the  question  whether  the  term 
Ligoitic  shall  be  applied  to  the  coa^  ot  either  or  both  groups.  I  have 
used  the  term  Ligniiic  for  the  ujjper  group  without  reference  to  the 

19 


20        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEKRITORIES. 

quality  of  its  fuel,  simply  to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  great  group 
of  older  date,  the  age  of  which  is  not  questioned. 

The  time  has  now  come,  as  it  seems  to  me,  when  the  materials  are  so 
abundant  that  the  subject  can  be  reviewed  with  some  care.  It  is  well 
known  that  I  have  held  with  some  tenacity  the  ox)inion  that  the  coal- 
formations  of  the  West  are  ot  Tertiary  age ;  and  I  still  regard  the  Lig- 
nitic  grou[)  proper  as  transitional  or  Lower  Eocene,  and  shall  so  regard 
its  age  until  the  evidence  to  the  contrary  is  much  stronger  than  any 
which  has  been  presented  up  to  the  present  time.  When,  however,  the 
proof  is  sufficient  to  decide  the  Cretaceous  age  of  the  group,  I  shall 
accept  the  verdict  without  hesitation.  It  is  somewhat  doubtful  whether 
the  age  will  ever  be  decided  positively  lo  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties; 
still  we  shall  see  in  the  course  of  this  report  that  the  character  of  the 
paleontological  as  well  as  the  strictly  geological  evidence  is  such  that  it 
is  not  a  matter  of  importance  whether  the  entire  group  be  placed  iu  the 
Lower  Tertiary  or  Upper  Cretaceous,  and  it  is  most  probable  that  the 
testimony  of  the  different  paleontologists  will  always  be  as  conflicting 
as  it  is  at  present.         •        ^ 

In  order  that  the  reasons  for  my  belief  in  the  Tertiary  age  of  the 
Lignitic  group  may  be  more  clearly  understood  and  harmonized  with 
the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  of  the  subject,  I  will  give  a  briei 
history  of  the  commencement  and  ])rogress  of  its  examination. 

My  first  knowledge  of  this  group  was  obtained  in  the  summer  of  1854, 
when  I  made  a  somewhat  careful  examination  of  the  beds  from  tlieir 
first  appearance  on  the  Missouri  Eiver  bear  Fort  Clarke  to  the  mouth  ot' 
the  Yi'llowstone,  and  thence  up  that  river  to  a  point  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Big  Horn.  In  all  this  distance,  about  six  hundred  miles,  following  the 
windings  of  the  river,  the  Cretaceous  beds  appear  but  once,  and  then  only 
along  the  bed  of  the  river  for  a  few  miles,  while  the  entire  country,  with 
thisexception,  is  occupied  with  the  Lignitic  group. .  The  area  of  thisforma- 
tion  on  the  Upper  Missouri  cannot  be  less  than  one  hundred  thousand 
s()uare  miles,  and  extends  far  north  across  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
U  uited  States  into  the  British  possessions.  This  group  everywhere  rests 
upon  well-defined  Cretaceous  beds,  which  we  haveail  along  regarded  as  the 
highest  kuowMi  in  the  West,  and  have  received  the  name  of  the  Fox 
Bills  group,  from  a  locality  on  the  Missouri  Biver  called  the  Fox  Hills, 
or  Fox  Kidge,  where  this  formation  was  first  studied,  and  was  very  lull 
of  molluscan  life.  There  is  a  gradual  passage  upward  Irom  the  black 
plastic,  shaly  clays  of  No.  4,  or  the  Fort  Pierre  group,  to  the  yellow  cal- 
careous clays  of  the  Fox  Hills  group,  and  at  the  upper  portion,  t'he 
sediments  are  arranged  in  thin  layers,  very 'arenaceous,  and  indicative 
ot  their  deposition  in  turbulent  as  well  as  shallow  waters.  In  these  are- 
naceous sediments,  the  well-marked  marine,  life  ceases  to  exist,  and  soou 
alter  appear  the  brackish-water  species.  Between  the  Big  Cheyenne 
and  the  Moreau  Rivers,  branches  of  the  Missouri  that  come  in  from  the 
west  side,  the  Lignitic  strata  overlap  those  ot  Cretaceous  age,  and  in  the 
lower  beds  occurs  a  species  of  Ostrea  associated  with  some  other  brackish- 
water  forms.  I  am  not  positive  as  to  the  exact  position  of  these  fossils, 
but  I  am  confident  that  a  bed  of  gray  sandstone,  with  a  layer  of  imjiure 
coal  or  Lignite  lie,  below  any  of  the  brackish- water  forms  found  in  the 
Northwest.  Scattered  over  the  weathered  surface  of  these  Lower  Lig- 
nitic beds,  and  believed,  without  doubt,  to  have  been  originally 
imbedded  in  them,  were  found  several  specimens  of  Vertebrata  which 
have  been  regarded  by  Professor  Cope  as  characteristic  of  the  Creta- 
ceous era.  So  far  as  the  Northwest  is  concerned,  the  brackish-water 
beds  are  not  more  than  200  feet  in  thickness,  while  those  that  are 


HATOEs.]  GEOLOGY AGE    OF   THE   LIGNITIC    GROUP.  21 

pnrely  fresb-water  raust  reach  an  aggregate  thickness  of  3,000  to  5,000 
feet.  During  the  years  1854  and  1855, 1  stndied  this  group  on  the  Mis- 
souri to  Fort  Benton,  and  on  the  Yellowstone,  where  it  is  most  exten- 
sively developed,  to  the  month  of  the  Big  Horn  River  and  collected  great 
qoautitie8  of  animal  and  vegetable  remains  from  the  base  to  the  summit. 
Every  season,  up  to  the  antnmn  of  18G0,  I  made  collections  from  this 
group  in  all  parts  of  the  Northwest. 

The  vertebrate  remains  were  studied  by  Dr.  Leidy ;  the  vegetable 
fossils,  by  Dr.  Newberry  and  Mr.  Lesquereux^and  theinvertebratelossils, 
by  Mr.  Meek  and  the  writer.  None  of  us  even  doubted  their  Tertiary 
age.  Numerous  papers  were  published  by  Mr.  Meek  and  the  writer 
on  the  geology  and  invertebrate  paleontology  gf  this  region  in  various 
journals,  but  mostly  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sci- 
ences at  Philadelphia;  and  inasmuch  as  these  articles  arer  not  easily 
accessible  to  the  general  public,  1  shall  be  excused  from  quoting  par- 
agraphs from  them  quite  ireely  in  an  official  report. 

In  an  article  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences,  May,  1857,  we  siate  that  of  the  150  species  of  Mollusca  already 
described,  54  species  are  of  Tertiary  age,  50  are  strictly  freshwater,  anil 
only  four  belong  to  genera  supposed  to  inhabit  salt  or  brackish  waters. 
This  group  was  even  regarded  as  of  Miocene  age.  The  first  conclusion, 
at  the  close  of  this  i)aper,  reads  as  follows : — "  We  have  no  evidence  that 
any  of  the  Tertiary  deposits  now  known  in  Nebraska  are  older  than 
Miocene." 

The  above  paragraph  shows  that  Mr.  Meek  and  the  writer  attempted 
to  correllato  the  various  Tertiary  groups  in  the  Northwest  in  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  they  i)ossessed  at  ihat  time. 

Bat  it  was  from  the  very  abundant  fossil  flora  of  this  group  that  the 
most  positive  proof  of  its  age  was  derived.  It  is  hardly  possible  to 
estimate  with  accuracy  the  thickness  of  this  great  group  in  the  North- 
west, but  I  should  regard  it  from  3,000  to  5,000  feet  in  the  aggregate, 
with  from  twenty  to  thirty  beds  or  seams  of  lignite,  not  including  the 
thin  seams  of  an  inch  or  two,  which  are  very  numerous.  These  vary 
from  six  inches  to  ten  feet  in  thickness.'  All  through  this  great  thicks 
ness  of  strata,  the  leaves  are  found  in  most  instances  in  a  remarkably 
j)erfect  state  of  preservation.  •  Sometimes  they  are  so  abundant  and 
80  perfectly  preserved  th''t  they  would  appear  to  have  fallen  from 
the  trees  on  the  spot  and  in  the  greatest  profusion.  It  is  not  uncommon 
for  a  stratum  of  two  feet  or  more  to  be  composed  almost  entirely  at* 
these  leaves,  lying  parallel  with  the  layers,  as  if  they  had  not  been  dis- 
turbed after  dropping  froni  the  trees.  Along  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  main  rivers  (Missouri  and  Yellowstone),  these  plants  are  the  most 
abundant,  far  more  so  than  in  the  more  important  coal-regions  of 
Wyoming  or  Colorado. 

Although  my  own  collections,  made  from  1850  to  the  autumn  of  1860, 
doubtless  comprise  the  greater  part  of  the  species  that  will  herealteV  / 
be  found,  and  therefore  form  a  permanent  basis  for  determination  and 
comparison,  yet  the  force  of  their  teachings  is  somewhat  weakened  from 
the  fact  that  the  species  from  difi'erent  horizons  were  not  kept  suffi- 
ciently separate.  We  know,  however,  that  some  of  the  species  have  a 
very  great  vertical  as  well  as  horizontal  range,  and  that,  so  far  as  can 
be  detected,  there  is  no  break  in  the  sequence  of  the  beds  from  the 
Siiskatcfaewan  to  Santa  F6. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  a  paper  prepared  by  Mr.  Meek 
and  the  writer,  and  published  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  Philadelphia,  December,  1861.    This  extract  will  not 


22        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

only  serve  to  sbow  the  views  we  entertained  at  that  time  after  .* 
study  and  discussion  of  the  invertebfite  fossils,  but  incident 
opinions  of  other  eminent  paleontologists: 

"It  would  extend  these  remarks  beyond  the  limits  assigned  t 
attempt  any  detailed  account  of  thi*  Tertiary  rocks  of  Nebraska 
discuss  at  length  the  question  respecting  their  relations  to  those 
Atlantic  coast,  or  of  the  Old  World. 

"  We  must,  therefore,  limit  ourselves  here  to  a  few  brief  statemc 
leading  facts,  and  leave  all  details  for  another  occasion. 

"  In  the  first  jdace,  we  would  remark,  that  no  strictly  marine  Te; 
deposits  have  yet  been  discovered  in  all  the  Rocky  Mountain  regi 
•Nebraska,  nor,  so  far  as  known,  in  any  other  portion  of  Nebr* 
Kansas,  or  Utah. 

"  Throughout  all  this  great  central  area  of  the  continent,  wherevei 
oldest  Tertiary  deposits  have  been  seen,  they  give  evidence  of  fresh, 
brackish  water  origin,  and,  where  observed  resting  upon  the  most  reci 
Cretaceous  beds,  the  two  have  been  found  conformable,  and  sometim 
blended  together,  so  as  to  render  it  difficult  to  draw  a  line  betw^eeu  the. 
in  the  absence  of  organic  remains.    All  the  facts  indicate  a  gradual 
change  from  the  marine  conditions  of  the  Cretaceous ;  at  first  to  brack- 
ish, and  then  to  the  fresh-water  conditions  of  the  Tertiary.    The  pre- 
dominance of  Gasteropoda  and  Lamellihranehiaia^  and  the  comparative 
paucity  of   types    usually  considered  characteristic  of  deeper  water 
deposits,  as  well  as  the  coarser  nature  of  the  sediments,  near  the  end  of 
the  Cretaceous  epoch  of  this  region,  indicate  that  the  waters  were  grow- 
ing more  shallow  as  the  land  on  the  east  encroached  on  the  sea,  and 
islands  were  rising  where  the  Bocky  Mountains  now  stand,  while  the 
close  of  the  Cretaceous  period  seems  to  have  been  attended  'by  the  grad- 
ual elevation  of  large  areas  of  country  here  above   the  ocean-level. 
This  and  other  contemporaneous  changes  of  physical  conditions  caused 
the  total  destruction  of  the  whole  Cretaceous  fauna. 

"After  this,  extensive  tracts  of  country  in  the  region  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  east  of  them  in  Nebraska  and  other  northwestern  Ter- 
ritories, w  ere  occupied  by  bays,  inlets,  estuaries,  etc.,  of  brackish  water, 
inhabited  by  MoUusca  of  the  genera  Ostrea,  Unio^  Fisidium,  CorhicuUij 
Potamoniyaj  Melania,  Melamptis,  VimpuYay  etc.,  all  of  Tertiary  types. 
As  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  conntry  continued,  the  salt  and  brack- 
ish waters  receded  and  gave  place  to  lakes  and  other  bodies  of  fresh- 
water, in  which  most  of  the  Tertiary  rocks  of  the  Northwest  were 
deposited ;  so  that  in  all,  excepting  the  earliest  Tertiary  beds  of  this 
region,  we  find  only  the  remains  of  strictly  fresh-wat^r  and  terrestrial 
animals. 

"The  passage  from  the  brackish  to  the  fresh  water  beds  in  the  oldest 
member  of  the  Tertiary  of  this  region  seems  not  to  be  marked  by  any 
material  alteration  in  the  nature  of  the  sediments.  Nor  have  we,  so 
far  as  is  yet  known,  any  reasons  for  believing  that  any  climatic  or  other 
important  physical  changes,  beyond  the  slow  rising  of  the  land  and  the 
consequent  recession  of  the  salt  and  brackish  water,  took  place  during 
the  deposition  of  the  whole  of  the  oldest  member  of  the  Tertiary  here, 
since  we  find  a  considerable  portion  of  the  species  of  fresh-water  Mol- 
lusca  ranging  through  this  whole  lower  member. 

"The  principal  difference  between  the  fossils  of  its  upper  and  lower 
beds  consists  of  the  gradual  disappearance  of  strictly  brackish-water 
types  as  we  ascend  from  the  interior  strata.    The  entire  series  of  Ne- 

*  The  old  Territory  of  Nebraska  is  here  referred  to. 


BATUIC5.] 


GEOLOGY — LIGNITIC   GROUP. 


23 


braska  Tertiary  rocks  cousistsof  three  or  four  groups,  three  of  which 
at  least  (and  probably  four)  evidently  belong  to  separate  and  distinct 
epochs.  They  usually  occur  in  isolated  basins,  but  have,  with  one  ex- 
ception, all  been  seen  in  such  connection  as  to  leave  no  doubt  in  regard 
to  their  order  of  superposition. 

'^  Their  prevailing  lithological  characters,  estimated  maximum  thick- 
nesses, and  order  of  succession  will  be  seen  in'  the  section  given  below. 


a 

c 
?5 


Sabdivisionf. 


C 


LocAlities. 


5^ 


Fine  looM  naod,  with  some  lAyors  of  limentone ; 
contains  bones  of  Canity  Fe\is,  (kutor,  Eqmm, 
Ma»todon,  Teghido,  etc.,  some  of  which  are 
acarotily  distingaishable  from  living  secies. 


> 


White  and  light  drab  clays,  with  some  beds  of 
sandstone  tud  local  layers  of  limestone ;  fos- 
sils, Oreodon.  TUanotheriwn,  Ohceropotamua^ 
Shinoetroa^  AnehUherium,  Hyaenonodon,  Ma- 
ehttirodut,  Trionyx,  Tegtiido,  Bdix,  Planorbie, 
Limnfea,  petrifleu  wood,  etc.,  etc.  All  extinct. 
No  brackisb-water  or  marine  remains. 

d 


IS. 

4 

OS- 

b  s 

s  c 


light  gray  and  ash -colored  sandstones,  with 
more  or  less  argillaceous  layers.  Fossils, 
fragments  of  Tritmyx,  Testudo,  with  large  He- 
lix, Vivipara,  petritied  wood,  etc  No  marine 
or  brackish-water  types. 


Beds  of  clay  and  sand,  with  roand  ferruginous 
concretions,  dnd  nnmorons  beds,  seams,  and 
local  deposits  of  lignite ;  groat  nnmliers  of 
dicotylcuooous  loavcN,  stems,  etc.,  of  tho  gen- 
era Platanua,  Acer,  Ulmuf,  Popuhu.  etc,  with 
very  large  loaves  of  tme  fun  palms  A\9o, 
Helix.  Mdania,  Vivipara,  CorbictUa,  Unio,  Oh- 
treOy  Pofamotnt^a,  and  scales  of  If^puiohtf,  with 
bones  of  Trionyx,  Emy»^  Comptemye^  trocodi- 
hu,  etc. 


I 

o 


o 


a 


8 


at 


On  Lonp  Fork  of  Slatte  River, 
c<x:ending  north  to  Niobrara 
River,  and  south  to  an  un- 
known distance  beyond  the 
Platte 


Bad  Lands  of  Whito  River,  un- 
der the  Loup  River  beds  on 
Niobrara,  and  across  the 
country  to  the  Platte 


Wind  River  Valley,  also  west 
of  Wind  River  Mountains. 


bio 

-"I 


a 


Q 


u 

o 

s 

u 
o 

■♦a 

S 

o 
©f 


Occupies  the  whole  country 
around  Fort  Union,  ext<'n<1- 
ing  North  into  tho  British 
poHaessions  to  unknown  din- 
tances:  also  southward  to 
Fort  Clarko ;  seen  under  the 
Wiiite  River  group,  on  North 

■  Platte  River,  abovi*  Fort  Lar- 
amie ;  also  on  wr  st  side  of 
Wind  River  Monntalns. 


o 

a 

9 


'•The  Fort  Union,  or  Great  Lignite  group,  occupies  extensive  areas  of 
coantry  in  Nebraska,  and  has  been  seen  beneath  the  White  River  group 
at  several  distant  localities.  It  was  evidently  deposited  in  large  bodies 
of  wat«r,  which  were  at  first  brackish,  and  then  gradually  became  fresh. 

''The  great  number  of  fossil  leaves,  and  numerous  beds  of  lignite  con- 
tained in  it,  clearly  show  that  the  shores  of  these  ancient  estuaries, 
lakes,  etc.,  in  which  this  formation  was  deposited,  supported  dense 
forests  of  large  trees,  and  a  growth  of  other  vegetation,  far  exceeding 
in  luxuriance  anything  now  met  with  in  these  latitudes. 

"Indeed,  the  presence  of  true  fan  palms,  of  large  size,  and  the  remains 
of  the  genus  Crocodilus^  as  well  as  the  affinities  of  the  Mollusca  found 
in  these  beds  to  southern  forms,  all  point  rather  to  the  existence  here  of 
a  tropical  than  a  temperate  climate  during  their  deposition.  In  regard 
to  the  relations  of  this  formation  to  known  horizons  in  the  Tertiary  of 
the  Old  World,  we  scarcely  feel  prepared  to  express  a  very  decided 
opinion. 

"The  difficulty  in  the  way  of  drawing  inferences  bearing  on  this  point 
from  the  remains  of  Mollusca  found  in  these  beds  is  that  they,  being 
fresh  and  brackish  water  types,  bear  little  or  no  analogy  to  those  of  the 


24        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Tertiary  of  the  States  bordering  on  the  Atlantic,  nor  are  any  of  them,  so 
far  as  known,  specitically  identical  with  foreign  forms. 

''When  we  bear  in  mind,  however,  the  fact,  that  wherever  this  forma- 
tion has  been  seen  in  contact  with  the  latest  Cretaceous  beds,  the  two 
have  been  found  to  be  conformable,  however  great  the  upheavals  and 
distortions  may  be,  while  at  the  junction  there  seems  to  be  a  complete 
mingling  of  sediments,  one  is  strongly  impressed  with  the  probability 
that  no  important  member  of  either  system  is  wanting  between  them. 
This  view  is  also  rendered  more  probable  by  the  fact  that  the  formation 
under  consideration  is  known  to  hold  a  position  beneath  the  White  River 
group,  which  is  characterized  by  the  remains  of  an  entirely  different 
launa,  clearly  of  Miocene  age. 

**  Again,  the  occurrence  in  ihis  lower  group  of  remains  of  the  genus 
LepidotuSj  which  is,  we  believe,  in  Europe  unknown  above  the  Eocene, 
while  the  other  vertebrate  remains  found  associated  with  it  have  been 
compared  by  the  distinguished  comparative  anatomist,  Professor  Leidy, 
with  types  even  older  than  the  Tertiary,  are  facts  strengthening 
the  impression  that  this  Fort  Union  Lignite  group  probably  repre- 
sents the  Eocene  of  Europe. 

"  It  should  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  an  extensive  and  beautiful 
series  of  fossil  plants  from  this  formation,  although  not  yet  thoroughly 
.  investigated,  have  been  thought  by  Dr.  Newberry  to  be  most  analogous 
to  Miocene  types. 

"Yet  even  if  this  formation  should  prove  to  be  of  Eocene  age,  this 
would  only  be  in  accordance  with  what  is  now  known  in  regard  to  the 
earlier  introduction  of  particular  types  of  plants  in  the  Cretaceous  sys- 
tem of  this  country  than  in  that  of  the  Old  World. 

"  As  the  Wind  River  deposits  have  not  yet  been  seen  in  contact  with 
any  well-marked  beds  of  the  other  Tertiary  formations  of  this  region, 
and  few  fossils  have  yet  been  found  in  them,  their  position  in  the 
series  remains  doubtful.  It  is,  therefore,  only  provisionally  that  we 
have  placed  this  formation  between  the  Fort  Union  and  White  River 
groups  in  the  foregoing  section.  It  may  possibly  belong  to  the  horizons 
of  one  of  these  rocks,  or  even  rei)rese!it  them  both  in  part,  or,  what  is 
more  probable,  it  may  occupy  an  intermediate  chronological  position. 

"  The  only  fossils  yet  found  in  this  formation  are  fragments  of  Trionyx 
and  Testtido^  together  with  the  shells  of  two  species  of  Helix  and  a  cdst 
of  H  Vivipara,  One  of  these  Helices  is  more  like  H\  Leidyi  from  the 
White  River  group  than  any  of  the  other  species  yet  known  from  any 
of  these  rocks,  while  the  other  is  a  very  large  depressed  species  of 
southern  type,  quite  unlike  any  of  those  hitherto  found  in  any  of  the 
other  Nebraska  rocks.  The  Vivipara  seems  to  be  indistinguishable 
from  our  F.  trochiformis  from  the  Fort  Benton  group,  though,  as  it  is 
a  mere  cast,  it  cannot  be  identified  with  certainty  with  that 
shell.  No  marine  or  brackish-water  fossils  have  been  found  in  these 
beds.  The  White  River  group  is  the  formation  that  has  furnished  the 
extensive  and  interesting  collections  of  vertebrate  remains  which  have 
been  so  ably  investigated  by  Professor  Leidy.  It  occupies  a  consider- 
able area  in  the  region  of  White  River,  and  is  seen  beneath  the  succeed- 
ing formation  on  the  Niobrara  and  Platte  Rivers^  Irs  position  above 
the  Fort  Union  or  Great  Lignite  group  has  also  been  clearly  and  satis- 
factorily determined. 

*'  This  formation  is  mainly  composed  of  a  series  of  whitish,  indurated 
clays,  which  have  been  worn  and  cut.  by  the  streams,  rains,  and  other 
atmospheric  agencies,  into  numerous  deep  valleys  and  ravines,  so  as  to 
leave  various  peaks,  isolated  columns,  towers,  etc.,  presenting,  as  seen 


HATDCf.)  GEOLOGY ^WHITE   RIVEE   GROUP.  25 

from  a  dfstauce,  exactly  the  api)earance  of  tbe  ruins  of  ao  ancient  city. 
Thcfdifficalty  the  traveler  meets  with  in  finding  his  way  through  this 
interminable  labyrinth  caused  the  Indians  to  call  it,  in  their  own 
laugoage,  th^  Bad  Grounds ;  hence  the  French  name,  Mauraises  terres^ 
applied  by  the  Canadian  voyageurs  in  the  employ  of  the  fur-companies. 

^^  Tbe  vertebrate  remains  found  iu  these  beds  belong  to  the  gcDera 
OreodoUj  AgriocharuSj  Pabrotherium^  LeptomeryXj  Leptanchenia^  Pro- 
tomeryxy  Merycodos^  Titanotheriumj  Leptochcerus^  Hyracodon^  Enttlo- 
doH^  PalcBOchcertu^  Rhinoceros^  Steneojiber^  Machairodos^  Anchitheriunij 
Hyopotamus^  Hycenodon^  IschyromySj  Palceolagwt^  Eumys,  Teatudo^  etc., 
Hc.  The  alfinities  of  these  fossils,  as  has  been  shown  by  Professor 
Leidy,  clearly  establish  the  Miocene  age  of  this  formation. 

**  Comparatively  few  invertebrate  remains  have  yet  been  found  in  the 
White  River  group.  They  consist  of  one  species  of  Uelix^  one  or  two  of 
Limncea^  a  small  PhysOj  two  or  three  small  species  of  PlanorbiSj  etc.  No 
iaml  leaves  nor  t)eds  of  lignite  have  been  met  with  ii>  it,  and  all  the 
animal  remains,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  list,  are  terrestrial 
and  fresh-water  types.  The  Loup  River  beds  consist  mainly  of  incoher- 
ent materials,  and  were  evidently  deposited  after  the  upper  surface  or  the 
White  River  group  had  been  worn  into  ravines  and  other  depressi(ms. 
It  occupies  much  of  the  surface  of  the  country  in  the  region  of  the  Loup 
Fork  and  Platte  River,  and  exten<ls  far  south  of  the  latter  stream. 

"The  vertebrate  remains  from  it  described  by  Professor  Leidy  belong 
to  the  genera  MegalomeryXy  Procamelus^  CermtSj  Rhinoceros^  Mastodon, 
Ekphas^  Hipparion^  Merychippus^  Equus^  Castor^  Felis^  Canis^  Testudo^ 
etc.,  many  ol  which  are  very  closely  allied  to  recent  species.  A  few  shells 
of  the  genera  Helix^  Physa^  etc.,  apparently  identical  with  living  spe- 
I'ies,  have  also  been  found  in  these  betls.  All  the  species  of  vertel)rate 
and  other  remains  yet  found  in  them  are  distinot;  from  those  occurring 
in  I  he  White  River  group  and  beds  below,  and  they  have  not  yet  afforded 
any  brackish  or  marine  ty  pes  of  any  kind. 

^^  When  we  take  into  consideration  the  position  of  this  formation  above 
the  well-marked  Miocene  White  River  group,  and  the  relation  of  its 
orpianic  remains  to  Pliocene  and  recent  species,  there  is  little  room  for 
doobting  the  correctness  of  its  reference  to  the  horizon  of  the  Pliocene 
of  Europe. 

''The  extracts  which  I  have  given  are  suflScient  to  show  the  opinions  of 
a  most  excellent  paleontologist  in  regard  to  the  age  of  this  group  as 
interpreted  from  the  invertebrate  fossils.'* 

Let  us  for  a  moment  glance  at  the  testimony  of  American  vegetable 
paleontologists.  Without  quoting  again,  I  will  simply  refer  the  reader 
to  the  interesting  report  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Newberry  on  the  Cretaceous  and 
Tertiary  plants  collected  by  me  during  the  expedition  to  the  Yellowstone 
and  Missouii  Rivers,  during  the  years  1859  and  1^60,  a  portion  of  which 
was  reprinted  in  the  Annual  lieport  of  W^yoming,  1870,  coinmeuciug  at 
Piige  94.  It  will  be  seen  that  Dr.  Newberry  regarde<l  these  fossil  plants 
a^iiot  only  of  Tertiary  age,  but  Middle  Tertiary,  or  Miocene.  In  itn  in- 
teresting 'memoir  published  iu  the  Annals  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural 
History,  in  18G7,  Dr.  Newberry  remarks : 

"By' far  the  largest  representation  of  our  Tertiary  flora  is,  however, 
ooQtained  in  collections  made  by  Dr.  Hayden  on  tbe  Upper  Missouri,  of 
vhich  the  greater  number  of  species  are  described  iu  the  present  mem- 
oir. These  plants  are  from  the  lignites  proved  by  the  associated  fossils 
to  be  of  the  Miocene  age.  They  were  collected  at  various  points  on  the 
Missouri  River,  at  Fort  Clarke,  at  Red  Spring,  thirteen  miles  above,  at 
Fort  Berthold,  at  Grow  Hills,  one  hundred  miles  below  Fort  Union,  at 


26  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  on  O'Fallon's  Creek,  one  hundred  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  in  the  valley  of  that  stream. 

^^  The  explorations  of  Dr.  Hay  den  prove  that  this  Miocene  Lignite  for- 
mation occupies  the  beds  of  extensive  lakes,  which  formed «basins  on  the 
surface  of  the  continent  when  it  had  but  recently  emerged  from  the 
Cretaceous  sea.  As  has  been  remarked  elsewhere,  the  lower  members 
of  the  series  contain  a  few  estuary  shells,  showing  the  access  of  salt- 
water at  that  period ;  but  during  the  deposition  of  by  far  the  greater 
portion  of  these  beds,  the  water  of  the  ocean  was  entirely  excluded  from 
the  basins  in  which  they  accumulated.  There  is,  therefore,  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  debris  of  ligneous  plants  which  compose  this  collec- 
tion were  derived  from  trees  which  grew  along  the  shores  of  the  lakes 
and  streams  of  the  Tertiaty  continent;  that  then,  as  now,  alternations 
of  seasons  prevailed,  by  which  the  foliage  of  these  trees  were  detached 
by  an  autumnal  frost,  and  that  falling  into  the  water  beneath  or  near 
them,  and  sinking  to  the  bottom,  they  were  enveloped  in  mud,  precisely 
as  leaves  of  our  sycamores,  willows,  oaks,  etc.,  accumulate  at  the  bottoms 
of  our  streams  and  lakes  of  the  present  day." 

I  need  not  extend  these  remarks  farther  to  illustrate  the  views  of 
both  paleontologists  in  regard  to  the  age  of  the  Lignitic  group,  as 
observed  in  the  Northwest,  up  to  within  a  comparatively  recent  period. 
1  need  not  refer  to  the  views  of  Mr.  Lesqnereux,  inasmuch  as  they  have 
been  consistent  in  the  belief  of  their  Tertiary  age,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  his  examination  up  to  the  present  time,  and  his  arguments  in 
favor  of  this  belief  have  been  set  forth  in  nearly  all  the  annual  reports 
of  the  Survey. 

If  the  Lignitic  group,  as  developed  on  the  Upper  Missouri,  is  admit- 
ted to  be  either  entirely  or  in  part  of  Tertiary  age,  the  question  will  arise, 
what  bearing  has  this  .admission  on  the  age  of  the  coal-beds  of  Wyo- 
ming .and  Colorado! 

I  beg  just  here  to  call  the  attention  of  geologists  to  the  geological 
maps  prepared  by  me,  and  published  in  the  Final  Report  of  Nebraska, 
1869,  and  in  the  Geological  Ueport  of  the  Exploration  of  the  Yellowstone 
and  Missouri  Rivers,  1859-'60,  especially  the  latter  map.  It  will  be  seen 
by  the  last-named  map  that  the  Lignitic  group  occupies  a  very  large  area 
along  the  Upper  Missouri  and  the  Yellowstone  Rivers,  that  it  ext^euds 
far  north  into  th^  British  possessions.  We  may  then  trace  it  south- 
ward in  a  broad  continuous  belt  across  the  Yellowstone  River,  between 
the  Black  Hill^and  the  Big  Horn  Mountains,  until  it  is  overlapped  b^ 
the  White  River  group,  about  sixty  miles  north  of  Fort  Laramie.  If 
we  continue  southward  along  the  east  base  of  the  Laramie  range,  we 
find  that  the  Lignitic  group  reappears  about  ten  miles  south  of  the 
Union  Pacitic  Railroad.  We  find  that  where  the  White  River  group 
and  the  Lignitic  groiy)  come  in  contact,  the  former  is  superimposed  on 
the  latter,  and  that  really  the  White  River  group  formed  a  vast  basin 
subsequent  to  the  existence  of  the  great  lake  in  which  the  lignitic 
sediments  were  deposited.  We  find  also,  by  examining  the  White  River 
group  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  that  the  Laramie  range  formed 
a  barrier  that  prevented  it  from  extending  into  the  Laramie  Plains ; 
but  the  evidence  is  clear  that,  at  the  time  of  the  existence  of  the 
great  Lignitic  lake  or  sea,  this  barrier  did  not  prevent  the  water- 
communication  with  the  Laramie  Plains.  Indeed,  the  evidence  seems 
quite  clear  that,  with  the  exception  perhaps  of  some  isolated  peaks  ris- 
ing above  the  waters,  there  was  no  mountain-barrier  where  we  now 
have  the  Laramie  range.  Theretbre,  with  the  exception  of  the  Bear 
River  and  Coalville  group,  we  may  conned  the  coal-bearing  beds  of  the 


HATDCX.] 


GEOLOGY COAL  ST'RATA. 


27 


Laramie  Plains  and  Colorndo  with  tbe  vast  group  in  the  Northwest.  I 
Lave  traced  this  geographical  connection  stei>  by  step  over  this  great 
area,  have  studied  the  formation  with  some  care,  and  collected  both 
vegetable  and  animal  fossils  in  the  greatest  abundance  from  point  to 
point.  I  would  say,  however,  that  comparatively  few  of  the  fresh-water 
$per*ie8  of  Mollusca,  so  abundant  in  the  Northwest,  are  found  either  in 
Colorado  or  the  Laramie  Plains;  but  it  possesses  the  same  character, 
and  many  of  the  same  species  of  plants  are  scattered  all  over  this  im- 
mense area. 


CHAPTER  11. 


THE  LIGNITIC  GROUP  AS  EXAMINED  AT  CANON  CITY — COTjORADO  SPRINGS— NORTHWARD 
TO  CACHE  LA  FOUDUE  CREEK — MONUMENT  CREEK  GROUP^  PROBABLE  AGE  OF 
THESE  GROUPS. 

Our  examinatioDS  along  tbe  eastern  base  of  tbe  mountains  in  Colorado 
were  directed  mainly  to  the  tracing-out  of  the  connection  between  the 
Liguitic  group  and  the  older  beds.  We  traced  the  boundary  of  this 
group,  with  great  care,  from  Canon  City,  on  the  Arkansas  River,  north- 
ward nearly  to  Cheyenne.  It  is  hardly  ix>ssible  that  any  links  in  the 
chain  of  evidence  escaped  us,  and  the  principal  dill'erences  of  opinion 
now  will  consist  in  the  degree  of  importance  to  be  attached  to  that  evi- 
dence. The  question  is  whether  tbe  coal-bearing  strata  known  as  the 
Lignitic  gioup  of  the  Eastern  Rocky  Mountain  region  is  of  Cretaceous 
or  Tertiary  age.  In  this  chapter,  we  shall  simply  record  our  field-obser- 
vations, referring  the  reader  to  a  subsequent  chapter  lor  a  brief  discus- 
sion of  the  question  of  age. 

South  of  Canon  City,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Arkansas  River,  there  is 
an  isolated  coal-basin  occupying  an  area  of  about  fifty  square  miles.  Tlie 
strata  lie  for  the  most  part  in  a  nearly  horizontal  position,  indicating  no 
great  disturbance,  except  along  the  north  and  west  sides.  On  the  north- 
west side  of  the  basin,  along  the  i  mmediate  base  of  the  mountains,  the  beds 
have  been  lifted  up,  so  that  a  great  thickness  of  the  Lignitic  sandstones  is 
exposed,  at  least  1,000  to  1,500  feet.  The  Cretaceous  beds  are  also  seen 
lying  close  to  the  flanks  of  the  mountains.  As  we  proceed  southward 
along  tbe  junction  of  sedimentary  beds  and  the  granites,  the  Cretaceous 
beds  disappear,  and  one  by  one  the  lower  Lignitic,  until  the  whole 
mass  juts  against  the  granitic  rocks,  with  no  perceptible  evidence 
of  disturbance,  except  in  a  general  way.  There  seems  to  be  a  rapid 
Klope  froni  the  base  of  the  mountains  to  the  Arkansas  River,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  five  miles,  thus  giving  to  the  strata  a  general  dip  of 
about  50.  So  far  as  we  could  ascertain,  tbere  are  no  coalbeds'ia 
tbe  noitbern  portion  ot  the  basin.  Tbe  rocks  consist  mostly  of  rath- 
er tbick  beds  of  gray,  brown,  and  yellow  sandstone,  with  loose  clays 
and  sands  between,  but  no  coal  beds.  We  find  that  the  coal-bear- 
ing [)ortion  does  not  occupy  the  entire  area,  and  that  a  large  part  is 
classed  as  barren  coal-measures.  The  most  important  coal-mine  has 
been  opened  on  the  east  side  of  the  basin,  about  midway,  on  Oak  Creek. 
This  is  one  of  tbe  most  important  coal-mines  in  the  Territory.  It  was 
described  briefly,  but  quite  clearly,  in  the  Annual  Report  of  tbe  Survey 
for  1809,  and  since  that  time  in  the  more  elaborate  reports  of  Mr.  Les- 
quereux.  In  tbe  summer  of  1872,  Mr.  Lesquereux  made  a  careful 
examination  of  tbe  coal-formations  all  along  the  east  Imse  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  from  Cheyenne  to  Santa  F6.  His  report  in  tbe  Annual  Re- 
port for  1872  is  quite  exhaustive.  Tbe  section  of  the  coal-strata  on 
page  323,  made  by  Mr.  J^eilson  Clark,  the  superintendent  of  the  mines,  is 
more  accurate  than  any  other  that  has  been  made  of  tbe  group,  and  need 
not  be  repeated  here.    It  remains  now  to  consider  tbe  beds  below  this  sec- 

28 


BAWK-l  GEOLOGY LIGNITIC    GROUP   IN   COLORADO.  29 

ion,  which  are  supposed  to  be  of  Cretnceoaa  age,  but  which  might  very 
properly  be  called  beds  of  passage  from  well-marked  Cretaceous  j^trata  to 
those  containiug  coal  and  vegetable  remains.  We  have  heretx)lore  <le- 
scribed  the  Upper  Cretaceous  beds  as  of  strictly  marine  origin;  that  tlie 
sediments  were  deposited  in  a  broad  and,  at  least,  moderately  deej)  sea. 
As  long  as  we  find  that  these  physical  conditions  prevailed,  we  observe  a 
gi eater  or  less  abundance  of  fossils  of  strictly  marine  forms,  as  Ammon- 
iies^  Baculites^  Inoceramus^  etc,;  but  even  when  no  break  can  be  found  m 
the  sequence  of  the  beds,  indicating  a  lapse  of  time  in  the  deposition  of 
the  sediments,  we  discover  that  the  physical  conditions  gradually  change 
outil  there  is  a  complete  extinction  of  all  marine  forms  of  life.  We  find 
here  on  the  Arkansas  River  a  full  development  of  the  Upper  Cretaceous 
formations  Nos.  4  and  5,  with  their  peculiar  fossils.  W^e  also  observe  that 
the  materials  of  the  upper  portion  of  No.  5  pass  gi  adually  from  a  dark- 
yellow  clay  to  a  rusty-yellow  sand,  and  above  this,  200  to  300  feet,  of  a 
aort  of  irregular  thin  layers  of  mud  like  material,  with  curious  concre- 
tions of  sandstone.  In  this  group  of  strata,  which  may  be  called  transi- 
tional, not  a  fossil  has  yet  been  found  to  prove  the  age  beyond  a  doubt. 
Easting  on  this  irregular  group  of  mud-strata  is  a  bed  of  sandstone  of 
very  vaiiable  thickness  as  well  as  structure.  Sometimes  it  is^ot  more 
than  dO  feet  thick,  and  then  again  it  is  300  to  400  feet  thick.  It  is  full 
of  rounded  concretionary  masses,  and  shows  very  clearly  that  its  sedi- 
ments were  deposited  in  shallow  and  very  turbulent  waters.  This  sand- 
stone passes  up  into  clay,  and  on  this  clay  rests  a  bed  of  coal.  In  the 
bed  of  sandstone  below  the  coal,  the  peculiar  vegetation  of  the  Lignitic 
group  is  found  in  considerable  abundance,  and,  therefore,  this  may  mark 
the  lowest  horizon  ot  this  group.  Now,  whenever,  in  any  part  of  the 
country,  invertebrate  remains  of  any  kind  are  found  above  this  bed  of 
sandstone,  they  are  invariably  brackish  or  fresh  water  in  their  charac- 
ter; and  whenever  any  of  these  fossil  shells  are  observed  below  this  sand- 
stone, they  are  always  strictly  marine.  We  have  in  the  vicinity  of  these 
coal-mines  the  details  of  structure,  which  we  have  briefly  described 
above,  most  clearlj'  shown.  Now  the  question  arises,  what  stress  shall 
be  laid  on  these  remarkable  physical  changes  ?  W^ould  not  this  form  an 
excellent  line  of  separation  between  two  great  periods  in  geological 
timef  Are  not  these  changes  sufBcient  to  indicate  clearly  that  these 
are  probably  the  beds  of  passage  or  transition  between  the  Cretaceous 
and  the  Tertiary  epochs  ¥  We  find  also  a  complete  change  in  the  vege- 
table as  well  as  animal  life.  We  are  not  aware  that  any  of  the  verte- 
brate remains,  which  have  been  regarded  by  Cope  and  Marsh  as  proving 
the  Lignitic  group  to  be  of  Cretaceous  age,  Lave  ever  been- found  mingled 
with  any  other  forms  of  life  of  strictly  marine  origin.  So  far,  all  the 
vertebrate  fossils  have  been  discovered  in  the  Lignitic  group.  It  seems 
therefore  that  not  a  single  species  of  vegetable  or  animal  life  survived 
the  physical  changes  which  were  introduced  during  the  time  of  the  depo- 
sition of  the  transition  group.  Now,  if  we  have  shown  this  state  of 
affairs  in  regard  to  the  Caiion  group,  we  may  connect  this  group  easily 
with  the  Raton  Hills  group  to  the  southward,  and  the  Monument  Creek 
groap  far  to  the  northward  near  Colorado  Springs. 

In  passing  northward,  we  see  no  more  of  the  Lignitic  group,  so  far  as 
we  have  examined,  until  we  reach  Colorado  Springs,  a  distance  of  thirty 
uules  in  a  straight  line.  Here  it  is  exposed  in  the  form  of  an  irregular 
bluff  ridge,  running  down  from  the  base  of  the  mountains  a  little  south- 
east, beyond  the  limit  of  our  explorations  up  to  this  time.  In  section  2, 
we  see  in  the  foreground,  at  either  end,  the  form  of  the  sandstone  blufls, 
which  appear  to  be  remnants  of  a  far  more  extended  group  of  strata. 


30    .  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY    OF   THE    TERRITORIES. 

The  inclination  is  slight,  5°  to  10^,  about ;  northeast.    The  bluflf-wall 
undoubtedly  extended  at  one  time  over  the  entire  interval  south  and 
southwest  and  was  joined  to  the  Caiion  City  group ;  the  intervening  por- 
tions having  been  removed  by  erosion,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow 
belt  just  at  the  base  of  the  mountains.    This  interval  is  entirely  occu- 
pied with  Cretaceous  rocks  at  the  present  time.    The  valley  of  the 
Fountain,  as  well  as  that  of  Monument  Creek,  for  some  distance  above 
its  junction  with   the  Fountain,  is  underlaid  with  Upper  Cretaceous 
groups  Nos.  4  and  5 ;  but  the  surface  is  everywhere  so  denuded  and 
grassed  over  that  the  junction  of  the  Cretaceous  with  the  Liguitic  group 
is  nowhere  wdl  marked. 
-     The  lower  bed  of  sandstone,  which  is  usually  regarded  as  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Lignitic,  iscomposed  sometimes  of  yielding  arenaceous 
sediments,  and  therefore  cannot  always  be  relied  upon  as  forming  a  fixed 
horizon  of  demarkation.    But,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  this  floor  of 
sandstone  is  present  with  a  greater  or  less  thickness.    About  ten  miles 
east  of  Colorado  Springs,  some  very  important  coal-beds  have  been 
opened  by  Mr.  Matt  France  and  others.    This  locality  is  a  very  import- 
autone  for  the  studyof  this  great  coal-group.    Between  Colorado  Springs 
and  the  eoal-mines,  the  intervening  country  is  very  rolling  or  undulating, 
and  so  grassed  over  that  no  sections  of  the  underlying  beds  are  exposed  ; 
but,  before  reaching  the  mines,  the  rounded  grassy  hills  are  covered  with 
fragments  of  calcareous  concretions,  from  which  have  been  taken  a  great 
variety  of  the  fossils  characteristic  of  the  Upper  Cretaceous.    The  three 
forms  which  are  usually  so  abundant,  Ammonites  Lohatus^  Baculites  ova- 
tu9^  and  InoceramMS,  are  here  found  in  great  numbers.  This  point  is  about 
600  feet  higher  than  Colorado  Springs ;  and  inasmuch  as  the  strata  are 
horizontal,  we  may  estimate  the  thickness  of  the  Cretaceous  beds  above 
tlie  vallev  of  Monument  Creek  at  GOO  to  800  feet.    As  we  continue  to 
the  west  we  soon  come  to  dark,  rusty-brown  sandstones,  with  great 
numbers  of  a  peculfar  kind  of  sea-weed,  called  by  Mr.  Lesquereux  Ilaly- 
menit€8.    There  is  a  series  of  alternate  layers  of  airenaceous  clay  and 
sandstones,  200  feet  or  more  in  thickness,  the  upper  portion  containing 
vast  globular  concretions,  as  illustrated  in  Plate  4,  Fig.  2,  which  corre- 
spond to  the  mud-beds  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  the  coal-basin  of  the 
Arkansas.    A  section  of  the  beds  here  would  be  as  follows,  in  ascending 
order : — 

Section  a. 

Ft.  In. 

1.  Coal S  .0 

.2.  Clay •..  6  0 

3.  SaDdstoue 7  0 

4.  Clay 10  2 

5.  Yellow  saDdBlone i 5  0 

6.  Solid  coal 8  1 

7.  Rusty- browD  cla.v  and  sandstone 50 —  80  0 

8.  Altercate  layers  of  sandstone  and  clay 200  0 

9.  Cretaceous  tomiations  Nos.  4  and  5 GOO— 800  0 

This  section  is  in  part  constructed  from  shafts  that  have  been  sunk 
for  coal.  So  far  as  I  have  observed,  the  only  way  to  obtain  a  clear  sec- 
tion of  the  coal-strata,  is  by  boring  or  sinking  a  shaft.  All  other  sec- 
tions, unless  made  in  some  actual  cut,  may  be  regarded  as  only  ap- 
))roximately  correct.  The  lower  portion  of  section  a.  Cretaceous,  grad- 
ually passes  up  into  bed  8,  which  is  composed  at  the  bottom  of  alter- 
nate thin  layers  of  sandstone  and  clay,  these  layers  increasing  in 
tlii  kness  toward  the  top.  The  upper  portion  is  made  up  mostly 
of  rounded  concretions,  varying  in  size  from   an  inch  or  two  to  sev- 


ShoKiing  the  variability  of  the  Ziignitic  beds. 

Parallel  sections  taken  on  the  face  of  Pulpit  Bock 
5  mile*  north  of  Colorado  Springs  through  identical 
strata  and  only  ^feet  apart. 


/ 


I     * .  -•  u    ;,    r 


^•\ 


.«  * 


/ 


v..  ■'•  ■ 


HATDKsl  GEOLOGY — ^LIONITIC   GROUP — ^SECTION.  31 

ehil  feet  in  diameter.  Sometimes  these  concretions  are  oval  or  flat, 
with  horizontal  layers;  bnt  in  most  cases  they  fall  in  pieces,  showing 
ooocentric  coats,  the  disk  like  shells  falling  off  from  the  outside  gradu- 
ally. There  is  also  a  species  of  sea- weed,  HalymeniteSj  quite  abundant 
in  these  sandstones.  I  call  them  the  transition  beds,  though  they  may 
be  Cretaceous,  and  they  correspond  with  those  described  as  occurring 
below  the  coal  on  the  Arkansas. 

Number  7  in  the  section  is  the  sandstone  that  usually  forms  the  basis 
bed  of  the  Lignitic  group.  This  bed  is  here  full  of  small  iron-rust  con- 
cretions, some  of  them  solid,  with  a  gray  nucleus,  others  hollow,  the 
cavity  Ailed  with  fine  dust,  a  kind  of  iron-rust.  These  concretions,  vary- 
m^  from  an  inch  to  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter,  are  so  abundant  that 
they  cover  the  ground  for  some  distance  from  the  bluff.  About  the  mid- 
dle of  the  sandstone-bed,  there  is  a  band  of  dark-brown  indurated  sand, 
mixed  with  bits  or  fragments  of  vegetable  material,  about  five  feet  in 
thickness.  This  bed  or  band  may,  quite  possibly,  become  coal  in  some 
localities.  At  one  point  in  the  southern  i)ortion  of  the  coal-basin  on 
the  Arkansas  Biver,  a  seam  which  appears  to  correspond  to  this  dark 
band  occurs  in  the  lower  sandstone,  and  is  quite  good  coal,  two  feet  in 
thickness.  The  quantity  and  character  of  the  coal  at  this  locality  was 
determined  by  the  sinking  of  several  shafts.  In  section  a,  we  have 
ttro  quite  thick  beds  of  coal,  both  of  which  were  penetrated  by  a  shaft, 
and  thus  the  section  may  be  regarded  as  correct. 

» 

Section  &. 

Feet 

1.  Sarface-8oi1 8 

2.  Sand 12 

a  Drab-clay 6 

4.  Soapstone  and  clay 9 

5.  Slate 5 

6.  Sandstono 4 

7.  Arenaceous  clay 7 

8.  Soft  slate C 

9.  Coal 1 

10.  Sandstone  with  plants ; 30 

11.  Bitominous  shales 11 

12.  Sandstone  with  iron 3 

13.  Clay G 

14.  Hard  black  slate 11 

13.  Coal 6. 

In  section  &,  which  is  the  record  of  a  shaft  sunk  at  a  distant  local- 
ity in  the  same  basin,  we  have  only  the  upper  bed  of  coal  at  the 
base.  The  two  sections  give  a  pretty  clear  idea  of  the  strata  which 
include  the  two  lower  beds  of  coal.  Above  the  coal-bearing  portion,  there 
is  an  interval  which  we  estimated  at  about  200  feet,  in  which  the  beds 
were  obscure,  but  thin  seams  of  impure  coal  cropped  out.  The  mate- 
rials  were  clays,  arenaceous  clays,  and  thin  layers  of  sandstone,  yield- 
ing 80  readily  to  atmospheric  forces  that  no  sharp  blufts  are  formed,  so 
that  the  character  of  the  strata  could  not  be  clearly  seen.  We  then 
bave  a  range  of  high  bluffs  200  to  400  feet  high,  which  begin  at  the  base 
of  the  mountains,  about  two  miles  north  of  Manitou,  and  extend  across 
Monument  Creek,  and  reach  off  to  the  southeast  far  beyond  the  limitNof 
rision,  down  the  entire  valley  of  the  Fountain  to  its  entrance  into  the 
Arkansas  River  near  Pueblo.  The  rocks  all  around  Pueblo  are  Creta- 
ceons,  yet  it  is  quite  possible  that  far  to  the  eastward  the  Lignitic  group 
overlaps  thera,  having  originally  been  connected  with  the  coal-basin  to 
the  south  near  Canon  City.    We  may  thus  obtain  a  dim  conception  of 


32        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

tbe  vast  erosion  that  most  have  taken  place  here,  to  have  removed  H 
great  a  thickness  of  strata  from  so  vast  an  area. 

The  bhiffs  east  of  Colorado  Springs,  above  that  portion  shown  in  See 
tions  a  and  6,  may  be  regarded  as  barren  of  workable  beds  of  coal,    i^l 
detailed  section  of  the  beds  was  taken,  but  it  seems  hardly  necessai;^     \ 
to  present  it  here.    So  variable  are  these  beds  that  the  sections  witbit 
a  fourth  of  a  mile  would  only  bear  a  general  resemblance  to  each  othei^ 

Tbe  beds  are  made  up  of  alternate  layers  of  clay  and  sand,  with  irregu^ 
lar  beds  of  concretionary  sandstone  throughout.    Tbese  beds  of  sau^V' 
stotie  change  constantly,  sometimes  30  feet  in  thickness,  and  quite  ma|\\^ 
sive  at  one  point,  and  within  a  fourth  of  a  mile  either  thinning  out 
changed  into  soft  or  indurated  sand.    Toward  the  summit  of  the  blul 
is  a  thick  bed  of  rusty-brown  sandstone,  which  has  been  worn  by 
atmosphere  into  remarkably  rugged  forms.    As  .we  proceed  northwi 
from  Colorado  Springs  to  the  source  of  Monument  Greek,  on  the  divi< 
between  the  South  Platte  and  tbe  Arkansas  drainage,  the  upper  b< 
of  the  Lignitic  group  appear  entirely  destitute  of  coal,  with  a  vast  thi< 
uess,  estimated  at  1,500  to  2,000  feet,  with  unusually  coarse  sediment 
The  materials  composing  these  Upper  Lignitic  strata  of  the  Monume| 
Creek  present  the  appearance  of  having  been  deposited  with  nnusi 
rapidity  in   moving  or  disturbed  waters.    Figures  show  with   grei 
clearness  this  peculiar  character  of  tbe  sediments.    The  peculiar  groQ 
of  strata  which,  in  1869, 1  called  tbe  Monument  Creek  group,  extends  t 
a  point  within  about  twenty  miles  of  Denver,  where  the  Lignitic  sell 
ments  return  tx)  their  usual  character,  and  then  continue  north  wat 
nearly  to  Cheyenne. 

For  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles  north  of  west  of  Monument  Creel 
the  coarse  variegated  sandstones  of  the  Monument  Creek  group  lap  d 
to  the  granites,  have  been  slightly  elevated  so  a^  to  incline  5^  to  1^ 
but  not  detached  from  the  granites,  so  that  for  a  considerable  distant 
tbese  granite  foot  hills  formed  tbe  western  shore-line  for  the  great  lal 
This  group  is  more  fully  treated  in  a  subsequent  portion  of  this  chi 
ter. 

Up  to  the  present  time,  but  few  invertebrate  remains  have  been  foui 
in  tbe  Lignitic  group  from  the  Arkansas  to  Denver;  but  in  tbe  loWT^^^ 
strata  in  the  vicinity  of  the  coal-beds  a  number  of  plants  have  hei 
observed,  belonging  in  most  instances  to  well-known  species  occurrioi 
elsewhere.    These  plants  were  observed  by  tbe  Survey  in  several  Io< 
ties  along  the  southern  border  of  tbe  groui),  generally  in  tbe  bed  of  sai 
stone  immediately  below  tbe  lowest  coal,  and  ranging  up  100  to  150  U 
The  species,  as  identifled  by  Lesquereux,  are  Sahal  Campbelli,  Plata\ 
Haydenij  Ficus  tillccfolia^   Domheyopsis   obtusa.    Tbe   &abal  has    hi 
found  at  Raton  Hills,  Golden  City,  Black  Buttes,  and  on  tbe   Up] 
Missouri  River    near   Fort   Union.     Tbe   riatamis   occurs  at  Kat 
Hills,  Golden  City,  Black  Buttes,  and  was  originally  described  from 
Upper  Missouri  River,  where  it  is  found  in  great  numbers.    Tbe  Fu 
has  been  obtained  from  Evanston  on  tbe  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  Kat 
Hills,  and  in  Montana  on  the  Yellowstone,  so  that  tbe  evidence,  so 
as  it  can  be  derived  from  the  few  vegetable  remains,  connects  this  groi 
witb  the  RatOQ  Hills  group  to  the  southward,  and  far  to  tbe  north  t 
tbe  Upper  Missouri.    Other  species  have  been  identified.  . 

From  Colorado  Springs,  we  may  follow  tbe  Lignitic  group  northwal 
very  nearly  to  Cbeyenue  without  any  break.  For  a  short  distance,  i 
we  bave  previously  remarked,  tbe  Monument  Creek  group  laps  on  to  tl 
granites,  entirely  concealing  all  older  formations;  but  very  soon  afti 
crossing  tbe  "divide''  to  tbe  drainage  of  Plum  Creek,  tbe  older  beds  t 


\CdixZ  outcrxjp'\ 


rr~r  s 


pft*"'^^^ 


V  f V  ( 


'"/•l-  » 


HATDES.J  GEOLOGY — ^LIGNITIC   GROUP — SECTIONS.  33 

appear  in  the  form  of  uplifted  ridges.  This  belt,  though  varying  much 
in  width,  is  not  again  interrupted  until  we  reach  a  point  within  a  few 
miles  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  west  of  Cheyenne.  Sometimes  this 
belt  extends  out  from  the  mountain  foot-hills  four  or  five  miles,  and 
again  it  closes  up  so  that  the  Lignitic  bed,  as  at  Golden  City,  extends 
Dp  to  within  one-fourth  or  one-half  a  mile  of  the  granites. 

I  need  not  describe  again  the  geological  features  of  the  district  about 
Golden  City,  so  much  has  already  been  written,  nor  need  I  reiieat  the 
fifty  or  sixty  species  of  fossil  plants  which  have  already  been  detected 
in  this  far-famed  locality.  On  the  map  which  accompanies  this  report, 
the  boundary-line  between  the  Lignitic  group  and  the  well-marked  Cre- 
taceous strata  is  shown  very  clearly.  We  may  say  that  very  soon  after 
leaving  the  granite  foot-hills,  the  Lignitic  beds,  at  whatever  angle  they 
may  be  found  to  incline,  return  to  a  nearly  or  quite  horizontal  position. 
We  may  say  that  they  incline  at  all  angles  from  5^  to  70^,  depending 
apon  their  distance  from  the  base  of  the  mountains. 

From  Colorado  Springs  to  Golden  City,  the  outcrops  of  the  coal  are 
very  rare;  but,  from  Golden  City  to  the  Big  Boulder,  they  are  quite  com- 
mon, and  the  most  productive  coal-mines  in  Colorado  are  found  there. 
That  beds  of  lignite  or  coal  underlie  the  plain  country  far  to  the  east, 
there  is  hardly  room  to  doubt.  About  ten  miles  east  of  Denver,  on  the 
Kansas  Pacific  Eailroad,  at  a  locality  called  Tousland.  several  shafts 
have  been  snnk  in  the  level  prairie,  and  a  thick  bed  oi  coal  or  lignite 
was  found  at  moderate  depths. 

A  section  of  the  strata  is  as  follows : — 

1.  Cltty,  gravel,  etc 

t  Soft  sand-rock 10  to  12  feet. 

3L  Sandstone,  with  seams  of  coal  varying  from  1  to  18  inches  in  thickness, 

with  6  to  8  inches  of  sandstone  between 30  feet 

i  Coal,  or  lignite • 6  feet. 

h.  Sandstone,  forming  the  floor  of  the  mine. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  elaborately  and  elegantly  prepared  mines  in 
Colorado  Territory ;  but  the  coal  contains  so  large  a  percentage  of  vol- 
atile matter  that  it  will  probably  not  be  made  available  for  economical 
purposes  until  the  more  valuable  coal-mines  in  the  vicinity  are  ex- 
haosted.  The  great  scarcity  of  timber  all  over  this  portion  of  the  West 
nay,  at  some  future  day,  render  any  kind  of  combustible  material  val- 
oable  as  a  fuel.  One  shaft  sunk  here  is  245  feet  deep,  and  a  second  one, 
aboQt  a  mile  distant,  is  145  feet  deep.  Both  of  them  passed  through 
this  6-foot  bed.  The  strata  are  horizontal.  This  bed  is  probably  higher 
vp  in  the  series  than  any  of  the  beds  that  are  wrought  near  the  base  of 
the  mountains.  A  few  impressions  of  deciduous  leaves  were  observed 
'  !re,  but  no  other  fossils  of  any  kind. 

Again,  near  Platteville,  on  the  line  of  the  Denver  Pacific  Eailroad, 
h  of  Denver,  we  find  that  several  shafts  have  been  sunk  for  coal 
r  the  outer  border  of  the  group.    About  a  mile  south  of  Platteville, 

shaft  was  sunk  32  feet  through  the  following  strata,  descending : — 

Cby 8  feet. 

Seson  of  iropnre  coal 1  foot  6  inches. 

Htrd  sandstone 10  feet. 

liBloe  qoartzitic  sandstone 1  foot  2inches. 

'  Black  oarbonaceons  clay,  as  roofing 5  feet. 

Coal 2  feet. 

Black  clay,  as  a  floor. 

The  Hopkins  mine  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Stoner's.    Here 
shaft  was  sunk  05  feet.    The  mine  is  now  abandoned.    About  two 

3  H 


,' 


34        QEOLOaiCAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

miles  northeast  of  Platteville,  two  iudostrious  miocrR  have  sunk  shafts 
in  two  places.  The  first  one  passes  through  the  following  beds,  from 
the  surface: — 

1.  Yellow  sand-clay 42      feet. 

2.  Clay  or  soapstoue,  with  3  inobes  of  a  black  material  and  called  by  the  min- 

enismat 2  feet. 

3.  Clay 4  feet. 

4.  Abedofahells 3i  feet. 

5.  Clay 6  inches. 

6.  Durk  Baud H  f^^* 

7.  Sandstone,  yellow  and  gray 10  feet. 

8.  Clay 4  feet. 

9.  Coal 2i  feet. 

10.  Clay-Ehale. 4  inches. 

11.  Finesaudyclay 2      feet 

12.  Coal. 

Forty- eight  feet  from  the  surface,  the  workmen  came  to  a  remarkable 
bed  of  shells.  Masses  were  thrown  out  upon  the  surface  18  inches  in 
thickness,  a  mere  aggregate  of  shells.  Anomiaj  and  the  same  species 
of  cy renoid  or  brackish-water  shells,  found  over  a  workable  bed  of  coal 
at  Hallville,  on  the  Union  Pacific  Bailroad,  have  been  identified.  About 
300  yards  from  the  last  shaft,  a  second  one  was  sunk  53  feet,  passing 
through  a  bed  of  coal  29  inches  thick,  which  is  being  wrought  with  great 
industry  and  some  profit.  These  mines  are  just  on  the  east  border  of  the 
South  Platte,  while  on  the  west  side  the  Upper  Cretaceous  beds  are  exposed. 
Thin  remnants  of  the  Lignitic  strata  may  occur  on  the  west  side,  but  no 
Irace  of  coal  in  that  immediate  vicinity.  We  may,  therefore,  reason- 
ably infer  that  this  thin  bed  of  coal  near  Platteville  lies  very  near  die 
base  of  the  Lignitic  series. 

The  next  locality  which  we  may  mention  is  still  farther  to  the  north- 
ward, about  ten  miles  to  the  northeast  of  Oreeley,  called  Higley's  mine, 
on  section  20,  township  6,  range  G6.  The  mine  is  opened  in  the  levtl 
prairie,  thirty  miles  east  of  the  base  of  the  mountains.  The  shaft  passes 
through  horizontal  layers  as  follows : — 

1.  Arenaceous  clay. 

2.  Hard  bluish  quartzitic  sandstone 2    feet. 

3.  Clay 4ifeet. 

4.  Coal S^feet. 

5.  Floor  of  sandstone. 

A  few  fragments  of  leaves  were  observed  in  the  hard  sandstone,  but 
no  other  fossils.  Shafts  have  been  sunk  in  many  other  places  east  of 
Greeley,  but  only  thin  beds  of  rather  poor  coal  were  detected.  It  is  not 
probable  that  any  valuable  beds  of  coal  will  ever  be  discovered  in  the 
immediate  vicinity. 

Our  examinations  of  the  country  between  the  South  Platte  and  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  especially  along  the  valley  of  the  Cache  h  la 
Poudre,  were  productive  of  most  important  results.  We  found  in  an 
extensive  series  of  sandstones,  sands,  clays,  etc.,  a  great  variety  of  marine 
invertebrate  fossils  belonging  to  well-known  Cretaceous  types.  The 
rocks  are  all  quite  peculiar,  indicating  by  their  structure  that  these  dep- 
ositions took  place  in  moving  waters.  A  few  of  the  shells  were  found 
in  the  clays,  and  many  of  them  were  inclosed  in  dark,  round,  calcareous 
concretions,  scattered  through  the  clay ;  but  most  of  them  occur  in 
isolated  grou[>8  on  the  under  or  upper  surface  of  a  layer  of  sandstone,  as 
if  they  had  been  swept  into  eddies  or  shallow  depressions.  As  we  have 
often  stated,  the  physical  history  of  these  massive  formations  is  written 
on  the  rocks  themselves. 


Table  Suite  capped  icitfi  Trachyte 

5  milee  north  of  the  Arkansas 
and  Plaite  River  divide. 


fal  Sandstone.      I  bb  I  Fire  clay.  f9&\    Lignite. 
Deposit  of  Lignite  in  an  irregttlar  cavity 
in  sandstone 


HATDui.)  GEOLOGY — ^FOX   HILLS   GROUP.  35 

In  the  lower  portion  of  Cretaceous  No.  6,  or  the  Fox  Hills  gronp,  the 
sediments  all  show  a  moderately  deep  sea  and  quiet  waters,  in  which 
the  various  forms  of  MoUusca  peculiar  to  this  group  flourished  in  great 
abundance,  and  have  been  preserved  with  wonderful  perfection.  But  as 
we  pass  upward,  we  begin  to  observe  signs  of  a  gradual  change  to  shal- 
low and  even  turbulent  waters.  Tracks  and  trails  of  worms,  etc.,  are 
seen  on  the  surface  of  the  thin  layers  of  sandstone,  and  the  more  mass- 
ive sandstones  become  concretionary,  irregular,  sometimes  quite  thick, 
and  then  suddenly  thinning  out  so  as  to  be  unimportant  or  entirely 
absent.  While  many  of  the  species  peculiar  to  No.  4  as  well  as  No.  5 
continue  to  flourish  to  a  certain  extent,  new  forms  are  introduced,  such 
as  Tancredia  americanay  Gardium  specwaum^  Mactra  fonnoaay  Mactra  altay 
and  many  others,  previously  known  to  occur  in  no  other  locality  in  this 
country  except  near  the  mouth  of  the  Judith  Biver  on  the  Upper  Mis- 
souri. There  are  also  mingled  with  them  Baculites^  Ammonites^  Inoce- 
ramuSy  etc.,  forms  well  known  in  the  Fox  Hills  group  all  over  the  West. 
We  may  continue  our  way  northward  to  Oheyenne,  and  from  thence  to 
the  Missouri  and  the  Yellowstone  region  to  the  north  line  of  the  United 
States,  and  we  shall  And  the  Lignitic  group  remaining  substantially  (he 
same  and  bearing  similar  relations  to  the  Fox  Hills  group  below.  In 
all  this  distance,  the  only  break  in  the  connection  that  occurs  is  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  hundred  miles,  between  Oheyenne  and  the  North 
Platte,  where  the  Lignitic  group  is  overlapped  by  the  more  modern  beds 
of  the  White  Biver  group. 

Our  investigations  in  Colorado  seem  to  warrant  the  following  conclu- 
sions : — 

Ist.  That  through  the  upper  portion  of  the  Fox  Hills  group,  there  are 
clear  proofs  of  a  radical  physical  change,  though  very  gradual,  usually 
with  no  break  in  the  sequence  of  time.  In  this  portion  of  the  group  are 
well-marked  Cretaceous  fossils  of  purely  marine  types,  and  no  others. 

2d.  That  above  the  upper  Fox  Hills  group,  there  are  about  200  feet  of 
barren  beds,  which  may  be  regarded  as  beds  of  passage  to  the  Lignitic 
group,  which  more  properly  belong  with  the  Fox  Hills  group  below.  In 
this  group  of  transition  beds,  all  trace  of  the  abundant  invertebrate  life 
of  the  great  Cretaceous  series  below  has  disappeared. 

3d.  In  almost  all  cases  we  find  at  the  base  of  the  true  Lignitic  group 
a  bed  of  sandstone,  very  irregular  in  thickness  and  structure,  which 
seems  to  mark  the  horizon  or  dawn  of  this  group.  In  this  sandstone, 
the  first  deciduous  leaves  peculiar  to  this  group  occur.  No  purely  ma- 
rine Mollusca  pass  above  this  horizon.  Estuary  or  brackish-water  shells 
are  found  in  many  localities  in  great  abundance.  These  soon  disappear, 
and  are  succeeded  farther  north  by  fossils  of  purely  fresh-water  origin. 

Whatever  view  we  may  take  in  regard  to  the  age  of  the  Lignitic  group, 
we  may  certainly  claim  that  it  forms  one  of  the  time-boundaries  in  the 
geological  history  of  our  western  continent.  It  may  matter  little  whether 
we  call  it  Upper  Cretaceous  or  Lower  Eocene,  so  far  as  the  final  iiesult 
isconcerned.  Weknow  that  it  playsanimportant,and,toacertain  extent, 
an  independent  part  in  the  physical  history  of  the  growth  of  the  conti- 
nent. Even  the  vertebrate-paleontologists,  who  pronounce  with  great 
positiveness  the  Cretaceous  age  of  the  Lignitic  group,  do  not  claim  that 
a  single  species  of  vertebrate  animal  passes  above  the  horizon  I  have 
defined  from  the  well-marked  Cretaceous  group  below. 

Having  presented  these  facts  as  briefly  and  clearly  as  we  were  able, 
we  will  leave  the  further  discussion  of  the  age  of  the  group  to  a  future 
period. 


36        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

MONUMENT  GREEK  GROUP. 

On  the  bigh  divide  between  the  drainage  of  the  Arkansas  and  South 
Platte  Rivers,  we  find  a  somewhat  singular  formation,  differing  in  some 
respects  from  any  other  that  we  have  met  with  in  the  West.  The  sedi- 
ments were  undoubtedly  deposited  in  a  rather  modern  fresh-water  lake ; 
but  whether  we  can  synchrouize  this  group  with  any  of  the  other  lake- 
deposits  in  the  West  remains  yet  to  be  discovered. 

This  group  was  named  by  me  in  1869  the  Monument  Greek  group, 
from  the  fact  that  the  atmospheric  agents  have  carved  out  of  some  of 
the  beds  a  very  peculiar  kind  of  monument,  or  columns,  which  long  ago 
attracted  the  special  attention  of  the  traveler.  These  columns  have 
given  name  to  a  small  stream,  which  rises  in  the  divide,  and  flows  south 
into  Fountain  Creek,  also  to  a  very  interesting  locality  now  known  as 
Monunient  Park,  in  the  valley  of  West  Monument  Creek,  where  these 
singularly-shapecl  columns  do  most  abound.  These  singular  columns 
have  been  frequently  described  in  previous  reports  of  the  Survey  ;  but 
the  accompanying  figures  on  Plate  3  presents  them  to  the  eye  in  their 
varied  forms  far  more  clearly  than  any  description  in  words. 

'The  boundaries  of  this  basin  have  not  yet  been  detern^ined,  but  it  is 
believed  that  it  does  not  occupy  a  very  large  area,  probably  confined  to 
the  high  ridge  or  divide  which  seems  to  give  origin  to  so  many  small 
streams,  which,  as  seen  on  the  map,  flow  south  into  the  Arkansas  River. 
In  this  basin,  Beaver,  Kiowa,  Bijou,  Box  Elder,  and  Cherry  Creeks, 
branches  of  the  South  Platte,  take  their  rise ;  while  to  the  south,  many 
branches  of  the  Fountain  and  Chico  take  their  origin,  and  flow  far  south- 
ward into  the  Arkansas.  With  our  present  knowledge,  we  may  estimate 
the  area  approximately  as  about  forty  miles  from  north  to  south  and  fifty 
from  west  to  east,  or  about  two  thousi  nd  square  miles.  It  is  plain  that 
it  originally  extended  over  a  much  larger  area ;  the  evidences  of  denuda- 
tion by  which  large  portions  have  been  removed  being  apparent  all 
around  its  borders.  The  basin  itself  lies  in  the  Liguitic  group.  All 
around  its  south,  north,  and  east  borders,  we  find  the  beds  of  this  group 
cropping  out,  while  on  the  west  side  they  are  exposed,  when  not  con- 
cealed by  the  nearly  horizontal  beds  of  the  more  modern  group.  Except 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  it  is  not  easy  to  detect  any  want  of 
conformability  in  the  connection  of  the  two  groups ;  and  this  relation  is 
obscure,  when  the  older  beds  are  lifted  up  at  the  base  of  the  granite 
hills,  on  account  of  the  great  amount  of  local  drift,  which  seems  to  cover 
everything  to  a  considerable  thickness. 

The  texture  of  the  rocks  of  this  group  is  quite  varied.  The  aggre- 
gate thickness  is  probably  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet.  The 
lower  portion  is  composed  of  rather  massive  beds  of  sandstone,  varying 
from  a  puddingstone  to  a  fine-grained  sandstone,  usually  of  a  light  color, 
sometimes  yellow  or  iron-rust,  with  their  intercalations  of  arenaceous 
clay.  In  the  distance,  the  whole  group  presents  a  chalky- white  appear- 
ance in  many  localities.  At  the  immediate  base  of  the  mountains,  just, 
south  of  the  small  lake  on  the  divide,  the  rocks  are  variegated  sandstones, 
brick-red,  white,  and  yellow,  varying  in  texture  from  a  fine  sandstone  to 
a  puddingstone,  with  all  the  signs  of  deposition  in  moving  waters,  and 
so  closely  resembling  the  older  red  sandstones,  which  we  had  u^^ually 
regarded  as  Triassic,  that  I  had  no  small  difficulty  in  determining  their 
exact  position.  Still  farther  north,  on  the  divide  proper,  the  beds  jut 
against  the  granites,  inclining  not  more  than  3^,  and  are  made  up  of  a 
coarse  aggregate  of  feldspar  and  quartz  crystals,  so  that  it  resembles  a 
very  coarse  granite.    It  is  plain  that  the  sediments  of  this  group  were 


■Library. 


X^U'CM 


36        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

MONUMENT  OBEEK  GROUP. 

On  the  bigh  divide  between  tbe  drainage  of  tbe  Arkansas  and  Sonth 
Platte  Bivers,  we  find  a  somewbat  singular  formation,  differing  in  some 
respects  from  any  otber  tbat  we  bave  met  with  iu  tbe  West.  Tbe  sedi- 
ments were  undoubtedly  deposited  in  a  ratber  modern  fresb-water  lake ; 
but  wbetber  we  can  syncbrouize  tbis  group  witb  any  of  tbe  otber  lake- 
deposits  in  tbe  West  remains  yet  to  be  discovered. 

Tbis  group  was  named  by  me  in  1869  tbe  Monument  Greek  group, 
from  tbe  fact  tbat  tbe  atmospberic  agents  bave  carved  out  of  some  of 
tbe  beds  a  very  peculiar  kind  of  monument,  or  columns,  wbicb  long  ago 
attracted  tbe  special  attention  of  tbe  traveler.  Tbese  columns  bave 
given  name  to  a  small  stream,  wbicb  rises  in  tbe  divide,  and  flows  south 
into  Fountain  Creek,  also  to  a  very  interesting  locality  now  knowu  as 
Monument  Park,  in  tbe  valley  of  West  Monument  Creek,  wbere  these 
singularly-sbaped  columns  do  most  abound.  Tbese  singular  columns 
bave  been  frequently  described  in  previous  reports  of  tbe  Survey  ;  but 
tbe  accompanying  figures  on  Plate  3  presents  tbem  to  tbe  eye  in  tbeir 
varied  forms  far  more  clearly  tban  any  description  in  words. 

*Tbe  boundaries  of  tbis  basin  bave  not  yet  been  detern^ined,  but  it  is 
believed  tbat  it  does  not  occupy  a  very  large  area,  probably  confined  to 
tbe  bigb  ridge  or  divide  wbicb  seems  to  give  ori^rin  to  so  many  small 
streams,  wbicb,  as  seen  on  tbe  map,  flow  soutb  into  the  Arkansas  River. 
In  tbis  basin,  Beaver,  Kiowa,  Bijou,  Box  Elder,  and  Cberry  Creeks, 
brancbes  of  tbe  Soutb  Platte,  take  tbeir  rise ;  wbile  to  tbe  soutb,  many 
branches  of  tbe  Fountain  aud  Cbico  take  tbeir  origin,  and  flow  far  south- 
ward into  tbe  Arkansas.  Witb  our  present  knowledge,  we  may  estimate 
tbe  area  approximately  as  about  forty  miles  from  north  to  soutb  and  fifty 
from  west  to  east,  or  about  two  tbousi  nd  square  miles.  It  is  plain  tbat 
it  originally  extended  over  a  much  larger  area ;  tbe  evidences  of  denuda- 
tion by  wbicb  large  portions  bave  been  removed  being  apparent  all 
around  its  borders.  Tbe  basin  itself  lies  in  tbe  Liguitic  group.  All 
around  its  soutb,  north,  and  east  borders,  we  find  tbe  beds  of  tbis  group 
cropping  out,  wbile  on  the  west  side  they  are  exposed,  when  not  con- 
cealed by  tbe  nearly  horizontal  beds  of  tbe  more  modern  group.  Except 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  it  is  not  easy  to  detect  any  want  of 
conformability  in  tbe  connection  of  tbe  two  groups ;  and  tbis  relation  is 
obscure,  when  tbe  older  beds  are  lifted  up  at  the  base  of  tbe  granite 
bills,  on  account  of  tbe  great  amount  of  local  drift,  wbicb  seems  to  cover 
everything  to  a  considerable  thickness. 

Tbe  texture  of  the  rocks  of  tbis  group  is  quite  varied.  The  aggre- 
gate thickness  is  probably  about  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet.  The 
lower  portion  is  composed  of  rather  massive  beds  of  sandstone,  varying 
from  a  puddingstone  to  a  fine-grained  sandstone,  usually  of  a  ligbt  color, 
sometimes  yellow  or  iron-rust,  witb  their  intercalations  of  arenaceous 
clay.  In  the  distance,  tbe  whole  group  presents  a  chalky- white  appear- 
ance in  many  localities.  At  tbe  immediate  base  of  the  mountains,  just, 
south  of  the  small  lake  on  tbe  divide,  tbe  rocks  are  variegated  sandstones, 
brick-red,  white,  and  yellow,  varying  in  texture  from  a  fine  sandstone  to 
a  puddingstone,  witb  all  tbe  signs  of  deposition  in  moving  waters,  and 
so  closely  resembling  the  older  red  sandstones,  which  we  bad  usually 
regarded  as  Triassic,  tbat  I  bad  no  small  difiSculty  in  determining  their 
exact  position.  Still  farther  north,  on  tbe  divide  proper,  the  beds  jut 
against  the  granites,  inclining  not  more  tban  o^j  and  are  made  up  of  a 
coarse  aggregate  of  feldspar  and  quartz  crystals,  so  tbat  it  resembles  a 
very  coarse  granite.    It  is  plain  tbat  tbe  sediments  of  tbis  group  were 


Library. 


J"  CM 


HAYDBs.]  GEOLOGY ^aiONUMENT   CREEK   GROUP.  37 

derived  very  largely  from  tbe  granitoid  rocks.  The  sediments  become 
finer  and  finer  as  we  recede  eastward  from  tbe  foot  of  tiie  mountains 
into  the  plains. 

To  the  eastward  of  tbe  line  of  tbe  Denver  and  Eio  Grande  Railroad, 
tbe  surface  is  cut  up  into  more  or  less  rectangular  masses,  with  rather 
broad  table-shaped  summits,  varying  from  four  hundred  to  eight  hun- 
dred fe^t  in  height.  Tbe  sides  are  often  very  steep — almost  inaccessible. 
At  a  remote  period  in  tbe  past,  tbe  erosion  has  been  very  great,  carving 
oat  by  an  almost  inappreciably  slow  process,  these  broad  valleys,  leaving 
these  buttes  here  and  there,  composed  of  horizontal  beds,  to  aid  in  form- 
ing some  conception  of  tbe  amount  of  denudation  wbicb  has  taken  place. 
It  is  not  possible  at  the  present  time  to  estimate  tbe  original  thickness 
of  this  group,  but  we  believe  it  to  have  been  very  much  greater  than 
the  highest  beds  now  existing  would  indicate.  The  summits  of  many 
of  these  buttes  are  capped  with  a  greater  or  less  thickness  of  sKbeautiful 
purplish  trachyte,  wbicb  must  have  ascended  in  the  form  of  dikes  from 
beneath  and  flowed  over  the  surface.  Much  of  tbe  trachyte  is  a  sort  of 
breccia,  composed  of  rather  coarse  sandstones,  wbicb  must  have  been 
caught  in  tbe  melted  material.  It  is  quite  evident  that  these  outdo ws 
occurred  during  tbe  existence  of  tbe  lake,  though  at  a  late  period.  As  to 
tbe  real  age  of  this  group,  I  am  inclined  to  regard  it  as  Miocene,  perhaps 
Upper  Miocene.  The  great  Front  or  Colorado  range  was  elevated  much 
as  it  is  at  present,  though  it  rose  some  hundreds  of  feet  during  and  per- 
haps since  its  deposition.  Some  of  tbe  lower  beds  of  tbe  group,  though  I 
jutting  up  against  tbe  granitic  mountain-sides,  have  evid^^ntly  been  ^ 
lifted  up  several  hundred  feet  above  tbe  same  strata,  far  east  on  the 
plains.  I  think  it  might  be  synchronized  with  tbe  upper  portion  of 
the  White  River  group  far  to  the  northward,  and  is  probably  of  the 
same  age  as  tbe  fresh-water  deposits  in  the  South  Park,  just  over 
tbe  range,  wbicb  have  yielded  such  an  abundance  of  fossil  leaves  of 
plants,  fishes,  and  insects.  Up  to  tbis  time,  tbe  Monument  Creek  group 
has  yielded  but  few  fossils,  and  those  are  vertebrates.  Professor  Cope 
states  that,  in  tbe  summer  of  1873,  be  made  a  brief  examination  of  this 
group  for  vertebrate  remains,  and  be  states  that  be  discovered  tbe  bind 
leg  and  foot  of  an  Artiodactyle  of  tbe  Oreodon  type.  He  also  has  every 
reason  for  believing  that  tbe  fragment  Magaceratops  coloradoensis  came 
originally  from  tbe  same  locality.  He  further  believes  the  group  to  be 
of  Miocene  age,  which  was  tbe  conclusion  of  the  writer  in  18G9.  Pro- 
fessor Cope  is  disposed  to  regard  tbe  fresh  water  strata  in  tbe  South 
Park  as  newer  than  Eocene  and  probably  Miocene. 

I  see  no  reason  why  they  should  not  be  of  tbe  same  age  as  tbe  Monu- 
ment Creek  group.  Tbe  strata  are  horizontal,  or  nearly  so,  and  bold 
about  the  same  position  in  relation  to  tbe  granitic  rocks  in  the  vicinity 
as  the  Monument  Creek  group.  Tbe  sediments  are  quite  difierent,  it  is 
true,  and  the  fossil  remains  most  abundant  and  varied  in  character. 
This  condition  might  very  well  exist,  inasmuch  as  we  may  suppose  that 
the  Front  range  entirely  shut  off  all  connection  between  them.  Vol- 
canic action  seems  to  have  been  going  on  to  a  great  extent  during  tbe 
deposition  of  tbe  South  Park  beds,  and  a  great  portion  of  tbe  sediments 
is  composed  of  tbe  eroded  material  of  tbe  igneous  rocks. 


38  GEOLOGICAL   SUBVET  OF   THE   TEBRITOBIES. 

APPENDI3J:  TO  CHAPTER  II. 

By  H.  T.  Wkst. 

Different  strata  passed  through  in  horing  for  an  artesian  well  by  H.  T, 

West^  on  section  32,  township  5  norths  of  range  66  west^  being  in  ike 
county  of  Weld^  in  tJie  Territory  of  Colorado — bore^  3  inches  in  diameter. 

Feet  In. 

Stirfaoe-Boil 22  0 

White  sand-rook ^ 7  0 

Bluesbale 7  0 

Black  shale 2  6 

Coal 0  6 

Brown  rock 8  0 

Hard  browo  rock  (sandstone) 2  0 

Brown  rock 13  0 

Hard  brown  rock 1  0 

Soft  brown  rock 8  0 

Blue  shale 5  0 

Hard  white  sand-rock 2  0 

Blneshale 7  0 

Hard  blue  shale 2  0 

Blneshale 8  0 

Hard  blneshale 3  0 

Blneshale 4  0 

Hard  blneshale 3  0 

Bine  shale - 10  0 

Rock 1  % 

Blue  shale 5  0 

Hard  blue  rock 1  0 

Bluoshale ', 3  0 

Rock 3  0 

Ruck  (probably  of  a  different  character) 5  0 

Hard  rock 3  0 

Bine  shale 3  0 

White  rock 3  0 

Gi  ay  rock 4  0 

Blneshale 2  0 

Hard  rock 3  0 

Orayslate 4  0 

B.ue  slate 2  0 

Orayslate  •.. 3  0 

Rock 2  0 

Blneshale 3  0 

Hard  slate ;  (I  am  doubtful  may  have  been  coal) 4  9 

White  sand-rock 5  0 

Hard  white  sand-rock 3  0 

Blue  shale 1 4  0 

Hard  blneshale 2  0 

Hard  shale 3  0 

Hard  blue  rook 5  0 

Blneshale 1  0 


192      0 

These  mem.oranda  were  taken  from  the  book  kept  by  the  man  who 
did  the  boring.  He  saved  samples  of  each  stratum,  bat  I  think  that 
they  have  been  destroyed. 

Higley's  coal-mine  is  in  section  20^  township  7  north,  of  range 
66  west.  Mr.  La  Grange  prospected  for  a  company,  of  which  I  was  the 
secretary,  in  sections  17  and  22,  in  the  same  township  and  range.  He 
made  a  rough  diagram  of  the  results  of  his  drilling  (boring),  which  I 
have  sent  him,  witli  the  request  that  he  perfect  it  and  return  to  me,  an4 
when  he  does  so  I  will  dispatch  it  to  you. 


GEOLOGY — STRATA. 


39 


By  the  minntes  which  I  kept,  I  find  that  he  made  a  verbal  report  as 
follows,  Janaary  23, 1871 : — 

Hr.  La  Grange  made  a  report  of  his  operations  in  sections  17  and  22,  with  a  rongl^  dia- 
gram of  his, views  in  rec^anl  to  the  difterent  strata  of  coal  in  these  sections;  also  that 
tbe  thickest  vein  of  coal  through  which  the  drill  had  passed  in  horing  in  section  22 
was  2  feet  7  inches.  * 

Od  the  8th  of  Febraary,  1871,  he  further  reported — 

That  he  had  put  down  a  series  of  horings  in  different  sections  to  determine  whether 
tbere  were  any  large  veins  of  coal  to  he  foand,  and  that  he  could  find  nothing  thicker 
tban  three  feet,  the  veins  found  varying  from  one  to  three  feet. 

That  horing  to  the  eant  of  section  17,  on  section  22,  he  struck  and  passed  through 
six  different  veins,  none  over  2^  feet  thick. 

He  also  stated — 

That  the  coal  seemed  wfter  than  that  found  on  section  17. 

That,  in  accordance  with  instructions,  he  had  hored  51  feet  on  a  section  to  the 
soatbeast,  finding  five  different  veins  of  coal,  the  lowest  being  the  thickest,  and  that 
^  feet  thick  and  softer  than  in  section  17. 

That  he  had  also  prospected  to  the  west  of  the  shaft  sunk  by  our  company  on  sec- 
tion 17,  finding,  at  a  depth  of  27^  feet  from  the  surface,  a  vein  of  good  hard  (for  soft 
coal)  coal;  and  further  prospecting  seemed  to  determine  the  fact  of  a  rise  in  said  vein 
to  the  west  of  two  inches  to  the  rod. 

He  farther  stated — 

That  be  had  thought  it  best,  before  cntting  an  incline  (to  shaft  on  section  17),  to 
test  the  character  of  the  coal  and  the  profitableness  of  working  it,  by  chambering, 
trhich  had  developed  an  inclination,  or  dip,  eight  inches  in  ten  feet,  which  allowed 
tbe  water  to  follow  the  work,  thus  rendering  this  mine  nnprofitable. 

There  seems  to  have  been  some  convulsion  of  nature  in  that  town- 
ship, as  will  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  the  Higley  vein  pitches  in  such 
a  way  as  to  drain  the  mine,  while  at  our  shaft^  not  forty  rods  north,  it 
dips  as  stated. 


CHAPTER    III 


Rksum]^  of  the  Geology  along  the  Eastern  Base  of  the  Front  or  Colorado 
Range:  Silurian,  Carboniferous,  Triassic,  Jurassic,  and  Cretaceous  Groups. 

The  various  groups  of  sedimentary  rocks  that  occur  aloug  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Front  Eange  of  Colorado  from  Canon  City  to  Cheyenne 
have  been  so  often  described  in  previous  reports  that  it  seems  hardly 
possible  to  add  anything  further  of  importance.  We  will  be  able,  there- 
fore, to  do  little  more  in  this  connection  than  to  describe,  with  some  cara. 
the  maps,  sections,  and  other  illustrations  which  we  have  prepared  I 
this  report. 

The  '* Preliminary  map  of  the  eastern  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountaim 
will  be  found  to  explain  itself  to  a  great  extent.  The  topogi*aphy 
given  with  much  detail  and  in  a  picturesque  form,  so  that  the  relatiol 
of  the  sedimentary  to  the  granitic  rocks  are  admirably  presented.  tA 
characteristic  forms  of  the  *'Hog  Back''  ridges  which  have  been] 
often  noticed,  is  clearly  shown,  as  well  as  the  en  Mielmi  features  of  (4 
minor  mountain-ranges  as  they  run  out  into  the  plains. 

The  pictorial  sections  which  accompany  the  map  will  serve  to  sh 
more  dearly  than  we  have  hitherto  done  what  we  have  denomina 
the  plain  and  mountain  districts,  as  well  as  the  abrupt  transition  fr< 
one  to  the  other.    The  plain  country  extends  uninterruptedly  from  tl 
Missouri  Kiver  to  the  base  of  the  mountains.    The  elevation   abo4 
sea-level  at  Kansas  City  is  764  feet;  at  Denver,  by  way  of  the  railroi 
639  miles  to  the  westward,  the  elevation  is  5,197  feet ;  showing  an  avel 
age  ascent  of  about  seven  (7)  feet  per  mile  over  an   apparently  levi 
treeless  plain.    Over  this  broad  space  the  strata  are  very  nearly 
quite  horizontal  in  position,  until  within  a  few  miles  of  the  mountain! 
where  they  are  lifted  up  at  various  angles  and  the  mountain-raug( 
seem  to  rise  abruptly  out  of  the  plains.    The  topography  as  well  as  th( 
geology  of  the  plain  country  is  remarkably  simple,  and'  it  is  only  in 
narrow  belt  along  the  immediate  foot  of  the  mountains  that  it  becom< 
more  varied  and  complex.    The  elevation  of  the  great  Front  or  Colorado^ 
range  carried  up  the  sedimentary  formations  which  originally  rested  oai 
its  sides  or  summit,  and  the  uplift  seems  to  have  been  very  nearly  6r| 
quite  vertical.    Whether  these  formations  originally  extended  uniuter-f 
ruptedly  across  the  area  now  occupied  by  the  mountain-ranges,  is  2k. 
question  which  will  be  more  fully  discussed  at  some  future  period.    That 
this  was  the  case  in  part,  I  am  very  confident,  but  there  are  facts  that 
appear  to  disprove  this  statement  in  some  instances.    It  seems  proba- 
ble that  a  portion  of  the  Bocky  Mountain  range  was  outlined   at  an  ! 
early  period;  that  it  has  grown,  as  it  were,  through  successive  ages  up 
to  the  present  time.    A  careful  examination  of  the  map  and  the  picto- 
rial sections  will  enable  the  reader  to  understand  more  clearly   the 
remarkable  belt  of  uplifted  sedimentary  beds  along  the  immediate  base 
of  the  mountains.    Although  they  seem  to  be  more  interesting  and 
picturesque  in  Colorado,  yet  these  ridges  occur  to  a  greater  or  less 
4D 


}i^S 


i-ry 


r 

r 


iL- 


I'iG.  1.— Nmim.E-RucK,  Gles  liYKiii,  Kko  TiUAiiitio  Sandstosk. 


Fio.  8.— CoMCBBTJOse  AND  Sandstonks,  Ckbtackous  Pbkmi 


PUte  V. 


Fig.  1. 


-..•AiftS^ 


o/ 


Showing  the  changes  in  the  sediments  as  we  approach 
the  granite  ''shore  lineS' At  the  line  a,the  frag7nents  are  large 
and  unworn.  Farther  out  they  are  more  rounded  and  have 
a  matrix  of  pebbles  and  sand.  Between  the  lities  aa, 
and  bb,  there  isabelt^that,  although  probably  Sedimentary 
can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  the  true  granite. 


Fig.  2. 


I 


Thickening  of  Sedimentary  beds  along  the  **  Shore 
line"as  seen  near  Manitou. 


-J 


Fio.  1.— Cross- BBDMMa  Liokitic  Sindstokes,  nbar  Cor^- 
RADO  Sprinoo. 


HATDBK.1    GEOLOGY  OP  COLOBADO  SPRINGS  AND  PLEASANT  PARK.       41 

extent  on  both  sides  of  the  eastern  ranges  that  front  the  plains,  from 
the  northern  to  the  southern  boandary  of  the  United  States,  and  how 
mach  farther  I  do  not  know.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  thej  extend 
far  north  into  the  British  Provinces  and  far  south  into  Mexico.  This 
belt  is  ver^'  varied  in  its  character  from  point  to  point,  sometimes  ex- 
pands to  a  width  of  several  miles,  and  again  contracts  to  a  fourth  or 
half  a  mile  in  width.  Sometimes  a  full  series  of  the  formations  known 
in  the  west,  from  the  older  Silurian  to  the  most  modern  Tertiary,  are 
clearly  exposed,  inclining  at  various  angles;  and  then  again  only  the 
more  modern  beds  can  be  seen.  It  is  on  this  account  that  the  geology, 
though  appearing  so  very  simple  in  its  character,  is  really  quite  com- 
plex when  examined  in  detail. 

Up  to  this  time  we  have  determined  the  existence,  in  this  belt  in 
Colorado,  of  the  Silurian,  Carboniferous,  Triassic,(f)  Jurassic,  Cretaceous, 
and  Tertiary  groups;  yet,  while  the  more  modern  formations  are  very 
persistent  throughout  the  entire  distance  from  the  north  to  the  south 
line,  some  of  the  older  beds  are  wanting  in  many  places.  To  the  far 
north,  along  the  margins  of  the  Black  Hills,  Big  Horn,  and  Wind  Kiver 
Mountains,  the  Potsdam  sandstones,  with  perhaps  more  modern  divis- 
ions of  the  Silurian,  are  well  exposed  and  quite  continuous,  while  to  the 
southward  these  rocks  disappear,  except  at  restricted  localities.  We 
find  near  Colorado  Springs  and  Canon  City  quite  large  exposures  of 
Silurian  beds,  with  a  few  fossils  that  are  allied  to  those  of  the  Calcifer- 
oas  group  of  the  Lower  Silurian  of  New  York.  In  the  interval,  from 
Fort  Laramie  to  Colorado  Springs,  a  distance  of  over  200  miles,  no  one 
connected  with  the  survey  under  my  charge  has  yet  detected  luiy  trace 
of  these  beds.  It  is  possible  that  in  Pleasant  Park,  about  50  miles  south 
of  Denver,  there  are  traces  of  this  formation  in  the  variegated  sand- 
stones that  lie  next  to  the  granites,  as  shown  in  the  section.  At  Color- 
ado Spiings,  and  in  the  vicinity,  there  is  a  considerable  thickness  of  the 
Silorian  beds,  which  have  been  frequently  described.  The  reddish- 
brown,  rather  coarse  sandstones  at  the  base,  rest  upon  stratified  grani- 
toid or  gneissic  rocks  unconformably,  as  shown  in  the  illustration  (PI.  YI, 
Fig.  2).  Above  the  sandstones  there  are  600  to  800  leet  of  yellowish 
limestone,  which,  in  some  instances,  is  a  reddish  color,  in  which  have 
been  found  several  species  of  invertebrate  Silurian  fossils.  South  of  the 
valley  of  Fountain  Creek  the  uplifted  belt  rapidly  closes  up  to  the  base 
of  the  mountains,  and  for  some  distance  no  beds  older  than  the  Creta- 
ceous are  visible.  From  Fountain  Creek  to  Canon  City  this  belt  ex- 
pands and  contracts  from  time  to  time,  so  that  it  is  quite  possible  that 
small  isolated  patches  of  the  Silurian  group  may  appear  in  a  few  places. 
At  Canon  City,  and  resting  for  the  most  part  on  the  mountain-sides,  in- 
etining  at  a  high  angle,  there  is  an  extensive  thickness  of  these  older 
beds  again.  The  lower  portion  is  a  variegated  micaceous,  slightly  cal- 
careous, sandstone,  closely  resembling,  in  texture  and  composition,  the 
Potsdam  sandstone  as  seen  in  other  localities  further  to  the  north. 
Some  tolerably  well-defined  fossils  were  discovered  in  the  sandstone 
which  rests  directly  on  the  granitic  rocks,  which  Mr.  Meek  has  pro- 
noQDced  of  undoubted  Lower  Silurian  age,  but  they  have  not  yet  been 
described.  This  sandstone  passes  up  into  a  hard  and  rather  massive 
limestone,  evidently  the  same  as  that  noted  at  Colorado  Springs. 

We  cannot  say  more  at  present  in  regard  to  rocks  of  this  age,  than 
to  state  our  belief  that  they  underlie  the  entire  country  along  the  east- 
9TU  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  from  our  northern  boundary  to  New 
Mexico,  and  that,  where  they  are  not  visible,  they  may  possibly  be  con- 
cealed by  tho  overlying  and  more  modem  beds. 


42  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY   OF   THE   TEBBITOKIES. 

THE  carboniferous' GBOTJP. 

The  GarboDiferons  g^oap  is  a  little  more  persistent,  and  yet  tbis  seems 
to  be  wanting  over  extended  intervals,  unless  a  portion  of  what  have 
been  called  the  Bed  Beds  is  of  this  age.  This  group  is  exten- 
sively exposed  along  the  flanks  of  the  mountains,  100  to  150  miles 
north  of  Cheyenne,  as  was  shown  in  the  annual  report  of  1870.  It 
seems,  however,  to  diminish  somewhat  in  force,  and  to  contain 
comparatively  few  fossils  in  its  southern  extension,  until  we  reach 
Canon  City.  From  thence  southward  into  New  Mexico  it  increases 
again  in  thickness  and  importance,  and  yields  an  abundant  supply  of 
its  characteristic  fossils.  I  have  no  positive  information  of  the  dis- 
covery of  any  well-marked  Carboniferous  fossils  from  the  line  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Eailroad  to  the  vicinity  of  Canon  City,  although  strata 
supposed  to  be  of  that  age  are  exposed  in  a  few  localities.  On  the 
small  map  of  ^'Colorado  Springs  and  vicinity,"  a  light  band  will  be 
seen  between  the  Silurian  on  the  west  and  the  Bed  Beds  or  Triassic  on 
the  east,  which  represents  a  peculiar  group  of  strata  not  observed  else- 
where on  the  eastern  slope,  but  resembling  v6ry  closely  a  series  of  varie- 
gated beds,  described  by  Dr.  Peale,  in  the  annual  report  for  1873,  in 
the  valley  of  Eagle  Biver,  which  yielded  well-marked  Carboniferous 
types.  This  group  of  strata  is  composed  of  variegated  beds  of  sand- 
stones of  various  textures,  alternately  with  layers  of  arenaceous  clay. 
The  entire  thickness  was  estimated  at  about  1,000  feet.  It  is  most 
probable  that  these  beds  are  of  Carboniferous  age. 

From  Colorado  Springs  the  Carboniferous  group  is  not  conspicaons 
at  any  locality,  and  for  a  great  portion  of  the  way  is  not  seen  at  all,  but 
at  Canon  City  and  Wet  Mountain  Valley  the  limestones  and  sandstones 
contain  numerous  fossils,  both  animal  and  vegetable.  From  the  Wet 
Mountain  Valley,  which  is  but  a  short  distance  south  of  Canon  City, 
Mr.  B.  N.  Clark  collected  specimens  of  vegetable  remains  from  the  Car- 
boniferous beds,  which  were  submitted  to  Professor  Lesquereux.  He 
detected  Sti^ariafucoides,  Brgt.,  showing  scars  of  surface  with  stems 
and  leaves  attached ;  mold  of  the  internal  surface  of  the  cylinder  of  a 
Calumites  ;  small  specimens  ot  a  new  species  of  GordaiteSy  resembling  by 
its  nervation  Vordaites  prifidpalis.  An  abundance  of  invertebrate  fos- 
sils have  been  discovered  in  this  group  which  have  not  yet  been  studied. 

THE  BED  BEDS  OB  TRIASSIC  OROUP. 

The  Bed  Beds  or  Triassic  group  is  very  persistent,  and  if  absent  at  all, 
only  at  very  short  intervals.  No  organic  remains  have  yet  been  found 
in  this  group  by  the  members  of  the  survey  under  my  charge,  yet,  for 
various  reasons,  we  have  assumed  the  red  sandstones  to  be  of  Triassic 
age.  It  is  barely  possible  that  a  portion  or  all  of  the  group  is  of  Juras- 
sic age.  Yet  Professor  Cope  is  of  the  opinion  that  he  has  discovered 
evidence  in  New  Mexico  of  its  Triassic  age.  The  history  of  this  group 
is  still  obscure,  and  remains  as  one  of  the  problems  to  be  solv^  by 
more  extended  and  more  thorough  explorations.  Geographically,  it  is 
one  of  the  most  widely  distributed  formations  in  the  West.  From  the 
northern  boundary  to  the  southern  line  and  east  of  the  Wasatch  range 
in  Utah,  this  red  formation  makes  its  appearance  wherever  a  mountain- 
range  is  elevated  so  as  to  expose  the  various  sedimentary  groups.  The 
evidence  indicates  that  it  extends  without  any  important  interruption 
over  the  broad  area  as  defined  above.  This  group  is  generally  admitted 
to  be  in  part,  or  entirely,  of  Triassic  age,  and  I  have  always  so  regarded 


?5  3 


#11 


.''U'  •>. 


■■'  -"  *•  >.- 


if  •  \ 


/■ 


t 


! 


Sandstoneh, 


KATDMH.]  CURIOUSLY-ERODED    SANDSTONES.  43 

it,  since  my  first  examination  of  it,  nearly  twenty  years  ago,  yet  more 
direct  proof  mast  be  brought  to  bear  before  long  in  some  portion  of  our 
continent.    These  red  sandstones  have  always  attracted  much  attention 
wherever  noticed,  on  account  of  their  peculiar  color,  but  nowhere  have  I 
ever  observed  them  performing  such  a  conspicuous  part  in  giving  form 
to  the  scenery  of  the  country,  as  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Bocky 
Mountains  in  Colorado.    This  feature  is  more  marked  from  a  point  about 
fifty  miles  north  of  Denver  to  Golorado  Springs,  than  in  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  continent.    Along  this  belt  the  sandstones  are  more  compact, 
with  every  variety  of  red,  from  a  pale  dull  tint  to  a  deep  purple  color. 
There  is  also  every  variety  of  texture,  from  a  rather  coarse  conglomerate 
to  a  fine  sandstone.    It  varies  much  in  thickness,  ranging  from  400  to 
2,000  feet.    Its  greatest  thickness  south  of  Platte  Canon  is  in  Pleasant 
Park  and  in  the  '^Garden  of  the  Gods,"  at  Manitou.   At  Pleasant  Park, 
according  to  Dr.  Peale,  the  aggregate  thickness  of  the  Red  Beds  is  about 
2,000  feet.    This  series  of  beds  is  well  shown  in  the  pictorial  section. 
These  sandstones  have  been  elevated  at  various  angles  varying  from  20^ 
to  a  vertical  position.    In  the  vicinity  of  the  Manitou  Springs,  in  what 
is  usually  called  the  ^^  Garden  of  the  Gods,"  the  same  variation  is  seen, 
but  in  many  instances  the  beds  are  very  massive,  thick,  and  stand  in  a 
nearly  vertical  position.    In  Plates  VIII  and  IX  we  can  see  the  massive 
sandstones,  which  have  been  weathered  into  the  most  fantastic  shapes, 
standing  up  in  immense  walls  or  columns  50  to  250  feet  in  height. 
Plate  VIII  represents  what  is  called  the  gate  or  entrance  to  the  ^^  Garden 
of  the  Gods."    In  the  foreground  is  seen  the  massive  wall  of  red  sand- 
stone rising  on  either  side  of  the  opening  to  the  height  of  100  to  150 
feet.    The  wall  was  originally  continuous,  but  has  been  worn  through  by 
erosion.     Whatever  may  have  been  the  agents  which  in  times  past 
have  wrought  oiit  all  these  remarkable  forms,  it  is  piain  that  they  have 
acted  in  former  times  with  far  more  intensity  than  at  present.    In  the 
background,  through  the  opening,  may  be  seen  the  snow-capped  sum- 
mits of  Pike's  Peak,  rising  to  a  height  of  14,147  feet  above  sea-level. 
Plate  IX  gives  an  example  of  what  might  be  called  a  magnificent  mono- 
lith.   It  is  an  immense  column  of  bright-red  Triassic  (f )  sandstone  rising 
to  a  height  of  250  feet  above  the  general  level,  a  portion  of  a  massive 
stratum  elevated  to  a  vertical  position,  and  the  contiguous  portions 
eroded  away.    Figure  1,  plate  IX,  illustrates  the  singular  columns  which 
stand  at  the  entrance  of  the  <' Little  Garden  of  the  Gods,"  or,  as  it  is  now 
called,  '^  Glen  Eyerie."    On  account  of  the  peculiar  forms  which  these  red 
sandstones  havereceived  from  the  eroding  agents  of  nature,  this  locality 
will  always  remain  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  Colorado.     * 

The  more  careful  study  of  the  relations  of  these  sandstones  to  the 
underlying  rocks,  has  thrown  much  light  on  the  physical  history  of 
this  region.  My  own  observations,  farther  to  the  northward,  led  me  to 
the  belief  that  the  great  upHft  of  the  mountain-ranges,  though  imper- 
ceptibly slow,  was  an  unit  in  its  action;  or,  in  other  words,  that  the 
changes  in  the  position  of  all  the  groups  were  brought  about  by  the 
same  cause  and  at  the  same  time.  There  could  not  be  a  strict  conform- 
ity in  the  sedimentary  groups,  inasmuch  as  entire  groups  are  wanting, 
and  in  some  cases  only  fragments  of  others  are  remaining.  But  I  have 
hitherto  supposed  that  the  elevation  of  all  the  sedimentary  strata  along 
the  base  of  the  mountains  was  a  comparatively  modern  event.  We  now 
have  the  evidence,  from  the  texture  of  these  red  beds  and  their  position 
on  the  underlying  granitic  rocks,  that  the  Front  Range,  during  the 
supposed  Triassic  period,  formed  a  vast  shore-line,  and  that  the  sedi- 
ments of  the  Bed  Beds  were' deposited  on  the  base  against  the  sides  of 


V 


44 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEEBITORIES. 


the  granitic  range.    In  the  annual  report  for  1873  the  fact  wai 
that  the  Bed  Beds,  in  the  form  of  coarse  conglomerates,  filled 
uneven  surface  of  the  granitic  rocks  below.     South  of  Mani 
find  an  enormous  thickness  of  very  coarse  conglomerates,  cements 
rather  fine  sands,  jutting  up  against  the  mountainsides,  showing 
that,  although  elevated  and  disturbed  to  a  certain  extent  siD< 
deposition,  they  were  laid  down  along  the  base  of  the  Front  Bai 
shoreline,  and  that  there  must  have  been  a  period  of  compare 
pose.    When  these  sandstones,  near  the  base  of  the  mountains,  ai 
to  be  made  up  of  conglomerates,  they  are  observed  to  be  very 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  granites,  but  becoming  finer  ai 
sandstones  as  they  extend  eastward  into  the  plains.    There  shoal 
fore  be  some  nonconformity  between  the  Triassic  and  the  Carboi 
and  Silurian  groups  below,  for  both  of  the  latter  extend  high  npi 
flanks  of  the  mountains  on  either  side,  sometimes  occurring  on  tF 
mits  of  the  lower  ranges.    The  section  in  Plate  VII  would  indicat 
thing  of  this  sort,  for  we  find  the  Silurian  and  Carboniferous  iui 
20O  and  45°,  while  the  Triassic  dips  90^,  or  is  very  near  a  vertical 
diagram  also  shows  how  the  Silurian  beds  lie  high  up  on  the 
flanks  of  the  mountains.    The  elevatory  force  seems  to  have  act( 
ticall}',  bending  the  overlying  sedimentary  strata  like  metallic  sh< 
that  within  a  few  yards  of  the  nearly  vertical  beds  the  same  an 
zontal  or  nearly  so.    This  will  explain  very  clearly  the  abruptnei 
which  the  mountains  seem  to  rise  out  of  the  plains  to  the  trav< 
preaching  them  from  the  east. 

The  beautiful  pictorial  section  of  Pleasant  Park  may  need  a  w( 
explanation  here.  The  dotted  line  a  a  shows  that  all  the  eleval 
tion  in  the  rear  or  west  of  it  is  composed  of  granitic  rocks.  The 
line  in  the  foreground,  h  A,  shows  the  junction  of  the  Lignitic 
to  the  true  Cretaceous  beds  which  here  rise  up  in  a  very  narrow 
from  beneath  the  Monument  Creek  group.  It  is  exposed  by  the; 
ing  away  of  the  Monument  Creek  beds.  The  letter  t  indicai 
usual  form  and  isolated  character  of  the  numerous  bnttes  that  ar4 
tered  over  the  plains  here  for  a  considerable  distance  east  of  the 
ains.  The  strata  are  nearly  horizontal,  the  summits  are  flat, 
shaped,  and  are  not  unfrequently  capped  with  trachyte.  Betwe< 
dotted  lines  the  Carboniferous,  Bed  Beds  (Triassic),  Jurassic,  an< 
taceous  groups  are  exposed.  The  manner  of  inclination  and  tlie 
tion  of  these  groups  to  the  granitic  range,'  as  well  as  to  each  oti 
made  clear  by  the  section. 

THE  JXTRABSIC. 


This  formation  has  already  been  described  in  so  much  detail  in 
vions  reports,  that  I  shall  mention  it  very  briefly  in  this  couDe< 
Far  to  the  north  this  group  holds  a  prominent  position,  not  only  oi 
count  of  its  aggregate  thickness,  but  also  from  the  abundance 
variety  of  its  organic  remains.    South  of  the  Union  Pacific  Bailroa< 
Colorado,  it  is  confined  to  a  very  narrow  belt,  with  very  few  if  an; 
sils  to  establish  its  age.    That  it  extends  most  persistently  far  s( 
ward  into  New  Mexico,  there  cannot  be  a  doubt.    The  narrow  belt 
it  occupies  is  well  shown  in  the  small  max)  ^^  Colorado  Springs  am 
cinity.    North  of  the  Pacific  Bailroad,  along  the  base  of  the  front  n 
of  mountains,  it  increases  in  thickness  and  is  full  of  characteristic 
sils.    In  the  annual  report  for  1873  and  previous  reports,  the  lithol 
cal  characters  of  all  of  these  groups  have  been  so  fully  discussed  tl 


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nAniKc.l  THE    CRETACEOUS    GROUP.  45 

would  be  mere  repetition  to  refer  to  thein  in  this  report.  The  Jurassic 
group  in  Colorado  has  little  or  no  influence  economically  or  in  giving 
form  to  the  peculiar  scenery. 

THE  CRETACEOUS. 

The  Dakota  group  is  composed  of  massive  beds  of  sandstones  inter- 
sected with  layers  of  clay,  and  forms  some  of  the  most  conspicuous 
ridges  or  '*  hogbacks"  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Front  or  Colorado 
range.  Its  importance,  however,  varies  in  different  localities  as  much 
as  its  texture ;  sometimes  it  is  scarcely  seen  and  then  again  it  forms  one 
or  more  of  the  most  important  ridges.  Its  aggregate  thickness  is 
never  great,  varying  from  200  to  400  feet,  and  may  be  represented  by 
a  very  narrow  belt  on  the  map.  West  of  the  lOOth  meridian  it  has 
yielded  very  few  organic  remains,  although  it  has  a  very  extended  geo- 
graphical range.  It  is  hardly  ever  wanting  along  the  margins  of  the 
monntain  ranges  east  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  in  Utah.  From  its 
structure  in  the  far  West,  I  regard  it  as  a  sort  of  transitional  group  be- 
tween the  well-defined  Cretaceous  group  and  the  Jurassic  below. 

Numbers  2,  3  and  4,  or  the  Fort  Benton,  Niobrara,  and  Fort  Pierre 
divisions,  may  be  regarded  as  one  group,  under  the  name  of  the  Colora- 
do group,  as  adopted  on  Clarence  King's  beautiful  geological  map  of  the 
Green  River  basin.  To  one  who  has  never  studied  these  divisions  in  the 
Northwest,  along  the  Upper  Missouri  River,  there  would  seem  to  be  no 
occasion  for  their  separation.  Having  studied  these  divisions  with 
much  care  in  their  typical  localities,  along  the  Missouri  River  and  in 
Eastern  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  I  found  very  little  difficulty  in  tracing 
tbem  across  the  country  westward  and  southward,  so  far  as  my  explor- 
ations have  extended.  It  is  very  doubtful,  however,  if  any  geologist 
would  have  ever  separated  the  Cretaceous  beds  between  the  Dakota 
and  Fox  Hills  groups  into  divisions,  had  they  been  first  studied 
in  the  interior  of  the  continent.  The  Fox  Hills  group  has  a  very  impor- 
tant influence  on  the  physical  history  of  a  most  important  geological 
period.  It  was  at  the  close  of  this  period  that  one  of  the  most  impor- 
'  tant  biological  changes  occurred  in  geological  history.  So  far  as  we 
know  at  the  present  time,  no  animal-remains,  and  very  few,  if 
any,  vegetable  forms,  passed  above  it.  A  lew  species  of  plants 
probably  began  their  existence  in  the  Upper  Cretaceous  in  the 
Fox  Hills  group  and  continued  on  up  into  the  Liguitic  group, 
where  they  reached  their  highest  point  of  development.  The  gradual 
approach  of  shallow  seas  is  finely  shown  in  the  character  of  the  sedi- 
ments in  the  upper  portion  of  the  Fox  Hills  group.  Not  only  the  shal- 
low seas  but  the  gradual  change  of  salt  to  brackish  and  then  to  purely 
fresh  waters  was  amply  sufficient  to  destroy  all  traces  of  marine  life, 
which  occur  soabundantly  in  the  Fox  Hills  group.  Fig.2,  Plate  IV,  pre- 
sents a  fine  illustration  of  the  remarkable  concretionary  masses  which 
cbaracterize  iu  many  localities  the  upper  portion  of  the  Fox  Hills 
groap  as  it  passes  into  the  brackish-water  strata  of  the  Lignitic  or 
Laramie  group  above.  This  cut,  though  intended  to  illustrate  a  portion 
of  the  Dakota  group  in  Eastern  Kansas,  serves  perfectly  to  explain  to 
the  eye  the  immense  rusty-brown  concretions  which  abound  in  the  mud- 
beds  just  beneath  the  lower  sandstones  of  the  Lignitic  group  at  Canon 
City  and  at  Colorado  Springs,  and  at  other  localities  in  Eastern  Colo- 
rado. These  concretions  are  peculiar  rounded,  regularly  stratified 
masses,  often  merely  resting  upon  the  pedestals  of  the  softer  and 
more  regularly  bedded  sandstones  below.    So  far  as  Colorado  is  con- 


46        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

cerned,  I  have  observed  no  locality  where  there  appeared  to  be  any 
striking  nonconforuiity  between  the  Fox  Hills  groap  and  the  Lignitic 
group  above.  That  there  may  have  been  intervals  of  time,  daring 
which  the  (3retaceoas  sediments  were  not  deposited ;  that  there  may 
have  been  dry  land  over  large  areas,  is  not  impossible,  but  there  could 
have  been  no  great  degree  of  erosion  of  the  surface  of  the  upper  Cre- 
taceous beds.  This  apparent  conformity,  while  in  certain  localities 
the  upper  C'retaceous  beds  received  a  very  much  increased  thickness, 
may  be  due  to  a  tar  more  rapid  deposition.  In  almost  all  cases,  the 
transition  from  the  Fox  Hills  group  to  the  brackish- water  deposits  of 
the  Lignitic  seems  to  have  been  gradual,  with  no  visible  physical  break 
of  importance.  The  great  break  seems  to  be  illustrated  only  in  the 
entire  change  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  life. 

But  the  time  at  my  disposal  will  not  permit  me  to  discuss  here  many 
important  questions  in  this  connection*  For  the  details  of  the  geology 
of  the  Eastern  base  of  the  mountains  in  Colorado,  the  reader  is  referred 
to  the  previous  annual  reports  of  the  survey,  especially  the  one  for  1873. 


FOUATIUN  ov  Okanitk  i\  Kst 


CHAPTER    IV 


Ancirnt  lake  basins. — Glacial  LAKES.-~MoRAiNAL  deposits  in  the  valley  of  thb 
Upper  Arkansas  River  and  along  both  flanks  of  the  Sawatch  Mountains. 

For  Bearly  twenty  years  I  have  written  more  or  less  in  regard  to  the 
ancient  lake-basius  of  the  West,  but  it  was  only  within  a  few  years,  since 
the  facilities  for  traveling  have  so  greatly  increased  that  geologists 
have  foand  that  these  lake-basins  once  oocnpied  the  entire  country 
from  the  Arctic  Circle  to  the  Isthmns  of  Darien.  In  very  many  in- 
stances they  were  merely  expansions  of  river  valleys,  like  the  greater 
namber  of  onr  lake-basins  of  the  present  day.  During  the  early  portion 
of  the  Tertiary  period,  the  western  portion  of  our  continent  was  covered 
with  immense  lakes,  some  of  which  occupied  a  much  larger  area  than 
any  we  are  acquainted  with  at  the  present  time.  During  the  Pliocene 
period,  and  duriog  the  interval  to  the  present  time,  thousands  of  small 
lakes,  with  a  few  of  large  size,  were  distributed  over  the  great  area 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  basins  with  their  peculiar  deposits  are 
found  in  the  parks,  among  the  mountains,  and  along  every  important 
river- valley.  The  gathering  together  of  the  vast  afnount  of  information 
which  is  now  accumulating  on  this  subject  is  a  task  which  will,  at  no 
distant  day,  be  productive  of  most  interesting  results. 

I  have  made  these  few  remarks  to  introduce  what  I  may  have  to  say 
in  regard  to  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Arkansas  Biver. 

The  Arkansas  Hiver  rises  in  the  Tennessee  Pass,  nearly  west  of  Mount 
Lincoln,  in  latitude  39^  2V  and  longitude  106^  19',  and  flows  a  little  east 
of  south  for  a  distance  of  about  80  miles  in  a  straight  line,  when  it  flexes 
to  the  east,  and  flows  through  a  deep  canon  in  the  granite,  and  emerges 
into  the  plains  near  CaOon  City.  Near  the  sources  of  the  river  are  several 
expansions  of  the  valley  from  one  to  two  miles  in  width,  oval-shaped, 
and  covered  with  a  deposit  of  drift-material.  Near  the  junction  of  the 
east  branch  of  the  Arkansas  the  valley,  with  the  terraces  on  either 
side,  continues  pretty  regularly  about  Ave  to  eight  miles  in  width,  but 
gradually  closes  up  again  below  Lake  Greek,  though  on  either  side  are 
vast  deposits  of  the  coarse  drift-material  extending  high  up  on  the 
mountain-aides,  especially  on  the  west  side  of  the  valley.  The  valley 
then  gradually  expands  out  and  enlarges  about  five  to  ten  miles  in  width 
for  a  distance  of  nearly  40  miles.  In  the  annual  report  for  1873  I 
have  expressed  my  belief  that  this  valley  began  in  a  monoclinal  inter- 
val, with  the  great  Sawatch  range  on  the  west  side  forming  the  crest  of 
the  continental  water-shed,  and  the  Park  range  on  the  east,  which, 
with  its  sedimentary  rocks  and  granite  basis,  formed  the  east  side  of  a 
grand  anticlinal,  the  aggregate  mass  of  rocks  inclining  to  the  eastward. 
Onr  observations  over  a  very  extended  area  only  confirmed  the  opinion 
M^pressed  in  our  last  report,  that  the  great  Sawatch  range  formed  the 
central  portion  of  a  gigantic  anticlinal.  The  west  side  of  the  Park 
range  is,  for  the  most  part,  very  abrupt,  and  for  long  distances  the 
gneissic  rocks  show  very  clearly  the  direction  of  the  dip.  On  the  east 
side  the  sedimentary  rocks  dip  down  under  the  surface  of  the  South 

•   47 


I 


"T*- 


;|i 


48        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Park.    On  the  west  side  of  the  Sawatch  range  we  have  the  valley  of 

the  Gnnuison,  and  west  of  that  the  sedimentary  rocks  incline  to  the 

westward,  unless  disturbed  by  some  center  force,  for  the  Elk  Mountains. 

On  either  side  of  the  valley  small  streams  flow  into  the  main  chaiinel 

-  «  of  the  Arkansas  from  the  source  to  Canon  City.    These  streams  usually 

t"--  have  their  origin  at  the  very  crest  or  water-divide  of  the  two  ranges, 

:$r'  and  in  most  instances  have  cut  their  way  through  the  solid  mass  to  the 

-^  1  *  '  m^in  river.    Many  of  these  streams  have  numerous  side-branches  which 

-* '  have  also  carved  out  wonderful  gorges  near  the  crest  of  the  mountains, 

t^  ^  giving  to  these  mountain  ranges  a  ruggedness  that  is  almost  inconceiv- 

.  >  able  to  one  who  has  not  actually  explored  them.    It  is  in  the  study  of 

t '4  these  gorges  that  the  geologist  learns  to  appreciate  the  immense  results 

I '  of  erosion  in  giving  form  to  the  rocky  range  of  the  West.    Even  yet  the 

■■  r  "  power  of  this  force  has  not  been  adequately  understood,  but  the  wider 

i"    ■-  our  range  of  observation,  the  greater  is  our  conception  of  its  power. 

vj*  We  may  safely   assert  that  at  some  period  comparatively  modern, 

..f-;  10,000  or  16,000  feet  of  sedimentary  beds  extended  uninterruptedly 

'  \v^  r-  from  the  South  Park  across  the  interval  now  occupied  by  the  Sawatch 

\i  range,  all  of  which,  but  insignificant  remnants,  have  been  swept  away, 

while  a  mass  of  tbe  granite  nucleus,  of  inconceivable  dimensions,  has 
also  been  removed.  The  general  elevation  of  the  Sawatch  range  for 
60  to  80  miles  is  13,000  to  14,000  feet  above  the  sea  at  this  time,  and  it 
is  highly  probable  that  hundreds  and  perhaps  thousands  of  feet  kave 
been  removed  from  the  summit.  I  find  it  difficult  to  estimate  the 
extent  of  the  erosion  in  this  region,  and  can  only  speak  of  it  in  general 
terms  as  almost  incdnceivable  to  a  finite  mind. 

From  the  nature  of  the  interval  or  valley,  the  greater  number  of 
streams  fiow  into  the  Arkansas  from  the  main  Sawatch  range.  They 
are  quite  numerous  from  the  Tennessee  Pass  to  Canon  City;  a  few  come 
in  from  the  east  side,  but  the  drainage  tends  toward  the  east  or  south- 
east, so  that  the  streams  that  rise  in  the  Park  range  and  flow  into  the 
Arkansas  are  comparatively  few  and  of  little  importance.  The  charac- 
ter of  this  drainage  is  well  shown  on  the  map  accompanying  this  report. 
In  the  last  annual  report  I  dwelt  with  considerable  detail  on  the  effects 
of  glacial  action  in  this  valley,  and,  in  this  report,  I  can  only  describe 
them  in  general  terms,  hoping  that  the  beautiful  maps  and  illustrated 
sketches  by  Mr.  Holmes  will  render  the  story  plain  to  the  reader.  As 
an  illustration  of  the  effects  of  glacial  action  in  this  valley,  Lake  Creek 
might  be  taken  as  an  example.  This  stream  rises  in  several  branches  at 
the  very  crest  of  the  divide,  forming  vast  amphitheaters.  The  signs  of 
past  glacial  action  are  not  very  evident  about  the  sources  of  their  side- 
branches,  and  they  do  not  reach  higher  than  12,000  or  12,500  feet.  Tbe 
summits  of  the  high  mountains  are  often  covered  with  debris  of  broken 
rocks,  apparently  not  much  worn.  In  some  places  the  tops  of  the  mountains, 
like  Mount  Lincoln  for  example,  are,  with  the  exception  of  the  extreme 
summit,  covered  with  a  thick  covering  of  earth,  filled  with  rocks  more 
or  less  worn.  The  most  conspicuous  signs  of  glacial  action  are  seen 
along  the  sides  of  the  gorges  lower  down  tbe  streams.  In  the  valley  of 
Lake  Creek,  the  sides  of  tbe  gorge  are  worn  smoothly  for  an  elevation 
of  at  least  12,000  feet  or  above  timber-line,  and  from  1,000  to  1,500  fleet 
above  the  bed  of  the  creek.  In  many  places  the  sides  of  the  gorge  or 
*  canon  are  worn  so  smooth  that  the  surface  has  the  appearance  of 
enamel,  and  a  thin  crust  usually  peels  off,  which  I  have  hitherto  denom- 
inated a  "  glacial  crust."  About  four  miles  above  the  Upper  Twin  Lake 
on  the  north  side  of  the  ciinon  there  is  a  round  mass  of  granite 
projecting  from  the  side  300  feet  or  more,  and  1,000  feet  high,  with 


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GLACIAL   ACTION — ^MORAINES. 


49 


roewhat  the  appearance  of  a  bastion  which  has  been  worn  qaite 
ootb.  Id  the  sides  of  it  are  depressions  like  pot-holes,  evidently 
vom  oat  by  the  attrition  of  loose  rocks  against  the  sides  as  the  water 
flowed  andenieath  the  glacier.  There  are  also  points  where  vast  masses 
of  granite  have  been  removed  from  the  sides  of  the  mountain  at  a  great 
height,  giving  to  the  monntainside  the  appearance  of  an  ancient  quarry. 
For  a  distance  of  abont  eight  miles  the  bottom  of  the  valley  will  av- 
erage one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  width,  with  here  and  there  huge  masses  of 
granite  projecting  above  the  general  level,  showing  very  clearly  that  the 
entire  valley  has  been  carved  out  of  the  solid  granitic  mass.  The  loose 
iBorainal  deposits  are  not  conspipuons  until  we  reach  a  point  abont  two 
miles  above  the  Upper  Twin  Lake,  where  the  valley  expands  out  to  at>out 
a  mile  to  one  and  a  half  miles  in  width.  Here  a  low  swampy  bottom 
commences,  which  was  once,  undoubtedly,  a  portion  of  the  lake.  On 
her  side  are  ridges  of  the  glacial  deposits ;  these  increase  in  size  and 
ix>rtance  as  we  descend  to  the  junction  of  the  creek  with  the  Arkan- 
On  the  south  side  of  the  lower  lake  a  ridge  extends  from  the 
■ountains  down  to  the  Arkansas  Eiver,  perhaps  1,000  feet  high,  just 
SDQtli  of  the  upper  end  of  the  lake,  and  gradually  sloping  down  100  or 
ISO  feet  in  height  above  the  bed  of  the  river.  This  is  a  true  morainal 
fidge,  and  was  doubtless  formed  by  the  crowding  out  on  either  side  of  the 
Isoie  materMs  as  the  great  glacial  mass  moved  down  the  valley  of  Lake 
Cieek.  This  morainal  deposit  undoubtedly  laps  on  to  the  mountain-side 
ID  that  the  nucleus  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  ridges  is  granitic.  The 
^ft  deposits  are  not  generally  more  than  500  to  800  feet  in  thickness, 
and  usually  much  less.  The  granite  crops  out  in  numerous  places  on 
tte  sides  of  the  ridge,  showing  most  clearly  that  the  greater  portion  of 
ils  nucleus  is  granitic ;  it  also  shows  that  the  valley,  with  the  surround- 
kg  terraced  hills,  has  been  worn  down  by  erosion  from  an  elevation 
«  great  perhaps  as  the  loftiest  portion  of  the  main  range.  The  north 
aide  of  Ijake  Creek  is  a  very  irregular  ridge,  full  of  depressions,  .while 
m  the  west  side  of  these  ridges  are  extensive  accumulations  of  rocks 
vore  or  less  worn,  showing  the  direction  of  the  moving  force.  Besides 
fke  vast  lateral  moraines  in  the  valleys  of  the  streams,  there  are  a  great 
nmber  of  what  may  be  called  terminal  moraines,  or  detached  ridges 
tUt  tend  in  various  directions.  Sometimes  they  extend  a  portion  of  the 
iktSLUCB  aeross  the  valley  at  right  angles  to  the  lateral  moraines,  or 
ttey  may  diverge  at  any  angle ;  the  great  quantities  of  loose  material 
ittaohed  to  the  glacier  seems  to  have  been  dropped  in  quite  irregular 
-fN'ms  as  it  moved  down  the  valley.  In  one  instance  the  granite  crops 
fot  at  the  east  end  of  the  Lower  Twin  Lake,  about  the  middle  of  the 
valley,  and  under  such  circumstances  that  the  inference  is  plain  that 
tke  entire  valley  has  been  worn  out  of  the  solid  mass  of  granite.  One 
•f  the  main  objects  of  our  description  of  the  morainal  deposits  is  to 
show  the  extent  of  the  erosion  which  has  taken  place  in  this  region, 
tod  tbese  outcroppings  of  granite  are  the  remnants  that  are  left  as 
iroofs  of  the  magnitude  of  this  work.  From  Mr.  Derry's  house,  on  the 
lorthwest  corner  of  Lower  Twin  Lake,  we  have  perhaps  as  good  a 
|pnen»l  view  of  this  valley  and  its  surroundings  as  we  can  find.  As 
Ve  look  to  the  sonth  of  west  we  see  two  I'ront  i)eaks,  which  are 
Aaped  like  cones,  rising  up  to  the  height  of  12,500  to  15,000  feet. 
i  little  to  the  southeast  is  an  unnamed  cone,  with  a  broader  sum- 
it,  rising  above  timber-line.  Although  these  points  or  peaks  ap- 
ir  to  to  independent,  yet  they  are  really  portions  of  spurs  or 
gea  extending  down  from  the  main  peak,  which  extends  further 
the  west  and  forms  a  part  of  the  crest  of  the  range,  to  which  we 

4  H 


It 


50        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

have  given  the  name  of  La  Plata,  14,302  feet  above  the  sea.    As 
look  in  this  direction,  bare,  brown,  granite  masses,  rising  above  timbe 
line,  meet  our  eyes,  with  here  and  there  a  few  patches  of  snowtobre 
the  monotony  or  contrast  with  tlie  desolate  somber  hue  of  the  grani 
debris.    Deep  furrows  extend  down  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  the  chait 
nels  for  untold  ages  of  ice,  snow,  and  water,  the  agents  which  have  bra*| 
ken  down  these  rocky  masses  and  sculptured  the  forms  which  now 
much  excite  our  admiration.    We  see  also  the  smoothly-worn  sides 
the  mountain  covered  with  a  sort  of  enamel-like  crust,  as  a  mark  of  the 
glacial  power.    On  the  sides  of  the  peaks,  at  different  elevations,  are  nu- 
merous small  green  lakes,  sometimes  with  a  visible  outlet  and  some- 
times without,  reservoirs  of  the  melting  snows.    The  pines  are  oftei 
dead  from  the  autumnal  fires  that  have  run  through,  adding  to  the  deso- 
lation of  the  scene ;  these  falling  down  in  every  direction  render  travel- 
ing almost  impossible.    Sometimes  no  vegetation  takes  the  place  of  the 
pines  after  the  fires  have  passed  through  them,  but  not  unfreqnently 
the  quaking-asp  poplar,  with  its  bright  green  leaves  in  summer  and  yel- 
low in  autumn,  grow  very  densely,  contrasting  most  charmingly  with 
the  somber  green  of  the  living  pines,  and  the  somber  brown  or  gray  of 
the  dead.    Down  in  the  valley,  and  closed  in  on  either  side  by  mount- 
ains and  the  morainal  ridges  or  hills,  are  the  two  beautiful  lakes,  which 
are  laid  down  on  maps  as  Twin  Lakes,  the  basins  of  which  were  no 
doubt  formed  by  glacial  action.    If  the  reader  will  examine  the  map 
accompanying  the  report  he  will  see  more  clearly  than  we  can  describe  ia  | 
words  the  location  of  the  beautiful  lakes,  the  morainal  ridges  and  mouu^ ! 
ains  that  hem  them  in  :  the  contour  lines  are  not  intended  to  indicate 
elevation,  but  are  used  to  show  the  surface  forms.    As  there  are  really  but 
two  forms,  granite  and  morainal  drift,  but  one  color  is  needed,  and  with 
this  we  have  endeavored  to  separate  the  surface  covered  with   the 
morainal  deposit  from  the  granite.    The  map  will  also  show  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  lakes  abo^e  the  sea,  9,182  feet;  also  the  elevation  at  the 
junction  of  the  Lake  Fork  and  the  Arkans;}s,  9,096  feet.    The  depths  <k 
the  lakes  are  shown  by  actual  soundings.    The  greatest  depth  of  the 
upper  lake  is  79  feet,  and  that  of  the  lower  75  feet.    It  will  be  seeu 
that  the  greatest  depth  of  the  lower  lake  is  near  the  upper  end.     We 
may  thus  see  by  the  depth  of  these  lake-basins,  as  well  as  their  shape 
and  morainal  deposits  around  them,  that  the  force  that  produced  them 
all  moved  slowly  down  from  the  mountain-range,  and  that  the  lake-ba^iiis 
are  scooped  out  of  the  solid  granite  rocks.    From  the  lower  lake  to  the 
Arkansas  Biver  the  morainal  deposits  are  very  thick ;  the  surface  u 
covered  with  bowlders  more  or  less,  and  of  greater  or  less  size,  some 
small,  others  from  20  to  50  feet  in  diameter.    Hundreds  of  mouuds, 
ridges,  and  curious  depressions,  of  ^all  shapes  and  sizes,  impede  the 
traveler.    The  placer-mining  has  been  very  extensive  here,  and  by  thia 
means  we  arrive  at  the  true  character  of  this  glacial  drift.    It  is  com- 
posed mostly  of  rounded  bowlders,  but  mingled  with  it  is  a  kind  of  light* 
colored  clay  and  sand.    Thedecomposition  of  the  feldspar  has  produced  $ 
kind  of  clay,  which  sometimes  gathers  into  localities  forming  a  cousick^ 
erable  thickness. 

The  description  of  the  glacial  action  in  the  valley  of  this  branch  d[ 
the  Arkansas  will  apply  to  the  others,  and  presents  a  general  view  of  th 
detailed  action  in  the  entire  valley.    The  history  of  this  valley  from  th 
beginning  may  be  in  some  points  obscure,  but,  as  I  have  stated  in 
former  report,  I  regard  it  as  largely  due  to  erosion.    In  the  process  c 
elevation  a  fissure  or  fissures  must  have  been  formed,  and  in  these  tl 
process  of  erosion  commenced,  continuing  through  a  vast  period  of  tiiii< 


MATVEx.]  MORAINAL   DEPOSITS.  51 

aod  operatiug  with  greater  or  less  effect  at  dififerent  portions  of  that 
period.     So  far  as  tbe  drift-deposits  are  concerDed,  which  at  the  present 
time  seem  to  be  the  only  material  resting  on  the  granite  in  the  valley, 
tbey  are  nudoabtedly  of  comparatively  modern  origin,  not  extending 
back  farther  than  the  Pliocene,  but  the  beginning  of  the  erosion  may 
reach  into  the  past  as  far  as  tbe  Jarassic.    We  have  now  the  evidence 
that  indicates  that  portions  of  these  mountain-ranges  were  elevated 
above  tlie  Jurassic  seas,  and  we  may  suppose  that  the  general  outline 
of  the  surface  continues  on  the  same  plan  up  to  the  present  time.    If 
this  was  true — and  we  have  no  reason  to  believe  the  contrary — the  erosion 
may  have,  and  probably  did  commence  far  back  in  the  past,  and  that 
daring  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  periods  the  area  occupied  by  the 
Sawatch  range  was  elevated  above  the  waters ;  it  is  more  probable, 
however,  that  these  formations  were  deposited  to  a  greater  or  less  ex- 
tent over  this  area,  and  that  they  have  been  entirely  removed  or  ground 
up  with  the  present  drift.    From  the  source  of  the  Arkansas  at  the 
Tennessee  Pass  to  the  canon  above  Canon  City,  the  distance  is  about 
60  miles,  supposing  this  to  be  mainly  a  valley  of  erosion,  area  worn 
away  would  average  about  eight  miles  in  width,  the  depth  could  not  have 
been  less  than  one  mile,  so  that  an  approximate  estimate  can  be  made  of 
the  enormous  amount  of  rock-material  has  been  ground  up  in  the  excava- 
tion of  this  valley.    Up  to  the  time  of  the  great  glacial  period  this  eroded 
material  may  have  been  swept  out  on  to  the  plains  to  assist  in  forming  the 
vast  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  beds  which  we  find  there  at  the  present 
da>.     Geologists  generally  admit  that  about  the  close  of  the  Tertiary 
period,  there  was  an  era  of  intense  cold,  which  they  have  agreed  to  call 
the  glacial  epoch,  and  our  remarks  are  based  on  that  supposition. 
We  believe  that  at  one  period  this  entire  valley,  with  all  the  side-valleys 
or  canons,  was  occupied  with  one  vast  glacier,  diminishing  and  in- 
creasing as  the  temperature  was  higher  or  lower,  but  gradually  moving 
down;  that  is,  the  main  mass  moving  southward,  and  the  side-branches 
moving  toward  the  central  mass.    As  the  sides  of  the  mountains  are 
worn  smoothly  and  exhibit  signs  of  glacial  action  to  the  height  of  at 
least  1,500  feet  above  the  valley,  we  may  arrive  at  an  approximate 
estimate  of  tbe  thickness  of  tbe  glacier.    The  fissures  of  the  Arkansas 
and  its  branches  may  not  have  been  nearly  as  large  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  glacial  period  as  at  the  present  time,  and  the  great  glacier 
may  have  performed  the  work  of  erosion  for  ages,  and  gradually  melt- 
ing by  a  change  of  temperature  to  the  mild  climate  of  the  present  time, 
left  the  numerous  mounds,  ridges,  and  other  morainal  deposits  which 
we  find  so  extensive  in  this  valley,  and  in  many  other  portions  of  the 
Bocky  Mountain  region.    I  have  spoken  of  this  great  ice-mass  as  a 
single  glacier;  there  may  have  been  a  single  one  increasing  and  dimin- 
ishing through  ages  with  tbe  changes  of  temperature  at  different  seasons 
or  epochs,  or  there  may  have  been  an  unlimited  number  of  glaciers,  but 
the  glacial  phenomena  as  indicated  by  the  present  surface  of  that 
oonntry  shows  a  long  and  continuous  period  of  action.    I  have  before 
stated  that  I  regarded  the  valley  as  one  great  lake-basin,  commencing 
Bear  the  Tennessee  Pass.    The  valley  expands  out  somewhat  for  the 
Arst  ten  miles,  and  gradually  closes  up  below  the  town  of  Granite  for 
about  four  miles,  when  it  opens  out  again  into  a  broad,  level,  basin-like 
ibrm.    The  bottoms  of  the  main  river,  as  well  as  the  little  branches, 
expose  the  granite  rocks  in  such  a  way  that  we  cannot  well  avoid  the 
conclusion  that  tbey  have  been  worn  "down  to  their  present  position 
from  an  elevation  not  much  inferior  to  the  Sawatch  or  Park  ranges. 
Above  the  Lake  Creek  on  both  sides  of  the  Arkansas  are  well  de- 


52        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEEBITORIES. 

fined  terraces,  which  on  the  east  side  rise  600  feet  above  the  river. 
The  coarser  materials  were  evidently  deposited  in  water,  and  are 
arranged  in  strata  and  appear  not  to  have  been  disturbed  to  any  great 
extent  by  changes  of  level.    On  the  west  side  the  terraces  slope  down 
more  gradually,  and  are  cut  from  west  to  east  by  deep  gorges,  by 
streams  from  the  main  range.    The  valley  itself  extending  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  400  to  600  feet  on  either  side,  is  filled  up  with  more  or  less  coarse 
drift-deposits.     These  vary  much  at  different  points,  sometimes  made 
up  of  huge  bowlders,  inclosed  in  loose  gravel,  sand,  or  clay,  and  again 
a  rather  fine  deposit  of  sand,  gravel,  or  clay,  to  all  appearances  having 
l>een  deposited  in  comparatively  quiet  waters.    At  any  rate  there  were 
at  all  times  portions  of  the  lake  that  were  not  subject  to  great  currents 
or  any  violent  agitation.    On  the  whole,  however,  the  drift-materials 
are  very  loose,  showing  that  the  movements  of  the  water  and  ice  were 
from  north  to  the  southward.     All  over  the  surface  are  scattered  in 
vast  quantities  immense  bowlders  of  granite,  varying  from  a  few  feet  to 
50  feet  in  diameter.    Below  Granite,  for  four  or  five  miles,  the  masses 
of  granite  are  remarkable  for  their  number  and  size,  which  appear  to 
have  been  moved  down  Clear  and  Pine  Greeks.    Along  the  sides  of 
Clear  and  Pine  Greeks  are  high  ridges,  or  lateral  moraines,  which  may 
properly  be  compared  to  huge  railway  embankments,  rising  to  a  height 
of  400  to  800  feet  above  the  valleys  of  the  streams.  Below  the  month  of 
Pine  Creek  the  valley  soon  expands,  and  the  surface  is  covered  with  loose 
bowlders,  while  the  ridges  and  depressions  are  quite  remarkable,  and 
give  it  almost  an  artificial  appearance.    These  basin-like  depressions 
inclosed  by  the  moraines  are  not  unfrequently  filled  with  water,  form- 
ing small  lakes,  often  with  no  visible  outlet.  These  little  basins  of  water 
occupy  different  elevations,  from  the  bottom  terrace  near  the  river  to 
the  point  of  junction  of  the  drift  on  the  mountain-sides,  800  to  1,200 
feet  above  the  riverbed.    As  we  descend  the  river  the  bowlders  dimin- 
ish in  size,  are  more  rounded,  and  the  deposits  of  fine  materials  increase 
in  thickness.    Below  the  mouth  of  Chalk  Greek  the  valley  is  covered 
with  a  series  of  yellow-white  marly  beds,  which  are  cut  up  into  a 
variety  of  singular  forms,  resembling  the  ^^ Bad  Lands"  and  reaching 
an  aggregate  thickness  of  800  to  1,200  feet.    These  were  observed  by 
me  in  1869  and  named  the  ^^Arkansas  marls."    Overlying  these  marls 
there  is  considerable  thickness  of  coarse  drift  which  forms  to  a  great 
extent  the  terraces  which  are  very  marked  for  a  distance  of  30  miles. 
We  can  see,  therefore,  that  the  greater  part  of  the  finer  sediments  were 
transported  to  the  lower  or  south  end  of  the  river-lake,  and  deposited 
in  comparatively  quiet  waters.    While  we  ascend  the  Arkansas  Valley 
toward  the  Tennessee  Pass,  the  proofs  of  great  force  from  the  combined 
action  of  water  and  ice  are  shown  on  a  grand  scale.    It  seems,  too,  that 
while  there  is  a  variety  of  deposits  in  this  valley  resting  upon  the  granites, 
their  history  is  consecutive  and  attributable  to  one  general  cause,  local 
glacial  action,  so  far  as  I  have  yet  observed.   I  repeat  the  same  statement 
which  I  made  years  ago,  that  I  have  observed  no  proof  of  any  wide  ex- 
tended drift-action  like  that  of  the  New  England  States,  but  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains  the  superficial  deposits  are  all  of  local  origin  :  and  the  source 
is  usually  limited  to  the  drainage  of  the  streams  in  wtiich  it  is  found. 
For  example,  although,  as  I  have  stated,  I  believe  that  all  the  marls  and 
coarser  deposits  in  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Arkansas  have  the  same 
origin,  however  different  in  composition,  the  forces  that  produced  them 
are  limited  geographically  to  the  drainage  of  the  Upper  Arkansas.    I 
could  find  no  indications  that  any  fragment  of  rock  had  been  transported 
even  from  so  short  a  distance  as  beyond  the  drainage  west  of  the  Sa- 


H 


MATDBx.l  MORAINAL   DEPOSITS.  63 

watch  or  east  of  the  Park  ranges.  It  is  possible  tbat  a  more  detailed 
stody  of  the  superficial  deposits  of  this  valley  would  afford  reasou 
for  a  separation  iuto  different  periods  so  that  they  might  be  classified, 
bat  my  observations  lead  me  to  place  them  in  one  great  period  extend- 
ing from  the  close  of  the  Pliocene  up  to  the  present  time.  As  is  shown 
by  the  map,  the  drift-deposits  rest  upon  the  granite  directly,  and  no 
sedimentary  beds  of  any  other  age  are  found  in  the  immediate  valley, 
and  these  deposits  in  the  aggregate  do  not  afford  proof  of  any  break  in 
time.  Still  mach  new  matter  could  be  added  to  the  history  of  their 
deposition  if  an  entire  season  could  be  devoted  to  their  study.. 


CHAPTER  V. 


General  VIEW  op  the  geography  and  geology  of  the  Elk  Mountains. — ^Erupttvk 

GRANITES.— BhYOLITES  AND  DYKES. — EROSION  ON  A  GRAND  SCALE. — LoCAL  DKUTT- 
DEPOSITS. 

The  Elk-Mountain  group  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  ranges  in  our 
western  Territories,  and,  so  far  as  my  own  explorations  have  extended, 
is  unique  in  form  and  structure.  For  this  reasofi  a  small  party  was 
organized  in  the  summer  of  1874  under  my  immediate  direction,  with 
Mr.  Holmes  as  assistant  geologist,  and  Mr.  Chittenden  as  topographer, 
for  the  special  study  of  this  curious  and  most  interesting  group.  The 
numerous  sections  and  maps  which  are  given  in  this  report  form  a  por- 
tion of  the  results  of  this  specific  study.  Much  attention  was  given  to 
this  region  the  previous  year,  and  the  results  printed  in  the  annual 
report  for  1873.  As  our  explorations  are  extended  to  the  westward  of 
this  range,  we  hope  to  be  able  to  present  a  more  complete  geological  as 
well  as  topographical  view  of  this  region. 

The  Elk-Mountain  group  lies  immediately  west  of  the  great  Sawatch 
range,  which  forms  the  water-divide  of  the  continent.  It  occupies  an 
area  of  about  800  square  miles,  between  meridians  106<^  45^  and  107<=^  15', 
and  parallels  39°  30'  and  39o. 

The  Sawatch  group  is  one  of  the  loftiest  and  most  symmetrical  ranges 
in  the  West.  It  extends  from  the  Mountain  of  the  Holy  Gross  to  the  north, 
latitude  39°  28',  longitude  106o  28',  southward  to  the  San  Luis  Valley,  a 
distance  of  over  80  miles.  For  this  entire  distance  the  range  literally 
bristles  with  lofty  points,  about  ten  of  which  rise  above  14,000  feet,  anil 
many  more  are  13,000  feet  above  sea-level.  The  uniformity  of  this  great 
mountain-mass  is  a  remarkable  feature.  Standing  on  some  high  peak 
and  glancing  along  its  pointed  summits  from  north  to  south  there  seems 
to  be  comparatively  little  variation  either  in  foroi  or  height.  On  either 
side  of  the  Sawatch  range  there  are  several  somewhat  lower  parallel 
ranges  which  are  undoubtedly  portions  of  an  immense  anticlinal,  of 
which  the  main  granitic  mass  is  the  central  nucleus.  Between  each  of 
the  parallel  portions  of  the  anticlinal  are  valleys  at  intervals  of  greater 
or  less  width.  Immediately  west  of  the  granitic  nucleus  is  the  valley  of 
the  Gunnison,  and  on  the  east,  the  valley  of  the  Upper  Arkansas,  and 
east  and  west  of  them  are  comparatively  low  granitic  ranges  capped 
with  sedimentary  rocks.  Both  the  metamorphic  and  sedimentary  rocks 
incline  at  various  angles  from  the  great  central  mass. 

There  are  here  represented  two  quite  distinct  types  of  mountain  ele- 
vation, though  the  forces  have  influenced  each  other's  results  to  a  greater 
or  less  degree.  The  Sawatch  or  main  range  presents  an  example  of  a 
long-continued,  uniform  movement  upward,  which,  but  for  the  inter- 
vention of  side-forces,  would  have  produced  a  remarkably  symmetrical 
mountain-group  with  the  main  granitic  core  or  central  mass,  and  on 
either  side  parallel  valleys  and  ranges,  each  becoming  lower  and  lower 
until  the  ridges  faded  out  in  the  plains.  The  sedimentary  rocks  would 
have  inclined  at  various  angles  east  and  west  from  either  side,  until 
they  became  horizontal  in  the  plains.    On  the  east  side  of  the  main 

54 


Rkjfolile 


"Crtt.  Shale 
•ShyolUe 


W  ft.  Shale 
JO  A  RhyoiiU 
Shale  . 


A  portion  of  the  £!aat /ace  of  Gothic  Mt.  ehoteinff  the  retatiotu  of 
the  Eniptive  Rockt  to  the  CretaceouB  Shatee. 


',       fc    * 


4    -, 


#    « 


'a^ 


HiraEc.l  GEOLOGY   OP   THE   ELK  MOUNTAINS.  55 

raDge,  in  the  South  Park  range,  the  eruptive  groups  have  thrown  the 
sedimentary  beds  into  the  utmost  confusion,  producing  those  remaj'kable 
£ialts  and  irregularities  which  were  shown  in  the  annual  report  for 
1873.  On  the  west  side,  in  the  Elk  Mountains,  the  confusion  is  still 
greater,  producing  not  only  the  most  remarkable  faults  in  all  the  western 
conntry,  bat  literally  overturning  thousands  of  feet  of  strata.  By  exam- 
ining the  preliminary  map  of  Colorado  in  this  report,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  trend  of  the  Sawatch  range  is  very  nearly  north  and  south,  and  that 
tbe  principal  peaks  from  the  Mountain  of  the  Holy  Cross  at  the  north  to 
Mount  Ouray  to  the  south  lie  along  that  line.  The  trend  of  the  Elk  group, 
tbongh  less  regular,  will  be  seen  to  be  about  northwest  and  south- 
east This  is  a  grand  illustration  of  an  eruptive  range,  and  appears 
also  to  be  an  example  of  a  sudden  violent  or  catastrophic  action.  The  im- 
mense faults,  complete  overturning  of  thousands  of  feet  of  strata,  and  the 
great  number  of  peaks,  all  composed  of  eruptive  rocks,  indicate,  perhaps, 
periodical  and  violent  action  in  contradistinction  to  long-continued  uniform 
movements  of  the  elevatory  forces.  The  sections  and  maps  which  acconj- 
paoy  this  rei)ort  will  doubtless  enable  the  geologist  to  determine  tbe  cor- 
rectness of  our  statements.  The  map  will  show  by  the  colors  the  erup- 
tive points,  where  the  granite  appears  to  have  been  thrust  up,  as  it  were, 
through  the  vast  overlying  crust;  sometimes  a  great  thickness  of 
strata  of  various  ages  is  carried  up  to  the  summits  of  the  peaks,  13,000 
or  14,000  feet  in  elevation  above  the  sea.  Again  we  find,  but  a  few 
jards  away,  the  same  group  of  strata  in  the  bottom  of  the  lowest  val- 
leys, indicating  remarkable  convulsive  movements.  Although  the  Elk 
group  may  be  regarded  as  an  eruptive  range,  it  will  be  seen  by  the  map 
aod  section  that  the  elevatory  forces,  whether  convulsive  or  uniform 
ami  slow,  acted  along  a  well-defined  axis,  thus,  as  a  range,  forming  a  true 
anticlinal. 

We  see,  therefore,  that  the  eruptive  agents  acted  along  a  great  fissure 
Id  the  earth's  crust  as  a  line  of  greatest  weakness,  and  that  this  line 
lK)«se8sed  a  trend  about  northwest  and  southeast.  But  the  peculiar  nature 
of  tbe  forces  produced  the  wonderful  chaos  in  the  position  of  the  sedi- 
mentary beds,  while  the  tendency  of  thesestrata  is  toincline  from  either  side 
oftbe  axis.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  thousandsof  feet  of  strata  which 
have  been  carried  up  to  the  loftiest  points  of  the  axial  ridge  in  nearly  or  • 
quite  a  horizontal  position.  We  may  suppose  that  at  one  period  the  vast 
sedimentaiy  mass  rested  on  a  floor  of  pasty  or  semi-pasty  granite;  that 
the  forces  in  the  interior  were  struggling  to  find  vent,  carried  upward 
the  entire  overlying  mass  of  sedimentary  strata,  and  that  here  and 
there  many  thousands  of  feet  in  thickness  along  the  axial  line  or  ridge 
van  thrust  up  through  tbe  melted  or  serai-melted  granite  in  such 
masses  as  are  shown  on  the  map,  at  Italia,  White  liock.  Snow  Mass,  Capi- 
tolaiid  Soprls  Peaks.  The  map  will  show  that  this  igneous  granite  does 
not  reveal  itself  except  along  this  quite  regular  axial  line.  The  areas 
of  granite  are  greatly  enlarged  by  subsequent  erosive  action,  while 
from  the  axis  numerous  streams  cut  deep  gorges,  1,500  to  3,000  feet  in 
<leptb,  sometimes  far  into  the  underlying  floor  of  igneous  granite, 
boring  this  period  of  revolution,  and  probably  subsequently,  there  were 
igreat  numbers  of  dykes  or  orifices  from  which  issued  the  rhyolites  and 
A^asalts.  Gothic  and  Crested  peaks  are  illustrations  of  the  upthrust  of 
vast  masses  of  rh^olite,  and  numerous  other  quite  long  dykes  will  be 
noticed  on  the  map. 

Plate  XIV  represents  a  portion  of  the  east  face  of  Gothic  Mountain, 
^he  central  mass  of  which  is  rhyolite,  with  only  the  Cretaceous  beds 
lilted  up  around  the  base  and  sides.    This  is  an  excellent  example  of  these 


56        0£OLOGICAL  SUHYEY  OF  THE  TERRITOBIES. 

remarkable  npthiiists  of  iproeons  material,  Tertically  through  the  over- 
IjiDg  sedimeutary  beds.  The  Cretaceous  strata  of  Nos.  3  and  4  extend 
up  OD  the  aides  of  the  peak  about  1,000  feet  above  the  bed  of  East 
River,  with  very  little  inclination,  and  between  the  strata  of  shale  were 
pressed  out  portions  of  the  igneous  material. 

The  illnstmtion,  Plate  XIV,  is  so  clear  that  but  little  space  need  be 
used  in  explanations.  The  shale  all  belongs  to  Cretaceous  formation 
No.  4.  An  examination  of  the  map  and  plate  of  sections  would  indicate 
that  the  aggregate  force  which  elevated  the  Elk  range  acted  vertically 
with  a  tangential  movement  or  shove,  as  it  were,  from  the  northeast  toward 
the  southwest.  There  are  many  faults  of  remarkable  character  on  the 
northeast  side  of  the  axis,  but  no  very  marked  examples  of  the  inversion 
of  strata,  but  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  axis  this  feature  is  shown  in 
a. marked  degree.  Time  will  not  permit  us  to  work  out  in  detail  in  this 
report  the  wonderful  complications  in  the  strata,  which  have  been  pro- 
dnced  by  the  various  elevating  forces  in  this  range.  Much  of  it  was 
brought  out  in  the  various  reports  in  the  annual  report  of  the  survey 
for  1873.  Mr.  Holmes  will  also  introduce  important  details  into  his 
report.  I  shall,  therefore,  at  this  time,  confine  myself  to  a  general  view 
of  the  geology  of  this  range,  which,  with  the  l>eautiful  and  remarkably 
clear  illustrations,  will  be  sufficient  for  the  information  of  the  geologist. 

The  axis  of  the  Elk  range  can  be  easily  traced  on  the  map,  and  the 
axial  section  will  show  the  immense  masses  of  strata  that  were  carried 
high  up  to  the  very  summits  of  the  range. 

At  the  southeast  corner  of  the  map  it  will  be  observed  there  is  a  con- 
siderable area  designated  as  metamorphic  granite.  This  forms  a  part 
of  the  Sawatch  Mountains,  and  may  serve  to  show  the  relations  of  that 
range.  To  the  west  of  it  there  are  narrow  belts,  marked  as  Silurian 
and  Carboniferous.  These  represent  masses  of  strata  that  were  origi- 
nally lifted  up  by  the  Sawatch  range  and  incline  toward  the  west  On 
the  completed  geological  map  of  Colorado,  the  connection  of  thei« 
fragmentary  masses  of  sedimentary  strata  about  the  summits  of  the  high 
granite  mountains  will  be  made  clear.  We  shall  hereafter  attempt  to 
show  by  a  series  of  sections,  not  only  that  the  Triassic,  Jurassic,  and 
Cretaceous  groups  originally  existed  here  in  full  force,  but  that  they 
probably  extended  across  the  area  now  occupied  by  the  Sawatch  range 
and  were  united  with  the  sedimentary  beds  of  the  South  Park  range. 

The  northeastern  slope  of  the  Elk  group  slopes  down  into  the  valley 
of  the  Roaring  Fork,  an  important  branch  of  Grand  Biver.  Here  we 
find  a  large  area  of  the  various  divisions  of  the  Cretaceous  group.  The 
Dakota  group  rests  upon  the  Jurassic,  but  is  not  exposed  to  any  great 
extent,  except  in.the  canons  or  gorges  of  the  streams.  So  far,  therefore, 
as  a  map  is  concerned,  it  cannot  be  represented  except  by  a  very  nar- 
row band,  but  above  it  there  is  from  1,000  to  1,500  feet  of  the  remaining 
portions  of  the  group,  Nos.  2,  3,  4,  and  5,  but  not  as  well  defined  even 
as  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Colorado  or  Front  range.  The  greater 
portion  is  composed  of  black  shaly  clays  with  thick  beds  of  sandstones 
appearing  in  different  positions.  A  few  Cretaceous  fossils  occur,  of  well- 
known  and  common  genera,  as  Amfnonites^  BaculiteSj  and  Inoceramus. 
Very  few  of  the  smaller  forms  were  observed.  This  singular  Cretan 
ceous  area  seems  now  to  form  a  sort  of  basin  with  the  Jurassic  and 
Triassic,  or  Bed  Beds  all  around  it.  Its  peculiar  form  will  be  noticed 
on  the  map.  The  Cretaceous  beds  occupy  very  varied  positions, 
sometimes  high  up  on  the  mountain-sides  nearly  to  the  summits, 
and  then  filling  up  the  lower  valleys.  The  faults  are  without  numr 
beTi  for  in  the  process   of  elevation  the  strata  seem  to  have  been 


N^ 


■ATMH.)  GEOLOGY   OF   THE  ELK  MOUNTAINS.  67 

Iwoken  in  every  direction.  The  aggregate  inclination,  however,  is 
always  to  the  northeast.  This  great  mass  of  Oretaceoas  beds  were 
ioflaenced  by  the  operations  of  two  quite  distinct  elevatory  forces  which 
]irobably  acted  synchronously,  so  far  as  forces  so  different  could  act. 
To  the  eastward  the  long  ridges  of  the  Triassic  and  Carboniferous  Bed 
Beds  extend  down  to  the  west  from  the  axis  of  the  Sawatch  range,  cut 
into  deep  canons,  the  waters  of  which  flow  into  the  Grand  Biver. 
These  Red  Beds  were  elevated  by  the  Sawatch  range,  while  the  Bearing 
Pork  flows  through  a  sort  of  anticlinal  valley  between  the  axis  of  the 
£lk  and  the  Sawatch  Mountains.  These  Cretaceous  beds  form  a  sort  of 
u  island  or  basin  between  these  great  axes,  and  therefore  lie  in  the  syn- 
clinal. It  is  by  means  of  the  more  modem  beds,  as  the  Cretaceous  group, 
that  the  anticlinal  character  of  the  mountain  range  is  more  clearly  seen. 
The  Triassic  and  the  Carboniferous  beds  extend  over  the  axis  of  the 
range,  while  the  granite  nucleus  makes  its  appearance  only  in  limited 
areas,  as  at  Sopris,  Capitol,  Snow  Mass,  and  White  Bock  i)eaks.  Be- 
tween Capitol  and  Sopris  i>eak6  there  is  a  long  distance  where  the  Bed 
fieds  form  the  axial  ridge  entirely,  and  seem  to  hold  for  the  most  part 
a  horizontal  position.  On  the  map  the  Bed  Beds  or  Triassic  and  the 
Carboniferous  groups  are  thrown  together,  from  the  fact  that  we  found 
Tery  great  difficulty  in  separating  them.  Not  only  is  there  no  apparent 
break  in  the  sequence  of  the  strata,  but  they  are  so  mingled  together 
in  the  uplifts  and  overtumings  that  it  would  have  required  more  de- 
tailed study  of  the  range  to  separate  them  entirely  than  we  were  able 
to  givf)  at  that  time.  Co-extensive  with  the  narrow  belt  of  the  Dakota 
^ap,  IS  a  light  band  which  represents  the  Jurassic  group.  Neither  of 
these  formations  is  ever  exposed  over  large  areas,  usually  only  in  out- 
cropping edges  along  the  margins  of  the  mountain,  or  in  the  sides  of  the 
canons.  The  Silurian  group,  so  far  as  it  is  known  in  this  region,  always 
rests  directly  on  the  granites,  whether  igneous  or  metamorphic,  and  is, 
therefore,  confined  mostly  to  an  outcropping  belt  around  the  granite 
areas.  On  the  west  and  southwest  sides  of  the  axis  the  Cretaceous 
groap  appears  again,  extending  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  map.  Its 
relatioDS  to  the  axis  are  such  as  to  show  plainly  that,  like  the  older 
fermations,  it  formerly  extended  in  an  unbroken  mass  across  the  area 
of  the  Elk  range.  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  original  continuity  of 
the  entire  mass  of  the  sedimentary  strata.  North  and  west  of  Sopris 
Peak  the  country  slopes  ofl:  toward  the  Colorado  Biver,  and  the  sur- 
fm  is  gashed  deeply  with  the  gorges  of  the  streams  which  cut  through 
the  Cretaceous  beds,  oftentimes  into  the  older  groups.  The  Cretaceous 
itrata,  however,  predominate. 

In  the  annual  report  for  1873,  the  tremendous  effects  of  erosion,  as 
shown  on  the  west  side  of  the  Elk  Mountains,  were  described  in  detail. 
These  effects  are  displayed  even  on  fk  still  grander  scale  on  the  east  side 
of  the  range.  The  gorges  or  cafions  cut  by  Castle  and  Maroon  Creeks 
and  their  branches,  are  probably  without  a  parallel  for  ruggeduess, 
depth,  and  picturesque  beauty  in  any  portion  of  the  West  The  great 
Tariety  of  colors  of  the  rocks,  the  remarkable  and  unique  forms  of  the 
peaks,'  and  the  extreme  ruggeduess,  all  conspire  to  impress  the  beholder 
with  wonder.  The  illustration,  given  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
Mp,  of  Castle  group  is  a  type  of  the  scenery  at  the  heads  of  these 
streams.  We  here  see  from  3,000  to  5,000  feet  of  stratified  rocks  lifted 
op  vertically  so  that  the  beds  are  horizontal,  or  nearly  so,  presenting  to 
the  eye,  by  the  eroded  forms,  a  wilderness  of  pyramidal  cones  whose 
sammits  rise  to  a  height  of  13,000  and  14,000  feet.  The  sides  of  the 
saiions  are  vertical  or  nearly  so,  displaying  a  continuous  section  of  the 


58        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERBITOBIES. 

Strata  2,500  to  3,000  feet,  composed  of  alternate  beds  of  sandstones  and 
conglomerates  with  thin  layers  of  clay  or  shale. .  These  sandstones  vary 
very  much  in  structure  in  the  same  layer,  from  a  fine-grained  sandstone 
or  quartzite  to  a  rather  coarse  conglomerate.  These  changes  may  occur 
in  different  portions  of  the  same  layer  or  at  different  positions  in  the 
same  group  of  strata.  The  lower  portion  of  the  canon  is  composed  of 
rather  compact  sandstones,  but  toward  the  summit  the  rocks  become  a 
brick-red  and  are  formed  of  rather  loose  sandy  material.  All  the  rocks 
vary  in  color  from  a  dark  dull  purple  to  a  brick-red,  depending  much 
on  the  influence  of  heat.  There  is  a  considerable  degree  of  change  in 
these  rocks  from  heat,  but  only  in  a  few  cases  amounting  to  complete 
metamorphism.  These  massive  walls  and  pyramids  are  often  inter- 
sected with  dikes  which  have  filled  either  vertical  fissures  or  not  un- 
frequently  have  been  thrust  between  strata,  forming  local  beds  of 
rhyolite,  sometimes  of  great  thickness.  The  dividing  ridge  forms  a 
curious  zigzag  line,  often  so  narrow  as  to  be  almost  impassable  to  one 
on  foot. 

Enormous  amphitheaters  have  been  slowly  carved  out  of  the  dividing 
ridge  at  the  head  of  each  little  branch.  Without  speculating  upon  the 
character  of  the  forces  which  were  at  work  here  in  the  far  past,  whether 
they  were  far  more  intense  in  their  action  than  at  present,  we  may  infer 
that  at  this  time  they  operate  exceedingly  slow.  Portions  of  the  divid- 
ing wall  are  falling  all  the  time,  from  the  influence  of  frost  or  water,  and 
in  many  instances  the  amphitheaters  extending  back  over  the  true  di- 
vide, sometimes  even  breaking  through  the  axial  ridge.  Usually  a  vast 
accumulation  of  debris  may  be  found  damming  up  the  gorge  at  various 
distances  from  the  immediate  head  of  the  amphitheater,  thus  giv- 
ing origin  to  a  small  lake,  the  waters  of  which  gradually  soak 
through  the  debris^  and,  coming  out  on  the  lower  side,  gather  into  a 
small  stream.  It  seems  hardly  possible  that  at  the  present  time  there 
are  any  agents  in  existence  that  could  have  transported  this  debris 
down  the  gorge.  It  must  have  required  a  considerable  quantity  of  water, 
with  large  masses  of  snow  or  ice,  for  the  debris  is  often  composed  of 
large  masses  of  rock  that  could  only  have  been  moved  by  floating  ice. 
In  the  valley  of  Roaring  Fork,  the  morainal  deposits  are  remarkable 
for  their  thickness.  The  surface  is  covered  with  huge  bowlders,  some 
angular  and  others  partially  rounded.  The  terraces  are  very  conspicu- 
ous, rising,  in  some  instances,  to  1,000  feet  or  more  above  the  bed  of  the 
stream  and  strewed  over  with  huge  bowlders.  None  of  the  stray  ma- 
terials in  any  of  these  valleys  or  gorges  seem  to  have  been  transported 
a  very  great  distance,  and  never,  under  any  circumstances,  is  there  any 
drift  or  glacial  deposits  from  a  neighboring  drainage;  in  other  words, 
the  loose  material  does  not  pass  from  one  independent  valley  to  another. 
So  it  is  all  over  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  so  far  as  I  have  observed. 
All  the  drift  or  Post-pliocene  deposits  are  local. 

I  regret  that,  for  want  of  time,  this  meager  account  of  so  important 
a  range  of  mountains  must  be  closed.  In  the  final  report,  in  quarto^ 
which  will  accompany  the  atlas  of  maps,  we  hope  to  present  a  more 
caretul  review  of  each  range  of  mountains,  with  their  relations  to  eacli 
other. 

In  this  report  I  have  attempted  to  number  the  plates  In  consecutive 
order,  but  the  sheets  of  sections  and  maps  could  not  be  so  numbered, 
but  will  probably  be  clearly  understood. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


yj 


EEPOET  ON  THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  3SORTHWESTERN  POE- 

TION  OF  THE  ELK  KANGE. 

By  W.  H.  Holmes. 

Dear  Sie  :  In  accordance  with  instructions  received  from  you,  I  con- 
tinued the  geologic  examination  of  the  northwest  portion  of  the  Elk 
MonntainSy  and  beg  leave  to  present  the  following  report: 

When  it  was  found  that,  on  account  of  the  sickness  of  Mr.  Shanks, 
assistant  topographer,  the  main  party  could  not  advance  beyond  Capi- 
tol Greek,  a  small  party,  consisting  of  Mr.  George  B.  Chittenden, 
topographer,  myself,  and  one  packer,  was  detailed  to  continue  the  survey 
around  to  the  northwest. 

It  was  arranged  that  we  should  carry  with  us  provisions  for  fifteen 
days,  and  that  a  supply-party  should  meet  us  on  the  western  side  of  the 
laDge,  near  the  sources  of  East  Eiver,  if  the  main  party  should  not  be 
able  to  reach  that  point  in  time. 

On  the  29th  day  of  August,  we  left  the  main  camp  and  moved  down 
tbe  valley  of  Eoaring  Fork.  A  well-marked  Indian  trail  led  us  through 
a  low,  synclinal  depression,  which  is  separated  from  the  channel  occu- 
l>ied  by  the  river,  by  a  long,  narrow  ridge  or  hog-back.  The  depression 
is  occupied  by  the  Lower  Cretaceous  shales,  and  the  sandstones  of  the 
Dakota  group  form  the  crest  of  the  ridge. 

We  soon  crossed  a  low  divide  and  were  upon  the  southern  branch  of 
Sopris  Creek.  This  stream  heads  near  the  summit  of  the  Elk  range, 
midway  between  Capitol  and  Sopris  peaks,  and  on  reaching  the  deepest 
prt  of  the  dexiressiou,  turns  abruptly  to  the  northwest  and  cuts  ob- 
liqaely  down  through  the  ridge  of  Cretaceous,  Jurassic,  and  Triassic  rocks. 

Tbe  main  Sopris  Creek  is  formed  in  the  snow-filled  amphitheaters 
about  the  eastern  faces  of  Sopris  peak  and  descends  to  the  valley  with 
great  rapidity,  falling  G,000  feet  in  less  than  eight  miles.  It  cuts  its 
wayout  from  the  granite  to  the  Cretaceous  rocks  and  then  descends 
witb  tbe  dip  of  the  beds,  flowing  for  some  time  upon  the  hard  floor  of  the 
Dakota  sandstones.  The  bed  of  the  ereek  is  everywhere  very  shallow, 
and  I  was  unable  to  determine  whether  any  rocks  lower  than  the  Ju- 
rassic were  exposed  or  not.  Dr.  Peale,  who  climbed  Sopris  peak  from 
this  side  in  1873,  states  that  there  is  but  little  exposure  of  the  sedimen- 
tary rocks  along  the  north  and  northeast  faces  of  the  mountain,  on  ac- 
count of  the  great  quantities  of  debris  and  morainal  drift. 

TIIE  KOARINa  FORK  SYNCLINAL. 

Before  passing  on  to  the  description  of  Eock  Creek  and  the  western 
slope,  I  wish  to  take  a  hasty  review  of  the  general  geology  of  the  valley 
of  Roaring  Fork,  and  give,  if  possible,  a  connected  idea  of  its  structure. 
I'bis  valley  is  throughout,  so  far  as  examined,  in  the  trough  of  a  syn- 
<}liiial  fold,  and  its  entire  conformation,  the  course  and  form  of  the  main 
valley  as  well  as  of  all  its  tributaries,  is  undoubtedly  the  result  of  this 

59 


60        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEREITORIEg. 

geologic  condition.  The  depression  is  by  no  means  uniform,  and  the 
movements  of  the  stream-bed  are  quite  eccentric,  making  altogether  a 
very  interesting  study. 

From  the  mouth  of  Maroon  Creek  to  the  mouth  of  Sopris  Creek,  a 
distance  of  some  twelve  miles,  there  is  a  pretty  well  marked  fault,  not 
following  the  line  of  greatest  depression,  but  occurring  along  the  easteni 
slope  from  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  axis  of  the 
fold.  We  thus  have  a  fracture  parallel  with  a  fold,  and  the  two  lines 
seem  to  contend  for  the  privilege  of  accommodating  the  stream-bed. 
Above  Maroon  Creek  (see  map  and  sections)  the  river  flows  in  the  syn- 
clinal ;  near  the  mouth  of  the  same  creek^  it  is  in  the  fault.  Below  this 
it  cuts  through  the  beds  again  and  follows  the  synclinal  for  a  number  ^^ 
miles.  Still  lower  it  turns  again  to  the  right,  into  the  fault,  and  follow^ 
it  all  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  isolated  ridge  mentioned  at  the  out- 
set. Leaving  this  again  below  the  month  of  Sopris  Creek,  it  continues 
iu  the  fold,  while  the  fault  probably  dies  away.  The  dislocation,  if  any, 
of  the  beds,  as  exposed  on  opposite  sides  of  the  stream,  is  so  slight  that 
it  seems  quite  impossible  to  determine  this  point.  The  downthrow  is 
generally  on  the  west,  and  does  not  amount  in  jany  case  to  more  than 
3,000  feet.  In  two  localities  along  the  faalt,  there  have  been  outflows 
of  lava.  These  were  observed  by  Dr.  Peale,  in  1873,  and  are  located, 
the  lower  one,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Sopris  Creek,  where  it  cat)salarge 
rounded  bntte,  (see  general  map.)  The  other  is  on  the  same  side  of  the 
river,  some  five  miles  farther  up.  The  lava  appears  to  be  basaltic,  and 
has  quantities  of  cinder  and  ashes  associated  with  it  It  caps  an  Im- 
portant butte  near  the  river-bank,  forms  an  escarpment  some  100  feet  in 
height,  and  covers  an  area  of  scarcely  more  than  half  a  square  mile. 
Section  C  of  the  large  sheet  cuts  this  butte,  and  shows  at  the  same 
time  a  most  remarkable  displacement,  the  edges  of  the  strata  on  botli 
sides  of  the  fault  being  turned  abruptly  up,  and  therefore  dipping 
from  the  plane  of  the  fault,  both  toward  the  upthrow  and  the  down- 
throw. The  beds  on  the  west  side  are  depressed  so  that  the  Lower 
Cretaceous  rocks  seem  to  face  the  Upper  Carboniferous  of  the  east  side. 
The  upturned  edges  were  apparently  leveled  off  before  the  flow  of 
lava  took  place.  At  the  mouth  of  Maroon  Creek  the  depression  of 
the  west  side  has  been  much  greater,  and  the  edges  of  the  beds  have 
been  dragged  upward  and,  apparently  by  a  lateral  movement,  forced 
past  the  vertical.  Thus  is  formed  the  little  butte  of  Cretaceous  and 
Jurassic  rocks  between  Maroon  Creek  and  Bearing  Fork,  at  the  junc- 
tion described  by  Dr.  Peale,  (Report  for  1873,  page  263.)  Shortly  above 
this  the  fault  becomes  a  fold  and  so  continues  up  the  valley  of  Castle 
Creek. 

The  sections  of  the  accompanying  plate,  Fig.  1,  cut  ten  of  the  most  in- 
teresting points  along  the  line  of  disturbance,  and  is  intended  to  give  a 
connected  idea  of  the  folding  and  dislocations.  The  sections  are  so  placed 
as  to  give  fhe  impression  that  perspective  is  taken  into  account  and  that 
the  point  of  view  is  somewhere  on  the  lower  course  of  Bearing  Fork.  It 
will  be  observed,  by  reference  to  these,  that  the  southern  extension  of 
the  synclinal  follows  the  valley  of  Castle  Creek,  and  that  the  upper 
course  of  Boaring  Fork  proper  is  in  the  granite  to  the  east.  A  still 
more  extended  examination  to  the  southward  and  beyond  the  sources  of 
Castle  Creek,  seems  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  the  portions  of  Silu- 
rian (t)  quartzite  noticed  on  the  east  face  of  station  3  and  along  the 
summit  of  the  Italian  group  beyond,  indicate  a  continuation  of  the  same 
fold  or  alt  least  of  the  same  movements  that  produced  the  fold.  That 
this  is  the  case,  and,  therefore,  that  the  entire  geologic  phenomena  of 


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Tm  Sections  across  the  /Synclinal  Valley  of  the  Roamng  Torkj 

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nouas.^  80PRIS   PEAK.  61 

this  region  are  connected,  and,  generally  speaking,  not  tbe  result  of 
complicated  causes,  may  be  pretty  conclusively  shown. 

It  mast  be  noticed,  in  the  first  place,  that  on  the  east  side  tbe  sedi- 
mentary strata  lie  up  against  the  granite  of  the  Sa watch  range,  and  that 
on  the  west  they  have  been  carried  high  up  on  the  arch  of  the  Elk 
3Iountain8,  leaving  the  synclinal  depression  between  the  ranges.  In  the 
second  place,  that  the  axes  of  the  two  ranges  are  not  parHllel ;  that  they 
approach  each  other  toward  the  south  and  separate  toward  the  north, 
.  giving  au  included  angle  of  some  3(P.  In  the  vicinity  of  Italian  peak 
the  granites  of  the  two  ranges  are  in  contact,  or  nearly  so,  as  seen  at  a 
in  section  2.  On  station  3,  a  few  miles  farther  north,  a  fragment  of  the 
Paleozoic  rock  is  caught  up  and  held,  as  in  a  vice,  between  the  masses 
of  eruptive  and  metamorphic  granite,  &,  section  3.  North  of  this,  down 
the  valley  of  Castle  Greek,  tbe  sedimentary  area  widens  rapidly.  The 
edges  facing  the  Gasile  group  are  bent  up  at  a  sharp  angle,  but  as  the 
fold  widens  it  also  fattens,  so  that  30  miles  north  of  Italian  Mount- 
ain, near  the  line  of  section  10,  the  belt  of  strata  is  25  miles  wide  and 
has  nowhere  a  dip  greater  than  10^  or  12^. 

In  tbe  plate  I  have  indicated  the  two  granites  by  different  symbols, 
the  metamorphic  by  short  broken  lines  and  the  Elk  Mountain  granite 
by  dots.  The  points  of  contact,  as  shown  at  a,  5,  c,  &e.,  are,  of  course, 
only  given  to  indicate  a  probable  contact  line.  That  such  a  separation 
really  exists,  however,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  when  observed  in 
close  contact,  near  Italian  Mountain,  they  are  totally  distinct  in  appear- 
ance and  in  reality.  In  all  itB  general  features,  the  geology  of  the  val- 
ley of  Hoaring  Fork  and  of  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Elk  Mountains, 
6eems  simple  enough,  and  I  shall  hasten  on  to  the  north  and  west. 

6E0L06T  OP  SOPEIS  PEAK  AND  VICINITT. 

Having  ascended  Bopris  Creek  for  some  five  or  six  miles,  we  turned 
abraptly  to  the  right  and  crossed  the  low  divide  that  connects  Sopris 
peak  with  an  outlying  triangular  spur,  and  descended  by  a  deep  gulch 
into  the  valley  of  Rock  Greek.  We  reached  this  creek  at  tbe  point 
where  the  upturned  edges  of  Gretaceous  No.  1  (Dakota  group)  cross, 
and  found  that  our  descent  had  been  almost  with  the  strike  of  tbe  beds, 
^^40^  w.  This  is  on  the  west  slope  of  the  Eoaring  Fork  synclinal,  and 
the  dip  is  therefore  to  the  east.  The  creek  passes  out  into  the  Gretaceous 
shales  and  reaches  the  river  some  eight  or  nine  miles  below.  The 
crossing  of  No.  1  here  marks  the  foot  of  the  caiion  of  Hock  Greek. 

Beneath  No.  1,  on  the  south  side,  a  very  beautiful  section  of  the 
Jurassic  is  ex]K)sed.  Near  the  summit  of  the  blufi",  about  200  feet  of  the 
^wer  Gretaceous  measures  are  exposed,  consisting  principally  of  com- 
pact yellowish  sandstones.  Some  thin  beds  of  shale  are  iuterstratified 
^ith  the  sandstones,  and  near  the  base  there  is  an  irregular  stratum  of 
iQoderately  coarse  conglomerate.  The  Jurassic  section,  beginning  at 
tbe  top,  is  as  follows : 

'^  feet  shales,  containing  seams  of  greenish  and  purplish  guartzite.    The 

Bhales  weather  like  fire-clay. 

^»feet  thinly  laminated,  fine-grained,  flinty  quartzite. 
10  feet  yellowish  quartzite. 
W  feet  shales  and  calcareous  sandstones. 
^  feet  sandstones  and  sand  shales. 
^  feet  yellowish  sandstone  with  layers  of  gypsum. 
■^  ahales  and  red  sandstones  of  indefinite  thickness. 

From  the  trail,  near  tbe  creek-bed,  a  yery  fine  view  of  this  cliff  is 


62        GEOLOGICAL  SUEVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

obtained.  Weathered  into  the  nsaal  forms  produced  by  alternate  bard 
and  soft  beds,  it  begins  at  the  top,  by  an  escarpment  of  the  yellow 
sandstones  of  No.  1,  passing  down  into  purplish  and  greenish  gr^ySj 
broken  by  darker  lines  of  outcrop,  each  of  which  gives  a  tinge  of  its 
own  color  to  the  already  highly-tinted  slide,  and  still  farther  down  the 
wide  band  of  rich  yellow  transforms  all  to  its  own  hue,  and  the  whole 
sweeps  down  like  a  gorgeous  curtain  over  the  bright  red  cliffs  of 
the  Triassic  (?).  The  closest  search  developed  no  trace  of  fossils,  and 
it  is  of  course  impossible  to  define  the  limits  of  the  several  periods. 
The  lithologic  gradation  here,  from  the  Jurassic  down  through  the 
"  Ked  Beds  ^  into  the  well-established  Carboniferous  is  most  perfect,  and 
Ihe  entire  absence  of  fossil-remains  leaves  us  without  a  clue. 

In  passing  up  Rock  Creels  we  descend  through  the  strata  and  on  either 
hand  find  the  caSon-walls  composed  of  the  red  and  maroon  Carbonif- 
erous series.  On  the  left  they  support  the  Sopris  mass,  which  stands 
some  miles  back,  and  on  the  right  rise  into  a  cluster  of  rugged  hills, 
above  and  beyond  which  are  the  lines  of  Cretaceous  outcrop,  apparently 
dipping  to  the  westward.  In  the  bottom  of  the  canon  the  maroon  beds 
seem,  very  oddly,  to  dip  toward  the  Sopris  uplift  as  if  not  affected  by  it, 
but  by  some  movement  farther  to  the  west,  but  they  are  doubtless  folded 
abruptly  up  against  the  northwest  face  of  that  mountain.  Close  under 
the  west  walls  of  Sopris  the  creek  forks.  At  this  point  the  granite 
appears,  and  may  be  seen,  from  far  below,  rising  in  rugged  walls  and 
abrupt  spurs.  The  two  branches  seem  to  emerge  from  the  base  of 
these  as  immense  springs,  but  by  a  closer  approach  we  could  detect  the 
canons  through  which  they  flow.  They  are  cut  like  great  gashes  through 
the  granite,  having  between  them  a  high  promontory. 

On  the  30th  of  August  we  ascended  this  promontory,  and  found  it  to 
be  a  very  excellent  point  of  observation  (station  22).  The  peak  lies  to 
the  east,  rising  very  abruptly  from  the  creek  and  presenting  an  aston- 
ishing mountain-slope.  The  creek-bed  is  6,000  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
tbe  peak  springs  to  the  height  of  12,800  feet  in  one  precipitous,  un- 
broken slope,  a  rise  of  6,800  feet  in  one  and  a  half  miles.  With  the 
exception  of  this  western  tongue,  the  granite  mass  seems  to  be  a  per- 
fect cone  that  has  had  its  apex  pushed  through  the  sedimentary  strata, 
lifting  them  up  abruptly  all  around,  but  in  no  case  affecting  them  out- 
side of  a  radius  of  three  or  four  miles.  Indeed,  if  the  erosion  had  been 
more  equal  on  all  sides  the  exposed  granite  area  must  have  been  nearly 
circular,  but  the  great  erosion  of  Rock  Creek  cutting  so  deeply  into  the 
mountainside,  has  developed  an  area  something  like  that  shown  in 
Fig.  2. 

This  elevated  area  forms  the  extreme  northwest  end  of  the  Elk  range, 
and  is  connected  with  the  Capitol  and  Snow  Mass  groups,  which  lie 
about  ten  miles  southeast,  by  a  high,  red  ridge,  the  crest  of  an  arch  in 
the  Carboniferous  rocks,  which  here  connect  completely  across  the 
range.  The  more  recent  strata  have  been  broken  down  and  carried 
away,  so  that  their  outcropping  edges  are  ranged  low  down  along  the 
flanks  of  the  mountains,  on  the  east  side  trending  toward  the  north- 
west, making  almost  a  tangent  with  the  Sopris  granites,  crossing  llock 
Creek  at  the  point  where  we  entered  the  valley,  and  swinging  around 
to  the  north  indefinitely,  but,  very  probably  connecting,  in  the  low 
country,  with  the  corresponding  series  of  the  west  side. 

The  east  branch  of  Hock  Creek,  which  I  have  called  Avalanche 
Creek,  heads  in  the  northern  and  western  faces  of  the  Snow  Mass 
group,  and  has  cut  its  way  in  a  most  remarkable  manner  down  through 
the  side  of  the  red  arch,  almost  parallel  with  its  crest,  striking  Sopris 


^C  \  : 


GrarateLSSol      Silurisin(>l  llllillli  CailHmifmniB  ! 
Fig.Z. 


Fig.  3. 
Section  across  ttie  Sopris  upbft. 


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Boua»]  VALLEY  OF  KOCK  CREEK.  63 

between  onr  station  and  the  main  summit,  and  joining  the  main  stream 
below.  In  the  npper  course,  therefore,  it  is  in  granite,  in  the  middle 
part,  in  Paleozoic  rocks,  afterward  in  granite,  and  finally  again  in  the 
stratified  rocks,  cutting  its  way,  after  joining  the  main  stream,  from  the 
8iluriaQ  out  into  the  Upper  Cretaceous.  Eock  Creek  proper,  the 
soorces  of  which  were  explored  last  year,  can  be  traced  far  to  thesonth- 
wartl,  as  it  comes  down  through  a  deep  valley.  This  valley  widens  as 
it  approaches  our  station,  but  on  reaching  the  belt  of  granite,  suddenly 
closes  into  a  deep  and  precipitous  canon.  This  is  immediately  under 
us,  to  the  west,  and  a  stone  dislodged  plunges  down  over  the  crags 
to  the  creek-bed,  1,500  feet  below.  This  canon  is  hardly  more  than 
half  a  mile  in  length  (the  width  of  the  granite  arm)  and  opens  below 
into  the  great  triangular  valley  about  the  creek  junction. 

The  sketch  on  the  opposite  page,  Figure  4,  will  aid  in  making  clear  the 
geology  north  of  our  station,  and  about  Sopris.  As  seen  in  the  drawing, 
t  here  is  considerable  irregularity  in  the  disposition  of  strata.  The  isolated 
fragment  of  Paleozoic  beds  between  Sopris  and  Eock  Creek  evinces  a 
considerable  amount  of  lateral  crushing  as  indicated  by  a  series  of 
abrupt  and  angular  concentric  folds  or  wrinkles.  Along  the  line  of  the 
creek-bed  there  has  probably  been  a  slight  dislocation  or  fault  as  indi- 
csated  by  the  want  of  harmony  between  the  strata  at  e!'  on  the  east  side, 
and  those  at  t"'  on  the  western.  There  are  also  traces  of  a  considera- 
ble degree  of  metamorphism,  shown  by  the  change  of  color  near  the 
granite  contact,  as  well  as  by  the  thinningout  of  the  entire  series,  such 
a8  would  occur  in  a  number  of  sheets  of  iron  heated  and  partially  welded 
together  at  the  edges  under  the  irregular  blows  of  a  hammer.  It  has 
been  saggested  that  the  existence  of  a  shoreline  about  the  granitic  area 
has,  during  Paleozoic  times,  produced  this  thinning-out,  and  especially 
since,  on  the  eastern  face  of  the  mountain,  the  more  modern  deposits 
seem  to  jut  up  against  or  almost  against  the  granite,  but  it  should  be 
observed  that  in  every  locality  where  this  peculiar  granite  appears,  there 
are  unmistakable  evidences  of  abrupt  and  violent  movements,  inde- 
pendent of  its  relations  to  the  sedimentary  strata.  It  acts  in  all  cases 
as  a  foreign  element,  plastic  and  aggressive,  intruding  itself  upon  a 
region  heretofore  undisturbed,  and  producing  disturbances  of  the  most 
marked  and  unusual  kind.  In  this  case,  however,  there  is  less  evidence 
of  violence  than  in  any  of  the  cases  farther  south,  but  in  lithologic  char- 
acter and  methods  of  upheaval  it  is  the  same. 

GEOLOGY  OF  THE  DISTEICT  DRAINED  BY  KOCK  CREEK. 

We  bad  resolved  to  follow  the  course  of  the  western  or  main  branch 
of  Rock  Creek.  In  the  canon  there  was  an  old  trail  leading  over  the 
rocks,  and  we  passed  through,  without  difficulty,  into  the  open  valley 
above.  Here  were  some  beautiful  meadows  in  which  we  discovered  a 
group  of  hot  springs.  In  a  number  of  places,  steam  could  be  seen  rising 
from  'the  grass  and  reeds,  and  on  approaching  we  encountered  a  number 
of  slimy  pools,  from  which  considerable  streams  of  hot  water  were  flow- 
ing. In  all  there  were  more  than  a  dozen  active  springs,  in  most  cases 
impregnated  with  sulphur,  and  ranging,  in  temperature,  from  30^  to 
1040  F. 

On  the  29th  a  rain-storm  had  set  in,  and  everything  was  now  wet, 
thoroughly  saturated.  Muddy  torrents  poured  down  the  upper  slopes 
and  dashed  over  the  cliffs  into  the  valley.  Avalanches  of  wet  earth, 
carrying  many  rocks  and  trees,  formed  near  the  summits  and  came  roar- 
ing down,  discharging  their  great  masses  of  i&}ri»  into  the  river,  and 


G4        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

tearing  oat  snch  gorges  in  the  alluvial  bottoms  as  to  make  travel  almoat 
impossible.  The  coDtiuuation  of  this  sliding  process  from  jear  to  year 
keeps  large  portions  of  the  monntain-sides  swept  clear  of  all  movable 
material,  leaving  only  the  bare  rock.  Ail  along  these  deep  valleys  such 
avaianche-pathways  may  be  noticed. 

The  vegetable  growth  is  qaite  profase  in  this  region.  Dense  groves 
of  aspens  occupy  the  more  fertile  spots,  pines  and  cedars  cling  to  the 
rocky  slopes,  while  scrub-oaks  and  a  great  variety  of  smaller  bashes 
abound.    There  is  but  little  room  for  agriculture  or  grazing. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  cafion  the  granite  disappears  and  the  yellow 
quartzites  descend  into  the  valley  and  also  disappear,  dipping  *30o  S. 
The  Carboniferous  maroon  beds  follow,  but  soon  assume  a  horizontal 
position^  so  that  there  is  nothing  else  exposed  in  the  walls,  for  a  distance 
of  Hve  or  six  miles.  Then,  by  an  abrupt  monoclinal  tbld,  the  whole 
series  pitches  into  the  valley,  leaving  nothing  exposed  but  the  massive 
sandstones  of  the  CTpper  Cretaceous.  These  beds  in  turn  assume  a  hori- 
zontal position,  forming  shelved  slopes  to  the  height  of  1,200  to  1,500 
feet  on  either  side  of  the  creek.  The  creek  cuts  obliquely  through  this 
fold,  and  the  section  exposed  consists  of  the  Upper  Carboniferous, 
Jurassic,  and  Lower  Cretaceous  strata.  On  the  left  hand  the  hard  layers 
of  the  Dakota  group,  standing  almost  on  edge,  form  a  high  ridge  that 
extends  to  the  southward  up  the  western  slope  of  the  Snow  Mass  group. 
On  the  opposite  side,  the  trend  of  the  same  beds  is  to  the  northwest, 
passing  up  the  face  of  a  high  mountainous  ridge  which  culminates  in 
Ganuett's  station  26,  ten  miles  west  of  Sopris.  Sectioa  C  of  the  large 
sheets  cuts  this  fold  near  the  creek-crossing,  and  also  gives  a  transverse 
section  of  the  great  red  arch  which  lies  between  Sopris  and  Capitol  peaks. 

The  facilities  for  measuring  the  strata  in  this  locality  are  very  poor. 
The  yellow  quartzites,  supposed  to  belong  to  the  Silurian  age,  do  not 
measure  more  than  500  feet,  while  the  Carboniferous  series  will  hardly 
fall  short  of  4,500.  The  Triassic  (f ),  Jurassic,  and  Cretaceous  beds  will 
add  about  5,500  more,  so  that  the  exposed  strata  will  include  a  thickness 
of  some  10,000  feet. 

Ever  since  entering  the  valley  a  handsome  group  of  mountains  had 
been  in  sight,  apparently  standing  in  the  valley-course,  and  quite  cut- 
ting off  the  view.  From  the  crossing  of  the  monoclinal  fold,  the  first  of 
these  mountains  appeared  three  or  four  miles  farther  up,  standing  on 
the  west  side  of  the  valley,  and  rising  abruptly  from  the  creek.  We 
determined  to  climb  this  in  order  to  get  good  views  of  the  Elk  Mount- 
ains, which  lie  mostly  to  the  east,  and  of  the  unknown  area  to  the  west. 

In  the  first  place,  we  ascended  the  steep  Cretaceous  slope  to  the  right, 
at  its  lowest  point,  and  found  ourselves  on  a  level  with  the  undulating 
country  to  the  west.  Gannett's  station  26,  was  on  our  right,  some  ten 
miles  to  the  north,  and  the  mountain  which  we  desired  to  climb  on  the 
left,  three  miles  away,  and  rising  nearly  three  thousand  feet  above  us. 
Following  the  summit,  or  back  of  the  ridge  which  leads  up  toward  it,  I 
observed  that  the  Cretaceous  strata  were  rising  with  the  slope,  flud  at 
the  base  ot  the  steeper  face  were  turned  sharply  up  against  it  at  an 
angle  of  45^.  In  crossing  these  upturned  edges,  I  observed  that  they 
comprised  no  great  thickness ;  that  the  bulk  of  the  sedimentary  beds 
seemed  not  to  change  from  their  horizontal  position,  and  that  this  up- 
turned portion  had  been  separated  from  the  rest  and  forced  upward  by 
a  wedge-like  mass  of  intrusive  rock  which  belonged  to  the  central  mass 
of  the  group.  (See  Figure  5.)  These  strata  seem  to  belong  to  the  Cre- 
taceous Coal  Measures,  as  there  were  outcrops  of  coal  and  carbonaceous 
shale.    The  horizon  would  hardly  be  less  than  3,000  feet  above  No.  1. 


'A»ftJ» 


J  SNOW  MASS   GBOUP.  .  65 

The  rock  of  the  peak  proved  to  be  an  exceedingly  fine  and  handsome 
rbjolite,  grayish  in  color,  and  containing  many  large  crystals  of  white 
feldspar. 

Station  23  was  made  near  the  highest  point.  This  proved,  as  I  had 
expected,  to  be  the  extreme  northern  summit  of  the  large  groap  of 
moantains  that  lies  to  the  west  of  the  Elk  Mountains  proper,  and  may 
for  convenience  be  called  the  West  Elk  group.  It  is  hardly  inferior  to 
(be  main  range  in  area,  and  is  separated  from  it  by  the  valleys  of  Bock 
Creek  and  East  Biver.  Clusters  of  handsome,  moderately  high  summits 
eonld  be  se«n  far  to  the  southward,  and  as  far  toward  t^e  east  as  Treas- 
my  or  Lookout  Mountains.  The  general  outlines  and  the  manner  of 
weathering  indicate  that  they  are  all  of  trachyte  or  rhyolite. 

To  the  westward  the  country  is  low,  and  slopes  off  toward  the  Gun- 
Bison  Biver  on  the  left,  and  the  Grand  on  the  right.  There  are  no 
striking  geographical  features,  and  the  whole  visible  area  is  doubtless 
of  Cretaceous  age,  the  exposed  rock  being  mostly  of  the  Upper  Creta- 
oeoas  group,  which  comprises  perhaps  2,500  feet  in  thickness  of  sand- 
stones, conglomerates  and  shales,  with  an  undetermined  number  of  coal- 
seams. 

As  mentioned  before,  the  main  body  of  the  stratified  rocks  abtjut  this 
station  are  not  disturbed,  so  that  the  exposures  all  along  the  eastern 
base,  beneath,  the  body  of  trachyte,  are  horizontal,  and  so  continue  far 
op  Bock  Greek.  This  creek  heads  in  a  picturesque  group  of  nioun- 
taios  far  away  to  the  east,  cuts  its  way  down  through  a  number  of  deep 
eanoDs,  and  striking  the  base  of  this  mountain  turns  abruptly  to  the 
north.  Prom  this  point  we  get  our  first  view  of  the  western  faces  of 
the  Elk  Mountains,  and  are  impressed  more  deeply  than  ever  with 
their  beauty  and  grandeur.  The  lower  slopes  are  underlaid  by  Cretar 
taceous  strata  and  densely  covered  by  a  growth  of  gray  and  purple 
onderbrnsh.  Above  this,  groves  of  aspens  and  clusters  of  dark  blue 
pines  relieve  the  glowing  reds  and  purples  of  the  Gaiboniferous  rocks. 
Still  higher,  and  in  delightful  contrast  to  these  ardent  colors,  are  the 
sammita  of  gray  granite,  whose  polished  and  ornate  faces  constantly 
remind  us  of  the  form  in  some  gothic  cathedral.  The  culminating  sum- 
mits belong  to  the  Snow  Mass  group,  and  are  so  thoroughly  hemmed  in 
by  seriated  crests,  and  deep  zigzagging  ridges,  that  they  seem  to  chal- 
^ge  approach.  In  a  few  days  we  hope  to  penetrate  the  obscure 
^slleys  that  bead  in  this  group,  and  from  some  of  its  higher  peaks  make 
ft  more  detailed  study  of  its  forms  and  structure. 

We  found  theasceutof  Bock  Greek  besetwithdifQculties,and  only  suc- 
ceeded in  advancing  at  all  by  climbing  the  eastern  wall  of  the  canon  and 
lemaiaingon  a  fiat,  shelf-like  area,  formed  by  the  horizontal  Cretaceous 
ftrata.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  of  September  1st,  we  descended 
iBto  the  bed  of  a  small  tributary  of  Bock  Greek,  not  far  below  the  base 
^  Treasury  Mountain.  In  passing  down  the  face  of  the  upper  ledge  1 
<^bierved  th^t  the  rock  was  of  rhyolite,  and  not  sandstone,  as  I  had 
supposed.  This  proved  to  be  only  a  capping,  and  is  doubtless  a  rem- 
Bant,  separated  from  the  mass  west  of  the  creek  by  erosion,  since  both 
v^Us  of  the  valley,  up  to  corresponding  horizons,  are  of  Gretaceous 

The  creek  into  which  we  had  descended  seemed  to  issue  from  the  very 
^terof  the  Snow  Mass  group,  and  finding  a  pretty  distinct  game-trail 
^e  tamed  to  the  left  and  tbliowed  it  up  the  valley.  On  our  left  hand  a 
f^  bluff  rose  to  the  height  of  some  1,500  feet.  The  strata  exposed  in 
1*8  face  were  probably  of  the  Upper  Gretaceous  group,  and  consisted  of 
^dstones  and  shales,  the  former  predominating  above  and  the  latter 

5  H 


66  GEOIiOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

below,  so  that  there  was  a  gradation  from  solid  sandstones  at  the  top 
to  homogeneous  shales  at  the  base.  The  section  includes  the  groap  of 
strata  sometimes  called  the  ^^  transition  group"  by  Dr.  Haydeu.  The 
horizon  is  probably  that  of  the  upper  part  of  No.  6,  Cretaceous.  The  dip 
of  the  beds  in  this  place  is  toward  the  northwest  10^  to  15°.  They  seem 
but  slightly  affected  by  the  elevation  of  the  main  range  on  the  east,  or 
of  Treasury  Mountain  on  the  south.  Farther  up  the  stream,  which  we 
shall  call  Aspen  Greek,  the  dip  increases  to  45<^,  and  the  nptnrned  edges 
are  lodged  against  the  granite,  which,  by  means  of  a  rather  complicated 
fault,  has  been  thrust  up  past  the  broken  edges  of  the  entire  series  of 
earlier  sedimentary  rocks,  bending  the  edges  of  the  older  strata  back 
and  driving  them  into  the  softer  strata  above.  In  the  bottom  of  the 
creek  a  small  portion  of  the  yellow  quartzites  are  exposed,  situated  as 
shown  in  Section  D  of  the  large  sheet.  This  fault  would  seem  to  be  on 
the  northern  continuation  of  the  line  of  upheaval  to  which  belongs  the 
inverted  series  observed  last  year  about  the  southern  sources  of  Bock 
Creek.  Our  investigations  at  that  time  were  extended  to  within  six 
miles  of  this  point. 

Late  in  the  evening  we  encamped  near  timber-line,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  climbed  the  high  granite  ridge  to  our  left.  We  soon  found 
ourselves  in  the  very  midst  of  the  mountains.  Snow  Mass  and  Capitol 
and  Mount  Daly  rose  up  magnificently  in  the  east,  Sopris  stood  alone 
at  the  north,  and  many  groups  of  lofty  mountains  appeared  in  the 
southwest.  All  around  us  were  only  bare  rock  and  snow.  The  whole 
area  is  above  timber-line,  and  the  sculpture  of  the  mountains  is  won- 
derfully striking  and  picturesque.  The  long  crooked  lines  of  crests  are 
connected  by  subordinate  crests,  and  these  all  send  out  sharp,  narrow 
branching  ridges  which  separate  the  amphitheater-like  hesuls  of  the 
numerous  radiating  streams.  As  a  rule,  these  high  valleys  are  wide 
and  the  ridges  narrow,  so  that  the  country  presents  the  appearance,  in 
a  rude  way,  of  a  giant  honeycomb.  Sopris  is  connected  with  Capitol 
by  the  flat  ridge  of  Carboniferous  red  beds,  Capitql  with  Snow  Mass  by 
a  deeply-indented  saddle,  while  south  from  Snow  Mass,  the  axis  crest 
continues  to  Maroon  Mountain,  thence  to  the  White  Rock  and  Castle 
peaks.  From  the  saddle,  midway  between  Capitol  and  Snow  Mass,  a 
pinnacled  ridge  extends  to  the  westward  between  the  head-waters  of 
East  Fork  or  Avalanche  Creek  and  Eook  Creek  proper.  Branches  are 
thrown  out  from  this  between  all  the  small  streams,  while  the  chief 
crest  of  the  spur  continues  out  to  station  22.  Stations  24  and  25  were 
made  about  midway  on  this  ridge.  Station  24  is  the  most  northerly 
summit  of  the  Snow  Mass  granite,  and  is  eight  miles  from  station  22. 
The  sedimentary  outcrops,  which  pass  just  north  of  Capitol  and  Daly 
peaks,  sweep  around  to  the  north  of  this  station  and  turn  to  the  south- 
ward, crossing  Aspen  Creek,  as  described  on  the  preceding  page.  Here 
the  entire  series  is  exposed,  there  only  the  Upper  Cretaceous  and  bits 
of  the  Paleozoic  rocks  in  the  bed  of  the  creek.  The  lines  Qf  outcrop  can 
be  traced  between- the  two  points.  The  older  rocks  gradually  disappear 
as  the  granite  begins  to  fault  up  past  the  broken  edges.  (See  colored 
map).  This  may  be  regarded  as  Che  farthest  northern  extension  of  the 
great  fault-fold  previously  mentioned.  This  fold  being  a  most  compli- 
cated and  int<^re8ting  piece  of  dynamics,  calls  for  a  separate  analysis, 
which  I  give  farther  on. 

On  the  3d  we  descended  Aspen  Creek  to  the  main  creek  and  continued 
the  examination  of  the  Cretaceous  section.  The  black  shales,  the  upper 
part  of  which  are  exposed  in  the  bluff  on  the  north  side  of  Aspen  Creek, 
occupy  the  valley  from  the  base  of  the  bluff  to  the  base  of  Treasury 


i 

in 

ill  ■ 


I! 

IS 

n 


^<N. 


-*'•-. 


Fig.  B. — Cascadk  os  Kock  Crekk,  Coiohaih). 


MMO.]  TRBASDEY  MOUNTAIN.  67 

MoantaiD.  The  dip  is  at  first  slight,  but  before  we  reach  the  Lower  Cre- 
taoeoas,  it  rises  to  30^.  The  strike  is  at  right  angles  to  the  stream- 
eonrse,  but  turusto  the  south  on  both  sides  of  the  mountain.  It  appears, 
from  such  examinations  as  I  was  able  to  make,  that  Treasury  Mountain 
» a  short  aDticlinal,  or  oval  shaped  qnaquaversal,  that  seems  to  have 
been  produced  by  some  agent  associated  with  great  heat,  since  the  high 
degree  of  metamorphism  of  the  entire  series  up  to  the  Middle  Cretaceous 
18  quite  remarkable.  I  doubt  if  the  sedimentary  measures  are  entirely 
penetrated  in  any  part  of  the  mountain.  The  Jurassic  and  Lower  Creta- 
ceous rocks  reach  high  up  the  sides  of  the  arch,  while  the  lines  of  shale- 
ODtcrop  are  ranged  around  and  support  the  base.  The  dip  is  toward 
Bock  Creek  on  the  east  and  north,  and  toward  two  of  its  tributaries  on 
tbe  south  and  west.  The  only  place  where  the  Paleozoic  rocks  have 
been  penetrated  and  exposed  is  on  the  east  side,  where  the  two  branches 
of  Bock  Creek,  leaving  the  Cretaceous  synclinal,  cut  directly  into  the 
side  of  the  anticlinal,  passing  through  the  Cretaceous,  Jurassic,  and  Upper 
Carboniferous  rocks,  into  theLowerCarboniferous,  (see  Figure  7;)  here,  in 
a  deep,  narrow  canon,  they  unite,  and  turning  to  the  right  the  resultant 
stream  follows  for  some  distance  along  the  strike  until  it  reaches  the  north 
end  of  tbe  oval,  where  it  cuts  its  way  out  again  into  the  broad  depression 
eroded  from  the  Cretaceous  shales.  In  passing  out  over  the  highly  met- 
amorphosed beds  of  the  Dakota  group,  a  splendid  cascade  is  formed 
with  a  fall  of  500  or  600  feet.  Tbe  sandstones  of  this  group  are  so 
greatly  changed  here  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  recognize  them  out- 
side of  their  relations  to  the  overlying  strata.  They  are  reduced  to  a 
very  hard  flinty  quartzite,  greenish  in  color  and  nearly  uniform  through- 
oat  The  shales  above  are  much  hardened,  and  the  Jurassic  and  other 
substrata  are  so  consolidated  as  to  be  but  a  series  of  flinty  quartzites. 
For  the  sake  of  comparison  I  present  in  this  connection,  Fig.  9,  two  sec- 
tions of  the  Cretaceous  rocks,  one  made  in  this  locality  and  the  other  on 
the  border  of  the  plains.  The  Dakota  group  is  everwhere  th^  same. 
Tbe  series  of  shales  are  almost  identical,  and  the  transitions  from  shales 
to  the  sandstones  above  are  as  like  as  possible.  Palm-leaves  and  fucoids 
are  found  in  the  lower*  part  of  these  sandstones  and  in  corresponding 
horizons. 

In  the  east  the  lignitic  coal  is  found  near  the  base  of  tbe  sandstones, 
while  the  anthracite  coal  of  the  West  occurs  2,000feet  higher.  An  an- 
alysis of  this  coal,  made  by  Professor  Mallett,  demonstrates  the  fact  that 
it  is  of  fine  quality.  (See  chapter  IX,  Dr.  Peale's  Beport.)  The  seam  is 
about  four  feet  thick,  but  th^  locality  is  one  most  difficult  of  access  as 
well  as  remote  from  any  probable  market.  It  certainly  cannot  be  utilized 
for  many  years  yet  unless  the  immediate  region  should  prove  rich  in 
iQines,  in  which  case  it  would  be  invaluable  for  smelting  purposes. 

Between  Treasury  Mountain  and  the  Snow  Mass  group  there  is  a  long, 
narrow  Cretaceous  valley,  produced  by  an  abrupt  synclinal  fold,  in  which 
the  strata  are  doubled  back  upon  each  other.  Tlie  forces  have  so  pre- 
dominated on  the  east  side  that  the  beds  on  that  side  are  pushed  beyond 
the  vertical  and  lie  atop  of  the  gently  inclined  strata  of  the  west  side, 
^e  Upper  Cretaceous  sandstones  do  not  occur  in  this  depression  south 
of  Aspen  Creek ;  we  have,  therefore,  a  double  thickness  of  the  black 
inhales  in  the  middle  of  the  valle^^,  giving  in  all  a  thickness  of  nearly 
4i(HM)  feet.  The  shales  are  followed  or  supported  on  either  side  by  the 
older  strata,  in  the  usual  order.  The  depression  produced  by  this  fold 
niay  be  followed  the  whole  length  of  the  Elk  range,  and  separates  it  from  * 
tbe  West  Elk  group,  producing  northern  and  southern  systems  of  drain- 
age. 


68  GEOLOGICAL   StTRVET   OF   THE   TEBRITOBIES. 

THE  GREAT  FAtJLT  FOLD  OF  THE  ELK  RANGE. 

On  September  5th  we  reached  the  northern  limit  of  oar  last  year's 
work,  and  little  remained  to  be  done  but  to  examine  a  few  complicated 
spots  along  the  main  fold  of  the  Elk  range.  Most  of  the  difficult  prob- 
lems occur  along  this  fold,  between  station  24  on  the  north  and  Cascade 
Greek  on  the  south,  and  as  the  axis  of  the  fold  is  west  of  the  crest  of  the 
range,  the  complicated  parts  are  cut  by  the  deep  transverse  valleys  of 
the  western  slope  and  many  good  sections  are  exposed.  Six  of  these, 
D,  E,  F,  G,  H,  and  I,  are  given  in  the  main  sheet  of  sections  accompany- 
ing the  map. 

It  will  be  observed  by  reference  to  the  map  that  the  granite,  which 
is  represented  by  heavy  horizontal  lines  and  marked  A  A,  occurs  in 
two  great  masses,  and  that  in  these  masses  are  the  culminating  sum- 
mits of  the  range.  The  northern,  which  is  cut  by  sections  D  and  £,  is 
the  Snow  Mass  group,  and  the  southern,  cut  by  sections  G,  H,  and  I,  is 
the  White  Kock  group.  At  first  glance  it  might  seem  that  these  were 
separate  centers  of  elevation  or  upheaval,  or  at  least  that  they  were  not 
intimately  related,  but  closer  examination  develops  the  fact  that  there 
is  a  line  of  disturbance  of  a  very  marked  and  extraordinary  character 
connecting  them.  Section  F  cuts  this  fold  at  e  €,  and  gives  one  of  its 
peculiar  phases.  But  I  found  that  a  very  large  number  of  sections, 
even,  could  not  be  made  to  give  a  connected  idea  of  so  complex  a  fold. 
I  have,  therefore,  prepared  the  accompanying  illustration  (Fig.  II),  in 
which  the  entire  fold  is  given  in  relief  and  so  placed  upon  an  outlioe 
n)ap  that  the  location  of  the  various  parts  may  be  easily  recognized. 
I  have  carefully  kept  in  view  the  idea  of  showing  simply  the  peculiar 
foldings  of  the  broken  edges  of  the  strata.  The  granite  areas  have  been 
shaded  down  and  the  etfects  of  erosion  partially  ignored  in  order  to 
develop  the  one  idea,  and  a  single  convenient  horizon,  the  base  of  the 
Oretadeous,  is  taken,  entirely  disincuuibered,  for  the  sake  of  greater 
simplicity. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  this  representation  is  highly  artificial ; 
that  in  reality  the  fold  is  very  obscure,  and  has  but  little  apparent  effect 
upon  the  topography;  that  it  is  cut  into  fragments  by  ten  immense 
valleys ;  and  that  its  anatomy  can  only  be  studied  on  the  steep  faces  of 
the  ridges  between  these  vaileys. 

It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  figure  and  the  sections  opposite, 
that  the  conditions  all  along  the  east  side  are  simple,  there  being  a 
gradual  and  gentle  dip  from  the  crest  of  the  range  toward  the  valley  of 
lioaring  Fork,  while  on  the  west  side  there  has  been  a  general  depres- 
sion or  downthrow,  so  to  speak,  amounting  in  many  places  to  7,000  or 
8,000  feet;  at  the  same  time  a  combination  of  movements,  principally 
lateral,  have  produced  along  the  axis  an  immense  wrinkle,  a  fold  so 
abrupt  that  the  beds  are  crushed  and  shattered  and  the  severed  edges 
shoved  past  each  other,  as  shown  in  the  drawing  and  sections  be- 
tween e  and  n.  It  will  not  be  difliicult  to  imagine  that  while  this  was 
going  on,  the  plastic  mass  beneath  was  assisting  the  movements  and 
shaping  the  results,  and  that  during  the  process  it  forced  itself,  or  was 
forced,  through  the  fractured  line  in  the  two  great  masses  of  the  Snow 
Mass  and  White  Kock  groups. 

Beginning  at  the  north,  I  shall  give  a  detailed  description.  All  along 
the  north  face  of  the  Snow  Mass  group  the  sedimentary  rocks  lie  in  the 
usual  order  upon  the  granites,  with  a  slight  dip  toward  the  north.  (See 
axis-section,  large  sheet.)  Between  Station  24  and  Aspen  Greek  the 
granite  begins  to  fault  up  past  the  broken  edges  of  the  sedimentaiy 


^*''^*''^'V 


4r 


V 


"tt 


\- 


\  ft. 


I       '■    > 


Sandstones 

AnthraMt» 
Coat  Measures 


\Sandstone 
/  2000  ft. 


I    '    I 


3=1 


\lOOO  to  2000  fY. 

I  Sandstone  and 
Sfuxles. 


^  20O0  feet 

I  Skalssk,  Slates. 


Cfytaceous 
aoofti. 


•Turaasic 


)  Sa-tidstoTves 


f/i.4^n4t9C'  Coal 


Sandstonti 
loo  to  'JooH. 


I       !         I 


Cn 


T:nr 


soo  to  60O  feet 
Stundstonrs  and 
SftaZos. 


2oooft.. 
Shales  Sc  day 


No.  J  Crft4iC4!ouii 
t/u-rassir 


2^.9 

Ji'dattOTis  of  th&  CocJ.  Beda  to  No.  1   Cretaceoua. 
Scctw/t  I ,  Wt'.st  of  the  Kanye,  Milk  MU. 
Section  ?,  EoMt  of  the  Range,  ^  Cache  la.  Poiuir&,  orCahon.  6'fy, 

M-HniMh  MOTO^JTMOOnkPHn.  WUHWOTOW.  D  c 


KWOB.)         FAULT  FOLD  OF  THE  ELK  RANGE,  69 

sirata,  and  at  Aspen  Greek,  as  previoasly  mentioned,  only  tbe  Upper 
Cretaeeoas  remains  in  view,  with  a  fragment  of  primordial  rock 
at  a  in  tbe  deepest  part  of  the  valley.  South  of  Aspen  Creek  for 
a  few  miles  the  whole  series  seems  to  be  depressed  beneath  the  sur- 
Uobj  while  the  granite  peaks  on  tlie  east  side  of  the  faoltline  rise 
to  the  height  of  3,000  feet,  making  a  total  displacement  of  at  least 
11,000  feet.  Soath  of  6  there  is  a  high,  sharp  ridge  formed  of  a  series  of 
almost  vertical  Carboniferous  rooks,  which  seem  to  have  been  carried 
up  by  the  granite,  or  at  least  to  have  been  left  in  the  present  position 
by  Uie  dragging  of  the  fault.  In  the  south  end  of  this  ridge  the  dip 
iDereases  from  90  to  130  degrees,  that  is,  45  degrees  beyond  the  vertical, 
and  Dearly  tbe  whole  series  of  sedimentary  rocks  appear  in  this  position 
in  the  side  of  the  canon  at  c. 

Iq  the  triangular  spur  between  e  and  ^,  a  large  mass  has  been  carried 
back  90  degrees  past  the  vertical,  so  that  the  Silurian  quartzites  oc- 
eapy  the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  the  Cretaceous  rocks  tbe  bottom  of  the 
valley. 

1%e  fold  has  been  so  sharp  at  e  that  the  beds  have  been  broken  off, 
and  the  continued  upward  movement  of  the  granite  has  bent  the  broken 
ed|[e8  up,  producing  a  synclinal  in  the  inverted  strata. 

In  this  place  the  belt  of  granite  is  quite  narrow,  so  that  the  relative 
positions  of  the  strata  on  opposite  sides  can  be  studied  with  ease. 

The  Silurian  rooks  of  the  east  side  outcrop  on  the  summit  of  the 
water-shed  of  the  range  at  /  2,000  feet  above  the  creek,  and  since  the 
lliddle  Cretaceous  rocks  of  the  west  side  are  depressed  to  an  unknown 
depth  beneath  the  creek-bed,  we  can  safely  say  that  there  is  a  vertical 
displacement  of  at  least  8,000  feet 

The  amount  of  lateral  movement  (at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the 
tanlt)  may  be  expressed  by  the  difference  betwe^i  the  width  of  the  gran- 
ite belt  a /and  that  of  the  inverted  fragment  d  «,  and  will  hardly  fall 
sbort  of  6,000  feet 

SoQth  of  e  the  beds  gradually  rise  again  from  the  inverted  position, 
and  a  high,  narrow  ridge  is  formed  of  the  almost  vertical  Carboniferous 
^ks.  This  ridge  is  not  above  four  miles  in  length,  and  is  connected 
with  the  main  range  by  an  irregular  cross-ridge  that  separates  the  head- 
waters of  the  north  and  south  branches  of  Sock  Creek.  The  tongue  of 
^ite  that  extends  southward  from  Snow  Mass  along  the  fault-line  is 
^nred  before  reaching  this  cross-ridge  by  the  overlapping  sedimen- 
^  I'ocks  (at  h).  Here  the  greatest  confusion  occurs,  and  large  masses 
oi  the  rocks,  of  all  ages,  are  found  in  the  most  unheard-of  relations  to 
^  other.  The  strata  of  the  west  side  have  been  depressed  and  caught 
l^^^th  the  encroaching  strata  of  the  east  side,  and  are  folded  back 
^POQ  themselves,  as  seen  in  the  drawing.  Figure  11.  This  peculiar  and 
*<^ewhat  irregular  fold  may  be  traced  for  a  distance  of  six  or  seven 
>|>U6s,  and  in  this  distance  is  cut  at  right  angles  by  three  immense  val- 
J^ys.  The  sections  exposed  in  the  faces  of  these  are  not  always  distinct, 
^t  at  the  same  time  mak^  it  possible  to  study  the  peculiar  anatomy  of 
l^^fold.'  I  observe  that  in  every  place  where  there  is  an  exposure  the 
Jl'arboniferons  rocks  of  the  east  side  rest  upon  the  upper  surfaces  of  the 
^ard  sandstones  of  the  Dakota  group,  and  with  such  a  degree  of  regu- 
wty  that  I  was  for  a  long  time  in  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  the  latter, 
^nstodying  the  sectiou  exposed  on  the  north  side  of  the  valley  which 
?|^^^ae8  the  fault  at  e,  I  began  near  the  crest  of  the  main  range  west  of 
ipTooD  Mountain,  and  passed  down  through  nearly  3,000  feet  of  Carbon- 
jl^Qs  sandstones,  limestones,  and  conglomerates  (which  have  a  gen- 
^^  dip  to  the  east  and  undoubtedly  belong  to  the  eastern  side  of  the 


70        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

range),  bat  ou  the  slope  between  h  and  i,  I  came  suddenly  opon  the 
well-known  sandstone  of  No.  1  Cretaceous,  lying  beneath  the  Paleozoic 
rocks  and  to  all  appearances  conformable  with  them.  Keeping  on  at  right 
angles  to  the  dip,  I  passed  first  over  the  outcropping  edges  of  Jurassic 
and  Triassic  (?)  rocks ;  then  over  a  ridge  of  Carboniferous  conglom- 
erates and  limestones,  much  crushed  anfl  metamorphosed;  and  finally, 
beneath  these  still,  over  a  full  but  much  distorted  series  of  Triassic,  Juras- 
sic, and  Cretaceous  rocks.  The  dip  rises  in  places  to  70  and  80  degrees, 
and  the  strikes  are  not  quite  uniform.  I  was  at  first  entirely  unable  to 
account  for  this  extraordinary  succession  of  strata,  and  did  not  succeed 
in  solving  the  i)roblem  until  I  had  followed  the  outcrops  across  the  valley 
to  the  south  and  discovered  in  the  higher  ridge  at ;  the  arch  of  the  fold, 
which,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley,  had  been  carried  away. 

It  seems  that  in  the  first  place  a  great  fault  occurred,  in  which  there 
was  a  throw  sufficient  to  place  the  Lower  Cretaceous  of  the  west  side 
opposite  the  Lower  Carboniferous  of  the  east  side,  and  that  a  powerful 
lateral  movement  had  then  driven  the  opposing  strata  together,  the 
harder  Carboniferous  rocks  sliding  forward  upon  the  upper  surface*of 
the  quartzites  of  the  Dakota  group,  and  at  the  same  time  bending  them 
and  portions  of  the  firmer  substrata  back  in  a  sharp  fold,  which,  from 
the  continued  pressure,  has  been  carried  en  masse  beyond  the  vertical  and 
almost  severed  below  by  the  immense  pressure.  (See  section  F,  large 
sheet.)  In  the  next  ridge  south,  at^',  the  fold  is  not  so  abrupt,  and  the 
ridge  m,  facing  White  Rock  Creek,  there  is  only  a  gentle  arch  of  the 
strata  (see  section  G,  large  sheet),  while  a  considerable  gap  occurs 
between  the  faulted  strata  in  which  the  granite  appears. 

At  n  the  infolding  ceases,  and  in  the  valley  at  o  the  strata  dip  some 
forty  degrees  to  the  west  (section  H,  large  sheet).  Toward  p  they  rise 
again  to  the  vertical,  and  at  q  have  been  pushed  back  to  forty-five  de- 
grees past  the  vertical  by  a  mass  of  granite,  which  now  lies  superim- 
posed upon  the  ridges  like  so  much  trachyte. 

Before  reaching  the  bed  of  Teocalli  Creek  at  r,  the  strata  fall  back 
again  almost  to  the  normal  horizontal  position. 

Here  the  fault  forks )  one  branch  extends  southward  through  «,  and 
the  other  turns  eastward  along  the  north  face  of  Teocalli  Mountain  and 
continues  in  a  pretty  direct  course  to  station  3. 

The  elevation  on  the  north  side  of  this  branch  of  the  fault  has  been 
very  great,  and  has  extended  over  a  large  area.  White  Rock  and  Am- 
phitheater Mountains  have  probably  been  the  highest  granitic  points, 
but  the  whole  mass  of  the  Castle  group  has  been  carried  up  so  uniformly 
that  the  Paleozoic  rocks  lie  in  an  almost  horizontal  position  upon  a 
plateau-like  mass  of  granite.    (See  section  H,  large  sheet) 

A  few  miles  south  of  station  3,  which  is  the  most  southeasterly  gran- 
ite outcrop  of  the  Castle  group,  a  small  pyramidal  mass  of  granite  lias 
forced  its  way  up  through  the  primordial  rocks  bordering  the  granites 
of  the  Sawatch  range,  producing  the  summit  of  Italian  peak.  Although 
this  bit  of  granite  seems  quite  isolated  from  the  previously-described 
centers  of  disturbance,  a  very  marked  line  of  fracture  and  faulting  may 
be  traced  between  it  and  the  Castle  group,  but  as  the  details  of  this 
region  have  already  been  given  by  Drs.  fiayden  and  Peale,  I  shall  con- 
tent myself  by  giving,  in  conclusion,  a  brief  recapitulation  of  the  more 
striking  features  of  the  Elk  range.  Topographically  speaking,  it  is  a 
spur  of  the  great  continental  divide,  but  geologically  it  is  quite  inde- 
pendent in  origin.  It  trends  nearly  northwest  and  southeast,  so  that 
one  extremity  lies  high  upon  the  slopes  of  the  Sawatch  range,  while  the 
other  extends  far  out  into  the  low  country  bordering  the  Grand  River. 


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HOLMB8.]  SUMM  AEY.  7 1 

It  seems  to  owe  its  present  conformation  to  the  occurrence  of  three 
nearly  parallel  lines  or  belts  of  displacement,  two  of  depression  and  one 
of  elevation. 

The  depression  along  the  valley  of  Roaring  Fork,  which  has  already 
been  pi'csented  in  Fig.  1,  is  included  between  the  diverging  axes  of  the 
two  ranges,  and  exhibits  some  very  curious  examples  of  faulting  and 
folding. 

The  elevated  belt,  which  constitutes  the  range,  is  about  forty  miles  in 
length.  It  slopes  gently  toward  the  depression  on  the  east,  but  drops  off 
very  abruptly  on  the  west  in  a  great  fault-fold.  Four  considerable  areas 
of  eruptive  granite  occur  along  the  axis  of  this  belt  or  zone,  and  the  de 
pressions  between  these  contain  synclinal  folds  of  the  sedimentary  beds, 
as  seen  in  the  longitudinal  section  given  on  the  large  sheet. 

It  will  be  noticed,  by  reference  to  the  transverse  sections,  that  the 
axis  section,  which  follows  approximately  the  crests  of  the  range,  is 
generally  to  the  east  of  the  axis  of  displacement.  The  reason  of  this 
will  be  plain,  when  it  is  observed  that  the  entire  series  of  strata  rise 
gradually  from  the  valley  of  the  Roaring  Fork  synclinal,  until  the  axis 
of  displacement  is  reached,  and  that  the  highest  points,  which  would  at 
first  stand  along  the  line  of  this  axis,  are  now  carried  back  by  erosion 
iirom  one  to  five  miles  to  the  east. 

The  amount  of  vertical  displacement  along  the  fault-fold,  between 
Aspen  Greek  on  the  northwest,  and  station  3  on  the  southeast,  does 
not  fall  short  of  5,000  feet  at  any  point,  and  will  probably  measure  10,000 
feet  iu  one  or  two  places  along  the  west  side  of  the  Snow  Mass  gi'onp. 

The  depressed  belt  west  of  the  range,  occupied  by  the  valleys  of  Rock 
Creek  and  Ea«t  River,  is  very  intimately  associated  with  the  fault-fold, 
and  has  been  produced  by  the  downthrow  on  that  side  rather  than 
by  any  indei)endent  folding,  as  the  strata  do  not  rise  at  all  to  the  west, 
except  for  a  few  miles  along  the  east  face  of  Treasury  Mountain,  as  seen 
iu  sections  E  and  F. 

On  the  11th  day  of  September  we  fell  in  with  the  main  party  just  south 
of  Italien  Mountain,  and  after  spending  a  few  days  in  the  review  of  the 
geology  about  the  headwaters  of  East  River,  began  our  return  march  to 
the  East. 


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EEPOET  OF  A.  C.  PEALE,  M.  D., 


GEOLOGIST  OF  MIDDLE  DIVISION. 


1874 


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REPORT  OP  A.  C.  PEALE,  M.  D.,  GEOLOGIST  OF  THE  MIDDLE  DIVISION. 

Washington,  D.  C,  May  16, 1875. 

SiB:  I  have  the  honor  herewith  to  submit  my  report  as  geologist  of 
the  middle  division  of  the  United  States  Geological  and  Oeographiral 
Survey  of  the  Territories  for  tbe  season  of  1874. 

The  report  of  Mr.  Henry  Gannett,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  division, 
will  supplement  this  report,  and  to  it  I  refer  for  more  detailed  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  routes  followed,  elevation,  and  topographical  fea- 
tures of  the  district  assigned  us.  We  left  Denver  on  the  21st  of  July, 
and  by  the  5th  of  August  had  commenced  work  near  the  head  of  the 
Eagle  River. 

On  the  1st  of  November  work  was  suspended  and  we  started  tor  Den- 
ver, reaching  that  city  about  the  middle  of  the  month.  During  the 
three  months  we  were  in  the  field  at  work  5,300  square  miles  were  sur- 
veyed. 

My  plan  of  working  was  in  general  the  same  as  during  the  season  of 
1873. 

Accompanying  the  topographer  in  charge  to  almost  all  the  high  sta- 
tions, I  made  sketches  of  the  surrounding  country,  on  which  I  defined 
in  colors  the  boundaries  of  the  various  formations.  Whenever  time 
permitted  I  made  detailed  sections  of  the  strata. 

This  report  is  divided  into  nine  chapters,  the  first  three  of  which  are 
devoted  to  the  general  geological  and  topographical  features  respect- 
ively of  the  valleys  of  Eagle,  Grand,  and  Gunnison  Rivers.  The  suc- 
ceeding chapters  give  the  special  and  detailed  features  of  the  various 
formations,  and  the  economical  geology  of  the  district.  Catalogues  of 
the  minerals  and  rocks  are  appended. 

The  report  is  accompanied  by  maps  and  sections,  for  which  I  am 
largely  indebted  to  Mr.  William  H.  Holmes  and  Mr.  Henry  Gannett.  I 
have  colored  the  geological  formations  on  a  provisional  map,  reduced  by 
photography  from  the  original  drawing  of  Mr.  Gannett's  map  of  the 
district. 

The  rapidity  of  preparation  and  necessary  absence  during  publication 
of  the  report  must  be  my  excuse  ior  any  errors  that  may  appear. 

In  conclusion  I  wish  to  express  my  thanks  for  the  cordial  co-opera- 
tion of  all  the  members  of  the  party. 

With  great  respect,  I  remain  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  C.  PEALE. 
Dr.  P.  V.  Hayden, 

United  States  Oologiat. 


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INTRODUCTION. 


Tbe  territory  assigned  to  the  middle  division  for  tbe  season  of  1873 
was  thus  outlined  in  the  letter  of  instruction  given  to  Mr.  Gannett,  who 
Tiras  in  charge,  on  taking  the  field : 

^^  Tbe  boundaries  of  the  area  to  be  mapped  by  your  division  (or  as 
mach  of  it  as  the  season  will  allow)  are  as  follows :  Commencing  at  the 
intersection  of  meridian  lOO^  30^  and  the  Grand  River,  the  line  runs 
nortbeastward  up  the  Grand  River  to  the  junction  of  the  Eagle  River; 
thence  up  the  Eagle  Rive;*  to  the  mouth  of  Roche  Moutonn^e  Greek; 
theuce  westward  along  the  northern  boundary  of  last  summer's  (1873) 
work  to  its  intersection  with  meridian  107^;  thence  southward  along 
the  western  side  of  last  summer's  work,  approximately  on  the  107Hi 
meridian,  to  parallel  38^  30' ;  thence  westward  on  this  parallel  to  the 
intersection  of  meridian  109^  30' ;  and  thence  northward  on  this  merid- 
ian to  the  intersection  of  109^  30'  with  Grand  River." 

This  area  has  an  irregular  boundary.  Grand  River,  on  the  north,  and 
includes  between  7,000  and  8,000  square  miles,  of  which  about  5,300 
square  miles  were  actually  worked  during  the  season.  The  area  is 
hounded  on  the  west  by  the  Uncompahgre  and  Gunnison  Rivers,  leav- 
ing the  area  west  of  these  streams  for  another  season.  This  gave  us  a 
well-defined  natural  boundary  as  our  western  limit.  The  greater  por- 
tion of  the  area  is  plateau  country,  the  elevation  of  which  ranges  from 
9,000  feet  to  11,000  feet  above  sea  level.  The  mountainous  portion  is 
Umited  to  the  southeastern  part,  along  the  western  edge  of  the  Elk 
Mountains.  The  drainage  is  comprehended  in  two  systems,  viz,  that  of 
the  Grand  River  and  that  of  the  Gunnison  River. 

The  entire  district  is  within  the  limits  of  the  reservation  for  the  Ute 
Indians,  and  a  large  portion  of  it  had  never  been  visited  by  white  men. 
lu  1853  Captain  Gunnison,  exploring  for  a  route  for  a  Pacific  Railroad, 
surveyed  a  belt  of  country  along  the  river  that  now  bears  his  name.    In 
the  winter  of  1853-'54,  Col.  John  C.  Fremont  passed  over  nearly  the 
same  route  that  Gunnison  did.    In  1845  Fremont  followed  the  Arkansas 
to  its  head,  crossed  Tennessee  Pass  (called  Utah  Pass  by  him),  to  the 
Pioey  (Eagle),  and  followed  it  for  some  distance,  finally  crossing  to  the 
Blue  (Grand  River),  and  continuing  westward.    In  1873  Lieutenant 
Ruffuer  followed  Ohio  Creek  to  its  head,  crossed  to  the  head  of  Anthra- 
cite Creek,  and  thence  to  Slate  River,  going  eastward  to  the  Arkansas. 
All  these  were  merely  reconnaissance  surveys,  and  added  but  little  to 
our  knowledge  of  the  country  outside  of  their  routes.    The  great  mass 
of  country  lying  between  was  unexplored.  %» 

The  general  geological  features  of  the  district  will  be  given  in  subse- 
quent chapters.  The  greater  portion  of  the  district  is  covered  with 
rocks  of  Tertiary  and  Cretaceous  age,  covered  in  places  with  lava- 
flows. 

Mr.  Ganuett's  report  will  give  all  details  in  regard  to  the  elevations 
of  iieaks  and  passes,  and  topography  of  the  country. 

77 


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CHAPTER   I. 


SUBFAGK  GKOLOOY— VALLEY  OF  EAGLE  RIVER. 


Baggie  Kiver  is  a  branch  of  Orand  Eiver,  one  of  the  forks  aniting  to 
form  the  Colorado.  It  rises  immediately  opposite  the  head  of  the 
Arkansas,  and  is  about  sixty-four  miles  in  length.  At  its  head  it  is 
formed  by  two  main  branches,  one  having  its  source  in  the  Park  range, 
and  tbe  other  rising  in  the  Sawatch  range,  which  terminates  in  the 
Moantain  of  the  Holy  Cross.  The  Sawatch  range,  on  the  western  side 
of  tbe  valley  of  the -Arkansas  River,  forms  the  continental  divide.  North 
ot  the  Holy  Cross  the  range  falls  off,  the  water-shed  or  divide  crossing 
to  the  eastward  at  Tennessee  Pass,  between  the  heads  of  Eagle  River  and 
tbe  Arkansas. 

Eagle  River  flows  around  the  northern  end  of  the  Sawatch  range.  Its 
g^eoeral  course,  at  first,  is  a  little  west  of  north.  Ten  miles  north  of  the 
ELoly  Cross  it  bends  more  to  the  westward,  and  the  general  course  for 
nearly  fourteen  miles  is  north  64^  west.  It  then  turns  abruptly  and 
flows*  south  78<^  west,  which  course  it  holds  quite  uniformly  for  about 
twenty  miles,  to  its  mouth. 

Tbe  greater  part  of  its  drainage  is  from  the  south.  The  entire  area 
drained  by  the  southern  branches  is  a  little  over  five  hundred  square 
miles.  The  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  in  Mr.  Marvine's  district,  and 
wilt  no  doubt  be  fully  treated  of  in  his  report. 

Tbe  river  is  a  very  rapid  stream  throughout  its  entire  length.  The 
average  fall  is  67.2  feet  per  mile.  From  Tennessee  Pass  to  the  mouth  of 
Soche-Moutonn6e  Creek,  the  rate  is  150  feet,  and  from  here  to  the  head 
of  tbe  second  canon  49.4  feet,  while  from  the  latter  place  to  the  mouth 
it  is  32.4  feet. 

Tbe  upper  part  of  Eagle  Eiver  was  partially  described  in  the  last 
annual  report  (1873),  our  division  having  followed  it.  as  far  as  Boche- 
Montonn^e  Creek,  for  the  purpose  of  ascending  the  Mountain  of  the 
Holy  Cross.  In  order  that  this  report  may  be  complete  I  will  have  to 
repeat  a  portion  of  the  notes  on  my  work  of  the  previous  year.  For  a 
distance  of  about  three  miles  from  Tennessee  Pass  the  river  is  in  a 
canon*like  valley,  the  hills  on  either  side  beiug  comparatively  low  and 
rounded.  The  rocks  are  granitic,  with  occasional  dikes  of  volcanic  ma- 
terial. From  this  caiion  the  stream  emerges  into  a  broad  meadow-like 
valley  of  about  four  miles  in  length,  in  which  it  is  joined  by  the  branch 
rising  in  the  Park  rauge  near  Quandary  peak. 

The  valley  is  three  miles  in  width,  the  hills  on  either  side  of  granitic 
rock  being  capped  with  sedimentary  formations,  which  will  be  refen-ed 
to  in  more  detail  in  another  part  of  the  report.  Leaving  thiB  valley, 
the  river  flows  immediately  into  a  canon  with  steep  sides,  the  trail  leav- 
ing and  crossing  to  the  western  branch.  A  line  of  outcrop  of  quartz- 
ites  crosses  the  river  and  follows  the  summit  of  the  ridge  between 
the  two  branches.  These  beds  are,  in  all  probability,  primordial.  Car- 
boniferous beds  outcrop  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  eastern  branch,  but 
1  deler  their  description  for  the  present. 

7a 


80        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  western  branch  is  in  reality  the  continnation  of  the  main  river, 
being  twelve  miles  long.  It  rises  in  the  Sawatch  i*ange,  and  drains  the 
country  for  six  miles  south  of  the  Mountain  of  the  H0I3'  Cross.  Its 
course  at  first  is  north  40^  east,  but  in  the  lower  two  miles  it  flows  almost 
at  right  angles  to  this,  being  parallel  to  the  eastern  brauch.  On  the 
western  side  of  the  stream  the  hills  are  gneissic,  the  sedimentary  cap- 
ping have  been  removed  by  erosion.  All  the  streams  joining  the  river 
above  the  mouth  of  the  Piney  on  the  south  and  west  present  abandaot 
evidence  of  intense  glacial  aetioii.  They  are  parallel  to  each  other,  the 
general  course  being  north  40^  east.  The  glaciation  was  described  in  the 
report  for  1873,  and  I,  therefore,  simply  refer  to  it  here. 

Before  uniting  with  the  western  branch,  the  eastern  fork  is  joined 
by  a  branch  of  considerable  size  having  its  source  in  the  Park  ran^, 
opposite  Ten-Mile  Greek,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  Blue  Biver.  The 
geology  about  the  head  of  this  stream  has  never  as  yet  been  fully  inves- 
tigated, but  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  all  the  formations,  from  the 
Carboniferous  to  the  Bed  Beds,  inclusive,  will  be  found  along  its  course. 
The  Cretaceous  beds  would  scarcely  appear  until  we  reach  a  point 
farther  north,  near  Mount  Powell.  As  I  mentioned  in  last  year's  re- 
port,* I  think  it  probable  that  a  fault  extends  along  the  western  edge 
of  the  Park  range,  west  of  Blue  Biver. 

After  the  union  of  the  two  forks,  Eagle  Biver  enters  a  deep  and  inac- 
cessible canon  of  about  four  miles  in  length,  cut  in  dark-colored  gueissic 
rocks,  from  which  it  emerges  just  above  the  mouth  of  Boche-Moutonn^e 
Creek.  The  trail  keeps  high  (800  to  1,000  feet)  above  the  level  of  the 
river,  on  the  hills  on  the  eastern  side,  near  the  edge  of  the  sedimentary 
formations,  which  are  exposed  on  both  sides  of  the  canon.  On  the 
western  side  there  are  only  patches  of  quartzite,  remnants  of  the  Pots- 
dam group.  On  the  eastern  side  there  are  other  beds,  probably  of  Silurian 
age,  upon  which  rest  Carboniferous  layers,  and  possibly  the  Devoniao, 
although  it  seems  to  be  altogether  wanting,  there  being  no  positive  evi- 
dence of  its  existence  here.  These  beds  all  dip  about  10^  to  20^  to  the 
northeast,  the  inclination  gradually  changing  more  to  the  north  as  we 
follow  the  river.  In  the  bluffs  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  river,  oppo- 
site the  mouth  of  Boche-Moutonn^e  Creek,  formations  from  those  of  Pri* 
mordial  age  to  the  Permian,  or  Permo-Carboniferous,  are  exposed. 
This,  of  course,  includes  the  Devonian  doubtfully,  for  that  formation 
has  not,  as  yet,  been  positively  identified  in  Colorado.  Just  above  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  gneiss  is  seen  on  the  edge  of  the  river,  but  as  we  go 
down,  higher  and  higher  sedimentary  beds  gradually  form  the  base  of  the 
bluffs,  and  below  the  Piney  the  line  of  outcrop  of  the  Carboniferoas 
crosses,  and  still  farther  down  even  the  Cretaceous  shows  on  both  sides, 
the  strike  curving  around  the  end  of  the  range  and  continuing  along 
the  western  side  to  the  Elk  Mountains,  in  our  last  year's  district.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  as  far  as  the  Pine^,  there  are  long  spurs,  or 
ridges,  sloping  gently  at  an  angle  of  about  10^,  toward  the  river. 
These  ridges  are  capped  with  quartzite,  which  I  have  considered  to  be 
the  equivalent  of  the  Potsdam  group.  These  quartzites  terminate 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  center  of  the  range.  Erosion  has  re- 
moved the  beds  formerly  resting  upon  them,  their  hardness  preserving 
them.    They  are  shown  in  Section  B,  Plate  I. 

The  creeks,  separating  these  ridges«  have  their  origin  in  beautiful 
meadow-like  parks,  nestling  immediately  below  the  i)eaks  in  the  range, 
from  whose  snow  banks  they  derive  their  supply  of  water;  thence^ tbef 
flow  with  a  comparatively  uniform  descent  to  within  a  short  distance  of 

'Seventh  Annual  Report,  1873,  pa^^e  242. 


A" 


nALS.]  GEOLOGY — EAGLE  BIVER.  81 

Ea^le,  when  tbey  descend  rapidly  to  its  level.  The  erosion  along  the 
main  stream  has  been  much  greater  for  several  reasons.  In  the  first 
place  the  beds  have  a  dip  from  the  main  range,  leaving,  perhaps,  a  sort 
of  trough  between  the  Sawatch  range  and  the  Park  range. .  This  de- 
termined the  course  of  the  river,  which  we  accordingly  tind  curving 
around  the  range  as  the  sedimentary  formations  do.  These  beds  are 
also  in  a  great  measure  made  up  of  sandstones  that  are  comparatively 
soft,  and  yielded  readily  to  the  action  of  water.  The  river,  therefore,  is 
in  a  monoclinal  rift  for  a  considerable  portion  of  its  course. 

In  thecafion,  above  the  mouth  of  Eoche-Moatonn^e  Creek,  the  streams 
reach  the  river  by  falls  and  cascades. 

Tbe  slopes  are  heavily  timbered  with  dense  pine  forests,  and  along 
the  streams  are  groves  of  cotton  wood,  (Po^m/u*  treynuloides.)  In  the 
cauon  are  huge  bowlders,  which,  mingled  with  the  dead  and  fallen 
timber  where  the  forest  has  been  swept  by  fires,  cause  great  difficulty 
in  traveling. 

At  the  month  of  the  Piney,  a  stream  coming  in  from  the  east,  the 
river  again  enters  a  canon.  It  is  something  over  a  mile  in  length.  At 
the  head  of  the  canon  is  a  high  bluff  on  the  right  side,  while  the  op- 
posite bank  is  broken  down,  allowing  the  passage  of  the  trail  over  the 
bill,  not  very  far  above  the  level  of  the  water. 

On  the  south  side,  on  the  top  of  the  quartzite,  (Potsdam  ?)  are  lime- 
stones, and,  a  short  distance  below,  the  Carboniferous  sandstones  cross 
tbe  river,  the  angle  of  inclination  being  about  25^,  a  little  more  to  the 
northward  than  in  the  bluffs  opposite  Roche-Moutonn^e  Creek. 

Below  the  canon  the  Eagle  enters  a  broad  valley,  extending  for  ten 
miles,  to  the  head  of  another  canon.  This  valley  will  probably  average 
a  mile  in  width,  and  is  filled  with  the  debris  washed  ^odq  the  hills  on 
either  side.  It  is  terraced  and  covered  with  a  growth  of  sage-brush, 
(Artemuia,)  Bordering  the  river  is  a  narrow  belt  of  alluvium  which 
videos  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  around  two  small  lake-expan- 
sions of  the  stream.  There  are  beautiful  meadows  around  the  lakes. 
Tbe  lower  lake  is  about  a  mile  long  and  an  eighth  of  a  mile  wide,  while 
tbe  upper  one  is  much  smaller,  being  only  a  little  over  a  half  a  mile  in 
length. 

Here  we  found  a  party  of  men  camped.  They  were  prospecting  and 
fishing.  Eagle  Biver  abounds  in  delicious  trout  of  a  large  size,  some 
that  we  measured  being  sixteen  inches  in  length.  Their  plan  was  to 
take  the  fish  every  week  to  Oro  City,  on  the  Arkanssis  River,  and  sell 
tbem.  They  also  claimed  to  have  found  gold  in  some  of  the  streams 
coming  from  the  Sawateh  range.  The  gold,  if  present,  is  probably  de- 
rived from  the  granitic  and  gueissic  rocks  that  prevail  near  the  heads  of 
the  creeks. 

The  course  of  the  Eagle  through  the  valley  we  have  just  described  is 
Dorth  780  west.  On  the  southwest  side,  the  long  sloping  spurs  that  we 
noticed  above  the  Piney  still  continue.  Near  the  river  they  are  lower, 
and,  for  the  most  part,  grassed  over,  only  an  occasional  outcrop  of  lime- 
stone or  sandstone  appearing.  On  the  opposite  side  are  outcrops  of 
^d  sandstone  (Triassic?).  I  have  referred  to  the  canon  which  bounds 
the  lower  end  of  the  valley.  It  is  somewhat  curious.  On  entering  it  the 
^ver  changes  its  course  and  flows  north  45^  west,  which  direction  it  keeps 
for  four  miles.  It  then  turns  abruptly  and  flows  south  72o  west.  This 
portion  of  its  course  in  the  canon  is  three  miles  in  length.  On  the  south 
^de  is  a  semicircular  ridge,  extending  from  the  head  of  the  cation  to  its 
foot.  It  reminds  one  of  a  bow,  while  the  river,  with  its  bend,  is  the 
<^rd  ready  drawn  to  discharge  the  arrow.    We  made  two  stations  on 

6h 


82        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

this  ridge,  which  is  1,500  to  2,000  feet  above  the  river.    Its  rim  is 
of  the  saDclstone  of  No.  1  Cretaceous  (Dakota  group),  which  ci 
the  river  at^the  head  of  the  canon,  almost  at  right  angles  to  its 
the  dip  beiug  in  the  direction  of  the  stream.    On  the  north  side 
is  a  curious  spoon-like  curve  in  the  strata,  shown  in  Plate  II,  whicl 
be  fully  explained  in  Mr.  Marviue's  report,  as  it  is  in  his  district.| 
neath  the  Cretaceous  sandstone,  in  place,  are  the  Jurassic  sbalei 
limestones,  followed  by  the  Ked  Beds,  (Tria«sic?)  underneath  whi 
a  series  of  gypsiferous  beds,  exposed  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
will  all  be  rei'erred  to  again  when  I  come  to  speak  of  the  varioi 
mations  separately. 

The  river^  on  leaving  the  canon,  keeps  the  course  it  has  there 
it  reaches  the  Grand.    The  valley  is  about  twelve  miles  long,  exti 
to  within  five  or  six  miles  of  the  Grand.    It  is  wide  and  bordere< 
low  hills  of  gypsiferous  shales,  covered  with  a  growth  of  cedar  ( Jm 
occidentMis),    Beyond  these  hills  are  higher  ones,  not  reaching 
timber-line,  the  basis  being  red  sandstones.     The  gypsum  bills  ai 
spicnous  from  their  white  color  and  their  softness,  which  causes  tl 
yield   readily  to  eroding  influences.      They  are   therefore  mw 
up  by  gullies  which  forthegreaterportionof  theyeararedry,but 
storms  are  the  beds  of  torrents  washing  down  the  soft  clay.    Each 
extending  into  them,  fans  out  into  a  great  number  of  small  gullies.^ 
shales  and  sandstones  of  which  they  are  formed  belong  to  the  sam< 
zon,  viz,  Carboniferous  or  Permo-Carboniferous,  as  do  those  menl 
as  occurring  below  the  Bed  Beds  above  the  canon. 

It  seems  as  though  the  Eagle,  instead  of  entering  the  caiion  and  ci 
its  way  across  the  hard  sandstone  of  the  Dakota  group,  shoukll 
worn  its  channel  through  these  softer  beds  that  lie  to  the  southwij 
its  present  course.    It  might  perhaps  have  done  this,  but  that  an 
of  eruptive  rock  (basalt),  of  great  hardness,  caps  the  hills  south 
caiion  (see  map  A),  forming  a  barrier  that  in  all  probability  deteri 
its  deflection  to  the  northward.    Fig.  1,  Plate  II,  represents  a  S4 
across  this  area  from  the  Eagle  to  creek  g. 

There  are  two  large  creeks  flowing  into  the  Eagle  from  the  sot 
this  lower  valley.    The  first  or  eastern  one  I  will  designate  as  ci 
and  the  other  as  creek  k.   They  both  have  their  origin  in  abroad 
ridge  of  red  sandstone  (Triassic  t)  which  forms  the  divide  or  wat< 
between  Frying-Pan  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Boaring  Fork,  and  the 
of  the  Eagle.    In  1873  we  made  a  station  (No.  82),  on  this  ridg^ 
from  it  I  made  a  section,*  showing  the  structure  of  the  country  as 
peare<l  to  be  looking  northward.    I  said,  in  the  report,t  that 
seemed  to  be  a  series  of  faults  and  that  the  section  might  have 
modified  when  the  region  should  have  been  more  closely  studied. 

I  found  this  year  that  the  beds  I  then  thought  to  be  Cretaceous, 
ing  from  the  color  as  seen  from  the  st^ition  on  looking  north,  are 
tlie  gypsiferous  beds  that  lie  beneath  tbe  red  sandstones.    Instei 
number  of  faults,  therefore,  as  shown  in  the  illustration  (Fig.  3, 
19,  Report  for  1873),  there  is  simply  an  exposure  of  the  gypsum 
both  the  places  marked  '^  Cretaceous,"  at  the  head  of  creek  h  and  it 
valley  of  F^agle  Biver.    As  I  mentioned  in  my  notes  of  last  yeai 
red  sandstones  on  station  82  dip  a  few  degrees  west  of  north,  incli 
at  a  comparatively  small  angle,  which  increases  as  we  go  norths 
On  station  8,  the  dip  is  in  the  same  direction,  as  also  on  station  9. 

*  Plate  19,  Fig.  3,  7th  Annual  Report,  1873. 
t  Page  266,  7th  Annaal  Report,  1873. 


JJI'i-KriJ.   J 


^     .. 


-^1 


84 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 


low  bloff-like  wall,  teu  to  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water.  It 
seems  to  have  come  down  the  ravines  in  the  hills  bordering  the  valley, 
and  to  have  spread  out  like  the  slag  from  a  furnace.  The  river  seems 
to  have  stopped  its  progress,  for  no  trace  of  the  rock  could  be  found  on 
the  south  side.  It  seems  to  have  forced  the  river  to  the  southern  side 
of  the  valley,  and  the  force  of  the  water  has  scooped  out  the  hills,  leav- 
ing bluifs  on  that  side  in  which  the  strata  forming  the  hills  are  beauti- 
fully shown. 


i_ 


r»  •*«««> 


'.iln 


nnj. 


CHAPTER  11. 


SUBPAOE  GEOLOGY — GRAND  EIVBR  AND  ITS  TRIBUTARIES. 


Grand  Eiver  rises  in  Grand  Lake,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Middle 
Park,  west  of  Long's  Peak,  and  derives  its  supply  of  water  near  its  head 
from  the  Colorado  or  Front  Eange,  the  divide  between  Middle  and  ]Sorth 
Parks  and  the  Park  range. 

It  unites  with  the  Green  Eiver  to  form  the  Colorado,  and  has  a  total 
leogth  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  miles  is  in  our  district.  It  rises  farther  eastward  than  any  other 
water  in  Colorado  which  flows  into  the  Pacific. 

On  some  maps  the  name  Blue  Eiver  is  given  to  it,  while  the  name 
Grand  is  applied  to  the  Gunnison  and  to  the  Grand  proper  below  the 
month  of  theGunuison.  Gunnison*  callsit  Nah-un-kah-reaor  BlueEiver, 
and  the  Gunnison  he  names  the  Grand.  Blue  Eiver,  in  reality,  is  in  Mid- 
dle Park  and  a  branch  of  the  Grand. 

The  reasons  for  using  the  name  Grand  in  preference  to  Blue  are  briefly 
as  follows : 

It  is  really  the  main  stream,  being,  at  the  junction  of  the  Gunnison, 
twice  the  size  of  the  latter,  andif  the  nanieis  given  to  the  lower  portion 
it  should  also  be  giv'en  to  the  largest  stream  above.  Again,  it  is  so 
known  all  through  Colorado  and  at  its  head  in  Middle  Park,  and  will 
probably,  therefore,  always  hold  good,  while  the  name  Blue  is  restricted 
to  the  branch  rising  in  the  divide  between  the  Middle  Park  and  the 
South  Park,  and  flowing  northward  along  the  eastern  side  of  the  Park 
range. 

la  Middle  Park  Grand  Eiver  is  from  forty  to  fifty  miles  in  length,  and 
has  been  fully  described  by  Mr.  Marvine  in  his  report  for  1873,  and 
from  the  Park  range  to  the  mouth  of  Eagle  Eiver,  a  distance  of  about 
forty-five  mile'^  in  a  straight  line,  it  lies  within  his  district  for  1874,  and 
will  no  doubt  be  fully  reported  on  by  him. 

Prom  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison,  it  formed 
the  boundary  between  the  northern  and  middle  districts,  and  we  have 
therefore  to  treat  here  only  of  the  general  features  and  geology  of  its 
southern  drainage  in  this  part  of  its  course.  There  are  three  large 
branches  which  I  will  take  up  in  their  order,  commencing  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Eagle. 

On  glancing  at  the  map  we  notice  that  there  are  two  general  courses 
for  the  streams,  the  Grand  flowing  south  of  west  and  turning  more  and 
more  to  the  southward  as  we  go  west,  until  at  one  point  it  flows  almost 
dae  south,  afterward  turning  to  the  west  before  reaching  the  mouth  of 
the  Gunnison.  The  courses  of  the  main  branches,  especially  of  the 
first  two,  are  west  of  north.  The  third  holds  the  same  general  course  at 
first,  but  are  afterward  modified  by  circumstances  that  will  be  explained 
&rther  on. 


'Pacific  Railroad  Report,  vol.  ii. 

85 


86        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TEURITORIES. 

The  area  drained  by  these  branches  inclades  about  1,300  square 
miles. 

Tbe  country  included  is  generally  plateau-like  in  character.  This  is 
more  apparent  to  the  westward,  and  in  the  divide  between  the  Grand 
Biver  and  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison.  The  general  elevation  of 
the  plateau  is  from  9,000  feet  to  11,000  feet. 

In  the  eastern  portion,  from  the  Eagle  River  to  a  short  distance  west 
of  Roariug  Fork,  are  rolling  hills  covered  with  scrub-oak  {Querent  atta)^ 
cotton- woods  (Fopulus  tremuloides)^  and  stunted  cedars  {Juniperus  occi- 
dentali^).  The  latter  was  most  abundant  on  the  lower  slopes,  aud 
seemed  to  thrive  best  on  soil  derived  from  the  breaking  down  of  the 
shales  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  formations.  The 
rocks  throughout  this  region  were  mostly  of  Tertiary  age,  capped  in 
places  by  basalt.  The  general  geology,  however,  will  be  dwelt  on  as 
we  iiroceed. 

The  course  of  the  Grand,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle  to  the  month 
of  Roaring  Fork,  is  south  60^  west.  Most  of  this  distance,  sixteen  miles 
in  an  airline,  the  river  is  in  caiion,  the  head  of  which  is  a  little  over  three 
miles  below  the  Eagle.  It  is  probably  impassable  to  travel,  the  sides 
being  very  steep.  There  is  no  Indian  trail  following  the  course  of  the 
river.  Mr.  Marvine's  party  kept  on  the  hills  some  distance  back  from 
the  edge  on  the  northern  side,  and  we  followed  an  Indian  trail  across 
the  hills  to  a  stream  which  joins  the  Grand  at  the  head  of  the  caiion. 
This  trail  seemed  to  be  much  used  and  leads  across  to  Roaring  Fork, 
which  it  strikes  above  the  mouth  of  Rock  Creek,  a  branch  rising  in  the 
Elk  Mountains. 

The  valley  above  the  canon  is  about  three  and  a  half  miles  in  length, 
and  although  wider  than  the  valley  of  the  Eagle  just  above  its  mouth, 
is  still  comparatively  narrow.  On  the  north  side  are  limestone  slopes, 
and  on  the  south  low,  rounded  hills  of  the  gypsiferous  beds.  At  the 
he^d  of  the  canon  and  forming  tbe  gateway,  as  it  were,  are  beds  of  mas- 
sive limestone,  probably  of  Carboniferous  age.  They  dip  to  the  north- 
east, inclining  about  20^.  Farther  along  in  tbe  canon  there  may  be  out- 
crops of  older  beds,  which  can  be  determined  only  by  following  the 
blufifs  close  to  tbe  river.  The  hills  on  the  south  side  of  the  caiion  are 
ca))ped  with  a  black  vesicular  basalt,  which  rests  immediately  on  the 
Triassic  red  sandstones.  The  dip  of  these  beds  I  was  unable  to  deter- 
mine, but  tbey  are  probably  conformable  to  the  layers  beneath. 

Tbe  creek  up  which  the  trail  led,  after  leaving  the  Grand,  joins  the 
river  by  cutting  a  small  caiion  through  limestones  similar  to  those  at 
the  head  of  the  canon  of  the  Grand.  These  beds  are  somewhat  mas- 
sive, and  above  them  are  blue  limestones  with  interlaminated  sand- 
stones passing  into  gray  and  white  sandstones,  with  yellow  and  black 
shaly  beds  above.  These  are  beneath  the  pink  gypsiferous  beds  out- 
cropping farther  up  and  corresponding  with  those  on  Eagle  River. 
Still  farther  up  stream  the  Red  Beds  appear,  the  line  of  outcrop  crossing 
the  creek  near  its  head. 

Leaving  this  creek,  we  crossed  to  the  waters  of  Roaring  Fork,  the  first 
stream  reached  being  a  branch  joining  it  about  two  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  Rock  Creek.  The  couhtry  between  the  Grand  and  Roaring 
Fork  here  is  a  rolling  plateau  covered  mostly  with  a  growth  of  scrub- 
oak.  The  plateau  is  capped  with  a  black  vesicular  basalt,  which  in 
places  is  worn  away,  exposing  the  red  sandstone  beneath.  The 
head  of  the  creek  is  in  canon  in  which  the  Cretaceous  beds  are  shown, 
dipping  to  the  southwest.  Station  No.  11  was  almost  on  the  line  be- 
tween the  top  of  the  fied  Beds  and  the  overlying  stata.    Farther  down 


«ALB.l  GEOLOGY — ROARING  FORK.  87 

the  creek  there  are  exposures  of  Cretaceous  beds  in  patches,  whose  re- 
lations I  was  nnable  to  determine  definitely. 

Between  the  head  of  the  creek  and  Frying-Pan  Creek  is  a  broad- 
topped  hill  or  mesa,  capped  with  black  vesicular  basalt.  1  referred  to 
this  mesa  last  year,*  and  then  supposed  the  capping  to  be  trachytic. 
The  beds  beneath  it,  outcropping  on  the  souch  and  southeast  sides,  are 
almost  horizontal,  the  sandstone  of  the  Dakota  group  (Cretaceous  No.  1) 
appearing  on  top,  the  Jurassic  beds  and  Triassic  sandstones  lying  be- 
neath in  their  order.  A  short  distance  farther  north,  on  Frying-Pun 
Creek,  the  dip  of  the  red  sandstones,  which  outcrop  in  massive  beds,  is 
a  little  east  of  north  at  a  very  slight  angle,  5^  to  10^.  As  we  have 
already  seen,  the  Cretaceous  formations  on  station  11  dip  southwest. 
The  head  of  the  creek  that  we  are  describing,  probiibly  has  its  origin  in 
a  synclinal  depression,  which  deepens  to  the  northwest  in  going  down 
the  creek,  and  gradually  dies  out  beyond  its  head  on  the  bioad-topped 
hills  north  of  Fiying-Pan.  The  folds  in  this  region  are  generally  very 
gentle,  but  their  axes  run  in  almost  every  direction.  There  is  so  much 
eruptive  material  on  top  of  the  sedimentary  beds  that  it  is  difficult  to 
trace  the  connections  between  the  different  outcrops.  Mr.  Marvine 
thinks  there  is  a  fault  running  beneath  the  plateau,  betweeii  the  Grand 
and  Roaring  Fork. 

Scattered  along  the  course  of  the  creek,  and  its  branches  rising  in 
ihe  plateau,  are  numerous  little  meadows.  The  lower  seven  miles  of 
its  course  the  creek  is  in  caiion,  which  deepens  rapidly  as  we  go  down. 
Tfaerocksatthehead  are  basaltic,  capping  the  bluffs  on  either  side.  They 
are  present  on  the  hills,  or  rather  plateau,  throughout  the  length  of  the 
caiion.  At  one  point  I  think  Cretaceous  shows,  although  I  cannot  be 
certain,  as  I  did  not  have  time  to  visit  the  outcrop.  Farther  down,  the 
Red  Beds  show,  and  beneath  them,  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  there  is  a 
considerable  thickness  of  the  gypsil'erous  series. 

I  will  take  up  next  the  valley  of  Roaring  Fork.  The  upper  portion 
of  the  valley  was  described  in  last  year's  report,  so  that  this  year  we 
have  to  do  only  with  the  lower  part  of  its  course,  that  below  the  mouth 
of  Frying-Pan  Creek.  There  is  one  point,  however,  that  I  wish  to  refer 
to  here.  When  speaking  f  of  the  small  butte  between  Maroon  Creek 
and  Roaring  Fork,  L  was  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  inversion  of  the 
beds  exposed  in  the  butte  of  which  I  gave  a  section.  This  year 
the  Elk  Mountain  region  was  studied  in  more  detail  and  a  great  many 
obscure  points  were  explained.  In  the  case  mentioned  above,  Mr.  Holmes 
foaud  a  line  of  faulting  extending  along  the  upper  side  of  Roaring  Fork 
which  explained  the  inversion  of  the  strata. 

Below  the  mouth  of  Frying-Pan  Creek  on  the  right-hand  side  are  low, 
rolling  hills,  the  basis  of  which  seems  to  be  the  Upper  Cretaceous  forma- 
tion. On  the  opposite  side,  however,  there  are  outcrops  of  red  sand- 
stones beneath  in  the  bluffs.  The  Cretaceous  strata  extend  to  the  gran- 
ite of  Sopris  peak,  seeming  to  rest  immediately  upon  it,  there  being 
nothing  showing  between  until  we  get  on  the  other  faces  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  geology  about  the  southern  part  of  the  i>eak  was  referred  to 
last  year.  Jurassic,  Triassic,  and  Carboniferous  layers  outcrop  on  Rock 
Greek,  but  this  region  will  be  fully  described  in  other  parts  of  the  re- 
port, so  1  merely  mention  it  here  and  to  return  Roaring  Fork. 

The  course  of  the  latter  stream  from  the  month  of  Frying-Pan*  to  the 
mouth  of  Rock  Creek,  a  distance  of  eleven  or  twelve  miles,  is  north  70^ 
west,  the  rate  of  fall  being  about  fifty  feet  to  the  mile.  The  valley  above 

•Page  265,  report  of  1»73.  tPage  263,  Report  1873. 


88        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

■ 

the  moath  of  Eock  Creek  is  aboat  two  miles  in  width,  and  beautifully 
terraced.  The  river  splits  into  numerous  branches,  inclosing  islets  oq 
which  are  groves  of  cottonwoods-  The  terrace  blutt's  on  the  north  side 
are  about  one  hundred  feet  in  height.  Kock  Creek  enters  the  valley, 
emerging  from  the  Elk  Mountains,  about  three  miles  above  its  mouth. 
After  the  junction  of  the  two  streams,  Kock  Creek  turns  and  flows  north 
250  west.  Just  before  it  turns,  it  flows  by  blutt's  of  red  sandstone,  out- 
cropping on  the  north  side.  They  dip  10^  to  20^  a  few  degrees  east  of 
north.  A  short  distance  back  of  the  river  they  are  capped  with  basalt, 
and  covered  with  a  growth  of  low  cedars.  The  hills  continue  on  the 
north  or  northeast  side  of  the  river  until  we  reach  the  Grand.  There  is 
some  slight  folding  at  right  angles  to  the  river,  allowing  the  gypsiferoas 
beds  to  outcro))  as  we  go  down.  It  is  only  a  minor  fold,  for  Roariug 
Fork  occupies  the  axis  of  the  main  fold,  which  is  an  anticlinal.  Ou 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river  there  are  well-marked  hogbacks,  in  which 
the  strike  is  parallel  to  the  course  of  the  river,  as  is  shown  also  in  the 
parallel  course  of  the  streams  draining  them.  A  section  through  these 
hogbacks  and  across  Koariug  Fork  is  shown  in  section  F^  Plate 
IV.  In  tbe  hills,  farther  back,  there  is  basalt  on  the  summits.  The 
hog-backs  extend  to  within  about  four  miles  of  the  Grand,  when  the 
basaltic  capping  comes  so  near  the  river  as  to  preserve  the  edge  of  the 
hills  and  prevent  the  underlying  beds  from  being  eroded.  The  line  of 
outcrop  also  curves  slightly  to  the  westward,  under  the  capping,  so 
that  the  Cretaceous  No.  1,  which  forms  the  best  defined  hog  back,  is 
considerably  farther  from  Eoaring  Fork,  near  the  Grand,  than  it  is 
near  Eock  Creek.  At  this  point,  then,  tbe  Red  Beds  are  seen  on 
top,  and  beneath  a  considerable  thickness  of  the  gypsiferous  strata 
outcrops  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  Those  on  the  south  side  bnve 
weathered  into  curious  pinnacle  and  tower  like  forms  of  pink,  ,>  el- 
low,  gray,  and  creamy  colors.  Tbe  valley  of  Roaring  Fork  is 
here  comparatively  narrow.  Tbe  river  and  local  driit  is  terraced, 
the  terraces  in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  being  covered  with  bowld- 
ers of  black  basalt,  from  the  hills  back  of  tbe  bog  backs.  About  three 
miles  and  a  half  above  the  mouth.  Roaring  Fork  is  joined  by  the.  creek 
draining  the  hog-backs,  which  here  cuts  across  them  and  iiows  along 
the  upper  edge  of  a  terrace  that  is  200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river. 
The  course  of-the  river  here  is  almost  due  north  until  it  joins  the  Grand, 
just  as  the  latter  emerges  from  the  canon  that  commences  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Eagle.  Tbe  exit  is  through  a  narrow  gorge  in  the  lime- 
stones. These  limestones  continue  along  the  upper  side  of  tbe  river, 
dipping  generally  toward  the  south,  at  an  angle  of  20°  to  30^.  The 
inclination  is  more  abrupt  near  the  river,  decreasing  as  we  go  back,  un- 
til, on  the  snmmit  of  the  hills,  tbe  beds  are  almost  horizontal.  On  the 
south  side  the  Red  Beds  outcrop,  forming  blutt's  that  at  some  points  are 
five  hundred  feet  in  height,  rising  in  sheer  precipices.  There  are  proba- 
bly gypsiferous  beds  beneath,  but  they  are  concealed  by  the  local  debris, 
A  short  distance  back  tbe  edge  of  the  basaltic  mass  capping  the  hills 
appears.  Its  outlines  are  somewhat  ditticult  to  trace  in  places,  as  it  is 
covered  with  a  growth  of  scrub  oak,  and  scattered  groves  of  cotton- 
woods.  The  line  of  outcrop  of  the  Dakota  group  appears  from  beneath 
the  basaltic  area,  and  keeps  along  the  lower  side  of  the  river,  tbe  strike 
being  north  76^  west.  The  beds  form  a  series  of  hog-backs,  the  contin- 
uation of  those  on  Roaring  Fork.  They  extend  along  the  Grand  on  the 
lower  side  for  eight  miles,  when  they  cross  and  stretch  away  to  the  north- 
west, in  an  isolated  range  which  gradually  dies  out  in  a  plateau.  A  sec- 
tion across  these  hog-backs  west  of  station  17  is  shown  in  Fig.  2,  Plate 


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FEA1B.1  GEOLOGY — GRAND   RIVER.  89 

lY.  The  valley  of  the  Grand  below  the  nioath  of  Roaring  Fork  is  only 
about  two  miles  long,  the  river  again  entering  a  canon.  At  the  head  of 
this  caiion  tlie  Red  Beds  cross,  and  are  shown  on  both  sides.  The  river 
gradually  bends  and  follows  the  strike,  in  'a  monoclinal,  rift  for  six  miles, 
when  it  turns  again  and  cuts  abruptly  across  almost  at  right  angles  to 
the  strike,  flowing  through  a  valley  cut  in  the  soft  shaly  beds  that  lie 
just  above  the  Dakota  group. 

This  valley  is  only  a  few  miles  in  length,  and  in  it  the  river  is  joined 
by  quite  a  large  stream  from  the  north,  which  flows  along  the  eastern 
base  of  the  Cretaceous  range,  which  I  have  described  as  ending  in  the 
plateau  to  the  northwest.  From  this  valley  the  river  cuts  through  tho 
stntta  at  right  angles  to  the  strike,  and  comes  out  into  a  broad  valley, 
through  which  it  flows  for  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  and  enters  another 
caiion,  or  rather  caiion  like  valley,  cut  in  a  plateau  in  which  the  beds 
are  almost,  if  not  quite,  horizontal.  This  caiion  is  more  or  less  persist- 
ent until  the  river  enters  the  valley  in  which  it  is  joined  by  the  Gun- 
nison. The  general  course  of  the  river  lor  about  nineteen  or  twenty 
miles  is  south  TO^-TSo  west.  At  the  head  of  the  valley  the  bluffs  are 
almost  vertical,  and,  indeed,  in  some  places,  the  cliffs,  as  seen  in  certain 
lights,  appear  to  overhang.  At  the  point  where  the  course  changes 
to  the  southward,  the  valley  is  wider,  and  the  Grand  splits,  forming 
islands  in  the  midst  of  the  river.  This  is  northwest  of  station  50. 
The  plateau  here,  between  the  Grand  and  Plateau  Creeks,  is  narrow,  and 
has  in  reality  degenerated  into  a  ridge  from  which  the  basaltic  capping 
has  been  removed. 

Returning  to  the  valley  above  the  canon,  we  see  that  it  is  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  miles  in  length,  and  that  the  drainage  on  the  south  is  princi- 
pally through  two  streams,  one  in  the  eastern  portion  and  the  other 
(North  Mam  Creek,  see  map  E)  on  the  western  side.  They  rise  in  the 
plateau  forming  the  divide  between  them  and  the  head  of  the  North  Fork 
of  the  Gunnison.  The  eastern  branch  is  formed  by  two  streams,  whose 
courses  are  almost  parallel.  Between  the  East  Fork  and  Roaring  Fork 
there  is  a  smaller  creek  (c  creek.  Grand  River),  which  rises  in  a 
mass  of  rounded  hills,  which  I  referred  to  w^hen  speaking  of  the  hog- 
backs on  the  west  side  of  Roaring  Fork.  Between  this  creek  and  the 
plateau  south  of  the  caiion  theie  are  several  folds,  the  axes  of  which 
are  parallel,  each  being  northwest  and  southeast. 

The  rocks  underlying  the  valley  are  all  of  Cretaceous  age,  capped 
irregularly  in  places  with  basalt,  especially  on  the  divide.  Here  the 
strata  are  almost  horizontal,  inclining,  if  at  all,  only  a  few  degrees 
toward  the  west  in  the  eastern  portion. 

The  line  of  hog-backs  before  referred  to,  extending  along  the  lower 
8i(]e  of  the  Grand  from  station  No.  16,  through  station  18,  and  cross- 
ing the  river,  forms  the  side  of  a  synclinal  fold,  .the  axis  of  which  is, 
partially  at  least,  occupied  by  a  creek  (c.  Grand  River).  The  dip  of 
the  strata  is  southwest,  inclining  at  an  angle  of  about  15^ »  this  increases 
as  we  go  toward  the  Grand,  being  about  60°  there. 

Station  20  is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fold,  the  dip  of  the  sandstones 
there  being  northeast  at  an  angle  of  16°  to  20o.  From  station  No.  19 
to  22  there  is  a  mesa  covered  with  basaltic  bowlders.  I  am  inclined  to 
think  also  that  there  is  a  capping  of  the  same  material.  The  bowlders 
are  derived  from  the  hills  near  the  divide.  The  mesa  is  about  a  mile 
wide  and  slopes  gently  toward  the  Grand.  It  is  about  400  feet  above 
the  vallev  of  the  creek  at  the  forks  below  station  No.  19.  At  station 
tion  No.  22  it  is  800  feet  high. 

Between  the  forks  of  the  large  creek  east  of  North  Mam  Creek,  the 


90        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

bills  are  capped  with  basalt.  The  elevation  of  station  24  is  10,642  feet, 
and  station  25,  9,031  feet.  There  is  but  little  timber  here,  the  summits 
being  grassy  and  park-like.  In  some  few  places  there  are  pines,  but 
cottonwooda  are  more  abundant.  In  the  hills  east  of  station  24,  aDdon 
the  lower  slope,  there  is  scrub-oak  (Qiiercus  aWa)  in  abundance.  The 
small  creeks  rising  in  the  Cretaceous  shales  we  generally  found  strongly 
impregnated  with  alkali. 

The  western  branch  of  the  creek  referred  to  above,  heads  in  beaatifal 
meadows.  Its  course  here  is  nearly  due  west.  After  flowing  in  t\m 
direction  for  five  miles  it  turns  and  flows  to  the  northwest,  gradually 
crossing  to  the  western  side  of  a  low,  broad  anticlinal.  The  straU  on 
the  east  incline  5^  to  the  northeast,  and  on  tbe  opposite  side  from  5^ 
to  lOo  in  the  opposite  direction.  Beyond,  the  beds  probably  become 
horizontal,  as  seen  in  the  high  white  clifl's  east  of  station  No.  48,  on 
the  edge  of  the  plateau. 

In  looking  down  upon  this  valley  from  the  hills  bordering  it^  it  ap- 
pears more  open  tban  it  really  is,  for  we  find  that  it  has  numerous  bills 
or  buttes  in  which  the  sandstones  outcrop.  Tbey  are  gray,  chocolate- 
colored,  and  greenish.  We  were  not  able  to  visit  them,  but  noted  them 
from  the  stations  on  the  east  side  and  from  the  plateau. 

We  were  not  on  the  Grand  River  in  this  valley  nor  on  North  Mam 
Creek,  which  joins  it  above  the  caiiou.  North  Mam  Creek  flows  along 
tbe  eastern  edge  of  the  plateau  from  which  some  of  its  branches  are  de- 
rived.   Its  general  course  is  north  15^  east. 

The  branches  of  the  Grand  from  the  south  in  the  canon  valley  north 
of  the  plateau  are  all  small  and  unimportant,  simply  draining  the  pla- 
teau. Tbe  next  branch  of  importance  is  Plateau  Creek  flowing  into  the 
Grand  50  or  60  miles  below  tbe  head  of  the  canon.  It  is  a  stream  of  con- 
siderable size,  deriving  its  water  principally  from  the  mesa  divide  on  the 
south,  the  branches  heading  in  the  plateau  of  station  48,  carrying  water 
only  in  tbe  spring  and  early  summer. 

There  are  two  principal  streams  uniting  to  form  the  creek,  one  (/ 
creek,  map  £),  having  its  sources  opposite  those  of  tbe  northern  branches 
of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison,  and  tbe  other  {g  creek,  map  E),  rising 
more  to  the  north  and  eastward,  opposite  the  head  of  North  Mara  Creek. 
The  branch  first  mentioned  is  the  largest.  It^  course  is  generally  north. 
A  few  miles  above  its  mouth,  bowever,  it  turns  abruptly  and  flows  wes^ 
ward,  parallel  to  the  other  branch,  leaving  a  flat-topped  terrace  between. 
It  rises  on  tbe  divide,  in  beautiful  park-like  meadows,  among  low  hills 
whose  rounded  outlines  are  covered  with  groves  of  quaking  aspens  whose 
foliage  in  the  fall  of  tbe  year  is  of  a  rich  golden  hue,  contrasting  boldly 
with  the  dark  green  of  tbe  pines  found  on  the  higher  points.  These 
groves  abound  in  game,  and  are  favorite  bunting-grounds  of  the  Indians. 
We  found  their  trails  leading  in  almost  every  direction.  Near  tbe  head 
of  the  creek  are  outcrops  of  soft  sbaly  beds  covered  in  some  places  with 
basalt  which  forms  rough  points  reaching  above  the  general  level.  In 
the  valleys  tbe  soil  is  made  of  tbe  dSbris  from  the  shales  mingled  with 
pebbles  from  the  erosion  of  the  basaltic  layer  which  once  formed  a 
capping  to  the  plateau.  Scattered  over  it  are  cbi[)s  of  chalcedony  and 
agate.  The  sedimentary  beds  are  nearly  horizontal.  As  we  go  down 
the  valley  we  find  the  creek  cutting  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  solt 
strata,  leaving  high  terraces  between  the  branches.  Between  camp  44 
and  camp  45  the  river  falls  2,583  feet,  which  is  about  200  fe«t  per  mile. 
In  the  lower  part  of  the  valley  there  are  outcrops  of  solt  gray  sand- 
stones. Tbe  terraces  are  partially  covered  with  scrub-oak,  which  make 
traveling  somewhat  difficult.    The  other  branch  has  a  much  more  open 


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«AM.]  GEOLOGY — GRAND   RIVER — ^PLATEAU  CREEK.  91 

valley..  It  rises  among  low  hills,  and  has  a  much  more  gradual  fall  to 
Its  month.  It  is  about  24  miles  in  length,  and  forms  a  portion  of  the 
boundary-line  of  the  plateau  of  station  48.  Between  the  parallel  por- 
tions of  the  two  streams  just  described  there  is  a  terrace,  the  height  of 
which  is  about  80  feet,  at  the  bend  of  the  first  branch.  It  is  about  a 
mile  wide  here  and  slopes  to  the  forks,  where  it  terminates  in  a  point, 
the  entire  length  of  the  bench  being  about  seven  miles.  It  is  covered 
with  good  bunch-grass,  and  has  evidently  been  used  by  the  Indians  as  a 
grazing-gronnd  tor  cattle.  The  plateau  between  this  creek  and  the 
Grand  Biver  is  approximately  triangular  in  shape,  the  base  being  on  the 
eastern  side.  Here  it  is  15  miles  in  width.  To  the  west  it  gradually 
terminates  in  a  ridge,  which  extends  between  the  two  streams.  Its 
length  is  15  miles,  and  its  mean  elevation,  where  the  general  level  is 
best  preserved,  is  about  10,200  feet.  It  was  once,  doubtless,  continuous 
with  the  mesa  or  plateau  which  still  exists  to  the  southward.  Erosion 
has  isolated  it.  The  covering  of  basalt  which  once  covered  it  has  been 
partially  removed.  The  remnants  left  reach  from  200  to  250  feet  above  the 
general  level,  forming  monument-like  points  that  are  visible  from  a  great 
distance.  Station  48  was  located  on  one  of  these  points,  a  conical  mass 
248  feet  high.  The  eastern  edge  of  the  plateau,  as  I  have  already  men- 
tioned, has  steep  blu£fs,  overlooking  a  broad  valley.  On  the  north  side, 
also,  are  bluifs,  which  as  we  go  down  the  Grand  become  less  steep,  a  num- 
ber of  small  streams  cutting  them  into  small  hills.  Toward  the  eastern 
side  the  beds  are  nearly  horizontal,  but  as  we  go  west  we  find  that  there 
is  a  slight  dip  to  the  east,  or  perhaps  a  little  north  of  east.  The  south- 
ern side  of  the  plateau,  near  station  48,  has  a  number  of  creeks  draining 
it,  the  courses  of  which  are  nearly  parallel,  flowing  south.  Between  them 
are  sharp  ridges,  at  the  base  of  which  gray  and  pinkish  sandstones 
outcrop.  On  top  are  light  clayey  beds  and  interlaminated  hardened 
shales,  weathering  a  white  color,  thus  giving  the  bluffs  a  unique  appear- 
ance, as  s(^n  from  a  distance.  Underneath  the  basalt,  the  beds  are 
eoncealed  even  on  the  edges  of  the  plateau.  As  we  go  down  the  creek 
the  valley  widens  on  both  sides.  On  the  south  are  drift-covered  ter- 
races sloping  from  the  divide.  On  the  north  side  are  low  bluffs,  close 
to  the  river,  in  which  pink  and  yellowish  strata  outcrop.  These  beds 
are  cut  into  terraces,  beyond  which  are  bluffs  of  variegated  sandstones, 
passing  above  into  light  colored  shales.  On  the  latter,  station  50  is 
located.  From  station  50  to  the  Grand  the  descent  is  at  first  rather 
abrupt.  Then  there  is  a  gradual  slope  broken  up  by  the  drainage  into 
low  buttes.  The  Grand  has  a  broad  bottom,  through  which  it  flows 
sluggishly. 

South  of  the  station  the  country  is  very  nearly  the  same.  There  are 
magnificent  exposures  of  the  strata,  which  are  inclined  but  slightly.  On 
the  north  side  of  Plateau  Greek  are  bluffs  of  sandstone,  through  which 
the  stream  cuts  rapidly  to  soft  shales,  which  weather  in  the  most  pecu- 
liar manner,  as  shown  in  one  of  the  illustrations,  Plate  Y.  Above  the 
black  argillaceous  columns  are  yellow  sandstones,  and  the  dSbria  from 
them  has  fallen  down,  capping  the  summits  of  the  pillars.  Below,  still 
lower  beds  are  shown,  until  a  belt  of  red  sandstone  is  seen  opposite 
Mef:a(a)  Creek.  It  here  enters  a  canon,  in  which  it  keeps  until  it  joins  the 
Grand.  Almost  all  the  creeks  in  this  region  cut  profound  canons ;  even 
the  smallest  rivulets  cut  gullies  from  eight  to  twenty  feet  deep. 

The  terraces  are  covered  with  basaltic  bowlders,  and  are  almost  des- 
titute of  vegetation.  Good  grass,  however,  is  found  in  the  alluvial  bot- 
toms bordering  the  creek.  Scrub-oak  and  stunted  cedars  are  fonnd  on  the 
liills.  The  caiiou  on  Plateau  Creek  is  eight  m.les  long.  Below  its  moath| 


92        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

the  Grand  and  its  branches  cut  fearfal-looking  chasms  in  the  soft  rocks. 
Looking  down  upon  them  it  is  hard  to  trace  the  courses  of  the  streams, 
as  it  appears  to  be  an  inextricable  maze  of  gorges. 

There  is  great  variety  in  the  colors  5  reds,  greens,  grays,  yellows, 
mingle  with  chocolate-browns,  and  white,  in  parallel  lines,  which  repeat 
themselves  in  the  diflPerent  layers. 

At  the  head  of  the  caiion  of  Plateau  Creek  the  Indian  trail  we  had 
been  following  leaves  the  creek,  goes  up  Mesa  Creek,  and  skirting  the 
edge  of  the  mesa,  leads  down  into  the  valley  of  the  Gunnison. 

The  course  of  Grand  River  below  the  mouth  of  Plateau  Creek  is  gen- 
erally southwest,  and  sometimes  due  south. 

It  flows  in  this  direction  until  it  comes  out  into  the  broad  valley,  in 
which  it  is  joined  by  the  Gunnison.  It  emerges  from  the  canon  by  cut- 
ting its  way  across  a  line  of  hog-backs,  almost  at  right  angles  U)  the 
strike  of  the  strata,  the  beds  dipping  about  northeast  at  an  angle  of  10^ 
to  150. 

Plate  VI  represents  the  bluff  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  as  it  comes 
from  the  canon  into  the  broad  valley. 

The  numbers  in  the  following  section  correspond  with  those  in  the 
illustration. 

BASE. 

1.  Black  and  yellow  shaly  beds. 

2.  Yellow  sandstone. 

3.  Yellow  shaly  beds. 

4.  Sandstones. 

5.  Shales. 

6.  Sandstone  with  pinkish  hue. 
This  section  was  made  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  Grand,  and  conld 

not,  therefore,  be  made  in  greater  detail.  The  beds  were  measured  by 
angles  taken  with  the  gradienter.  The  height  of  the  bluff  as^hus  deter- 
mined is  1,890  feet.  On  the  south  side  of  the  river  the  inclination  of  ; 
the  beds  causes  them  to  disappear,  while  higher  ones  show  beneath  the  j 
basalt  of  the  mesa.  The  slopes,  reaching  from  the  edge  of  the  mesa  iu  | 
terraces,  are  covered  with  basaltic  bowlders,  among  which  we  found  \ 
numbers  of  moss-agates  (none  of  good  quality,  however)  and  pieces  of  | 
chalcedony.  ! 

West  of  the  line  of  hog-backs,  which  extend  toward  the  northwest 
from  the  Grand,  the  valley  is  about  eighteen  miles  in  width,  reaching  to 
the  northwest  as  far  as  could  be  seen.  Near  the  Grand,  before  the 
Gunnison  comes  in,  it  is  very  fiat  and  covered  with  spots  of  alkali.  On 
the  south  side  of  the  Grand,  in  the  angle  between  it  and  the  Gunnison, 
are  terraces,  the  first  of  which  is  one  hundred  feet  high,  and  the  second 
nearly  two  hundred  feet.  The  contrast  between  the  two  rivers  is  quite 
marked.  The  Grand  has  nearly  twice  the  volume  of  the  Gunnison,  and 
and  carries  a  vast  quantity  of  mud  with  it.  Wherever  we  reached  the 
Grand  throughout  the  entire  season  it  was  muddy.  The  reason  is,  that 
along  the  river  there  are  many  exposures  of  soft  shales  and  clays. 
The  Gunnison,  on  the  other  hand,  is  a  clear  stream,  and  remains  so  except 
when  there  are  heavy  rains,  when  it  becomes  very  turbid  in  the  lower 
portion  of  its  course. 

The  divide  between  the  Grand  and  Gunnison  Bivers  has  been  so  often 
referred  to  in  this  chapter  that  only  a  few  more  words  are  necessary  to 
complete  its  description.  In  the  Elk  Mountains  the  line  of  the  water- 
shed is  very  irregular,  the  mountains  rising  in  sharp  peaks,  at  the  bases 
of  which  the  streams  head  in  amphitheaters,  sharp  ridges  connecting 


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»i^"t.]      GEOLOGY — DIVIDE  WEST  OF  ELK  MOUNTAINS.       93 

the  peaks  and  separating  the  various  streams.  This  portion  of  the 
divide.*,  however,  was  in  the  district  of  1873,  and  we  have  to  do  here  with 
the  portion  west  of  the  Elk  Mountains,  where  it  presents  characters  en- 
tirely different,  being  mostly  a  plateau,  from  the  fact  that  the  beds  un- 
derlying it  are  almost  horizontal  and  covered  with  allow  of  basalt.  The 
plateaa  character  is  best  shown  toward  the  west,  where  the  basaltic 
capping  is  for  the  most  part  intact. 

West  of  Eock  Creek,  at  the  head  of  the  !N"orth  Fork  of  the  Gunnison, 
the  plateau  is  broken  into  low  rolling  hills,  of  which  the  general  level 
is  very  nearly  the  same.  The  basaltic  capping  here  is  very  irregular 
and  difficult  to  define,  as  a  great  portion  of  it  has  been  removed  by  ero- 
sion. The  hills  and  also  the  beds  of  the  streams  are  covered  with 
round  masses  of  the  rock.  At  station  45  there  is  more  basalt  in  place. 
The  streams  rising  near  have  their  origin  in  small  lakes.  All  over  the 
plateau  these  lakelets  may  be  found,  and  along  the  creeks  are  beautiful 
meadows.  The  timber  on  the  plateau  is  pine  and  quaking  aspens  {Popu- 
lus  iremuloides).  There  is  good  grass  in  most  of  the  valleys.  The 
western  edge  of  the  plateau  is  somewhat  irregular  but  sharply  defined, 
forming  a  bluff  edge  of  from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  in  height. 
It  is  underlaid  with  sandstones,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  sections  given 
in  a  subsequent  portion  of  the  report. 


CHAPTER    III. 


SUEPACE  GEOLOGY— GUNNISON   BIVEB   AND  ITS  TBIBtTTABISS. 


Gannison  Eiver  is  the  principal  branch  of  the  Grand,  on  the  sooth 
side.  It  rises  on  the  western  side  of  the  Sawatch  range,  opposite  the 
Arkansas  River,  and  on  the  soathern  side  of  the  Elk  Moautains,  oppo- 
site Roaring  Fork.  Its  total  course  has  a  length  of  about  two  hundred 
miles,  the  average  rate  of  fall  per  mile  being  about  thirty  feet.  In 
Gunnison's  and  in  Fremont's  reports  it  is  called  the  Grand.  In  the 
West,  however,  it  is  now  known  as  the  Gunnison  River,  the  name 
Grand  being  given  to  the  principal  stream,  as  already  mentioned  in  a 
previous  chapter.  The  principal  branches  of  the  Gunnison  on  the 
south  are  Cochetopa  Creek,  Lake  Creek,  Cebolla  Creek,  and  Dneom- 
pahgre  River.  Those  on  the  north,  in  our  district  of  this  year,  are  Ohio 
Creek,  Smith's  Fork,  and  the  North  Fork.  The  entire  area  drained  by 
all  the  branches  on  the  north  is  about  twenty-six  hundred  square  miles. 
From  the  mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek,  the  Gunnison  flows  a  few  degrees 
south  of  west,  to  Lake  Fork ;  here  it  changes  and  flows  west,  gradually 
turning  to  the  northwest  until  it  is  opposite  station  80,  a  distance  of 
nearly  thirty  miles ;  when  it  again  turns  and  flows  nearly  due  north  to 
the  mouth  of  the  North  Fork;  where  it  turns  abruptly  and  flows  west  to 
the  head  of  what  the  Indians  call  Una  weep  CaQon.  *  It«  course  thence 
to  its  mouth  is  generally  northwest. 

There  are  three  large  cauons  and  several  small  ones  in  the  course  of 
the  river,  which  will  be  described  as  we  reach  them  in  going  down  the 
stream.  The  upper  one  is  in  granitic  rocks,  and  was  described  last 
year.  The  drainage  of  the  streams  uniting  to  form  the  Gunnison  near 
its  head  flows  in  two  directions,  viz,  southeast  or  south-southeast,  and 
southwest.  In  this  part  of  its  course  it  is  within  last  year's  district, 
and  will  be  found  described  in  the  report  for  1873. 

Our  work  last  year  extended  as  far  west  as  Slate  River,  and  we  com- 
mence this  year,  therefore,  with  Ohio  Creek,  the  next  stream  coming  into 
the  Gunnison  on  the  north  side. 

In  an  airline,  from  the  head  of  Ohio  Creek  to  its  mouth  the  distance 
is  twenty-two  miles.  The  actual  length,  however,  is  nearer  thirty  miles. 
It  has  its  origin  in  a  group  of  isolated  peaks  that  mark  the  termination 
of  the  Elk  Mountains  to  the  westward.  Its  sources  are  opposite  those 
of  Slate  River  on  the  north  and  east,  and  those  of  Anthracite  Creek,  a 
tributary  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison,  on  the  northwest.  It  has 
two  forks  which  unite  below  a  high  sugar-loaf  peak  of  porphyritic 
trachyte,  station  30.  The  western  branches  have  their  origin  in  a  group 
of  mountains  made  up  almost  entirely  of  breccia,  which  in  all  probability 
rests  on  sandstones  of  Cretaceous  age. 

The  most  northern  of  these  streams  flows  along  the  southern  edge  of 
a  short  range  of  sharp  peaks,  whose  slopes  are  destitute  of  timber,  and 
which  form  a  serrated  edge  along  the  summit.    This  mass  is  composed 

of  porphyritic  trachyte   and  forms  a  portion  of  the  divide  between 

■  »        ■  '        - 

*  Pacific  Railroad  Report,  yol.  ii. 
94 


HULR.]'  GEOLOGY OHIO   CREEK GUNNISON   RIVER.  95 

Ohio  Greek  and  Anthracite  Creek.  A  trail  crosses  through  alow  pass 
from  the  head  of  the  latter  creek  and  keeps  down  Ohio  Creek  and  then 
follows  np  Cochetopa  Creek  to  the  Los  Piuos  agency.  This  is  one  of 
the  main  Indian  lodge-pole  trails,  connecting  LosPinos  with  the  White 
River  agency. 

Between  East  Eiver  and  Ohio  Creek  are  two  mesas,  isolated  one  from 
the  other  and  underlaid  by  Cretaceous  shales  and  sandstones.  These 
mesas  are  composed  of  trachyte,  judging  from  the  debris  covering  the 
slopes  west  of  Ohio  Creek.  The  trachyte  is  probably  of  the  same  char- 
acter as  that  on  the  opposite  side  of  East  Eiver  noted  in  last  year's  re- 
port,* a  light  purplish  rock.  As  I  have  already  mentioned,  the  hills  on 
the  west  side  of  Ohio  Creek  are  made  up  almost  entirely  of  breccia. 
I  will  refer  to  it  particularly  in  a  subsequent  portion  of  the  report.  I 
think  Judging  from  several  outcrops  seen  on  some  of  the  western  branches 
of  the  creek,  that  it  rests  throughout  the  greater  part  of  its  extent  upon 
sandstones. 

The  western  branches  rise  in  these  hills  and  cut  deeply  into  the  brec- 
cia, which  seems  to  yield  readily  to  the  action  of  water.  It  appears  to 
be  in  layers,  and  erosion  has  worn  it  into  fantastic  forms.  In  places,  there 
are  castellated  masses  from  which  towers  and  minarets  rise  3  while  in 
othei*s,  huge  buttresses  stand  out  prominently  against  the  sky.  Station 
1^0. 31  is  situateil  in  the  midst  of  this  mass  of  breccia.    (See  map  D). 

The  valley  of  Ohio  Creek  is  from  a  mile  to  two  miles  in  width  and 
has  a  beautiful  grassy  bottom,  with  groves  of  cottonwoods.  The  hills 
on  the  west  are  heavily  timbered  with  pines,  extending  down  the  ridges 
hetween  the  branches.  On  the  lower  slopes  near  the  creek  there  is  sage- 
brnsh  {Artemutia). 

The  valley  of  the  Gunnison  above  the  mouth  of  Ohio  Creek  is  very 
wide,  extending  from  a  short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  Slate  River 
to  Cochetopa  Creek,  a  distance  often  or  twelve  miles.  It  is  from  four  to 
seven  miles  in  width.  The  river-bottom  in  places  seems  to  be  quite 
fertile,  and  at  one  place  we  found  a  garden  in  which  potatoes,  beans, 
turnips,  cabbage,  and  lettuce  had  been  successfully  raised  during  the 
sea8on. 

The  southeast  side  of  the  valley,  reaching  toward  Cochetopa  Creek, 
is  rather  sterile-looking,  there  being  but  little  soil.  It  is  very  level  and 
covered  with  pebbles  derived  from  the  Elk  Mountains.  There  is  a  sparse 
growth  of  grass  and  low  sagebrush.  The  Gunnison  here  is  a  rapid  and 
verv  clear  stream  of  a  hundred  or  a  hundred  aKd  filtv  feet  width.    It 

•r'  « 

keeps  close  to  the  bluffs  of  breccia  below  the  mouth  of  Ohio  Creek. 

This  valley  is  the  site  of  a  new  town  called  Gunnison  City.  There 
were  half  a  dozen  log-cabins,  most  of  them  in  an  unfinished  state  and 
without  inhabitants.  The  only  persons  we  found  living  in  the  valley 
were  the  two  men  who  hfkve  charge  of  the  cattle  for  the  Indians  of  Los 
Pinos  agency.  They  were  at  the  cattle-camp,  a  short  distance  above 
Cochetopa  Creek.  Below  Cochetopa  ( ^reek  the  valley  again  expands 
into  a  grassy  meadow,  from  which  the  river  enters  a  canon.  Men  from 
the  agency  were  busy  cutting  grass  in  this  meadow  while  we  were 
there.  The  hay  made  is  for  the  use  of  the  agency  aud  the  cattle-camp. 
The  cattle  are  allowed  to  run  wild  among  the  hills  throughout  the  year 
and  seem  to  do  well.  The  country  is  much  better  adapted  to  stock-rais- 
ing than  for  agricultural  purposes.  The  elevation  of  the  cattle-camp  is 
7,743  feet. 

The  lower  valley  is  about  four  miles  long  and  two  miles  wide  in  its 
greatest  width.    On  the  northern  side  the  breccia  forms  the  boundary, 

'  Page  249,  Report  1873. 


96        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEERITOEIES. 

trachyte  capping  it  as  we  go  toward  the  hills.  On  the  south  side  the 
rocks  are  gueissic,  as  they  also  are  in  the  caiion.  At  the  upper  end  of 
the  valley,  on  the  north  side,  is  an  outcrop  of  soft  yellowish  gray  sand- 
stone. Farther  down  the  breccia,  instead  of  resting  on  this  sandstone, 
appears  to  be  directly  upon  the  schists.  At  station  71,  however,  between 
the  schists  and  the  breccia  there  is  a  belt  of  sandstone  that  seems  to 
have  been  metamorphosed.  Above  the  breccia  there  is  a  capping  of 
trachyte. 

The  canon  is  only  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  and  in  it  the  river 
has  rather  a  tortuous  course,  flowing  at  first  south  of  west  and  afterwards 
north  of  west.  The  walls  are  not  very  high,  never  exceeding  300  feet 
Below,  the  river  is  in  another  valley  similar  to  the  one  above.  Tbis, 
however,  is  not  as  large,  being  only  two  miles  long  and  a  mile  wide  in 
the  widest  portion.  It  is  not  so  well  grassed  as  the  valley  above.  The 
schists  still  compose  the  hills  on  the  lower  side,  while  on  the  north  there 
are  sandstones,  breccia,  and  trachyte  in  long  mesa  like  ridges  that 
extend  from  the  margin  of  the  valley  toward  the  hills  in  which  station 
31  is  situated. 

Leaving  this  valley  the  river  again  goes  into  canon  and  keeps  so 
almost  all  the  way  to  the  mouth  of  the  Lake  Fork,  broken  only  by  small 
and  unimportant  valleys.  The  rocks  in  which  the  river-channel  lies  are 
schists,  and  the.  walla  never  exceed  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  height.  This  granitic  rock  forms  a  narrow  strip,  leaving  a  bench  or 
shelf  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  reaching  back  to  the  edge  of  the  blufis. 

On  top  of  the  schists,  forming  the  base  of  the  blutf,  are  the  sand- 
stones that  probably  belong  to  the  Dakota  group.  As  we  proceed  down 
the  river  we  find  on  top  of  these,  black  and  yellow  shales,  above  which 
is  the  breccia  to  which  I  have  so  frequently  referred  in  this  chapter. 
This,  in  a  great  many  places,  has  weathered  into  sharp  pinnacles  and 
towers.    It  is  capped  with  obsidian  and  trachyte. 

A  section  of  thebluffs  will  be  given  in  another  place,  when  the  differ- 
ent layers  will  be  particularly  described. 

These  bluffs  are  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  form  the  edge  of  the 
mesas  that  are  so  characteristic  of  this  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Gun- 
nison, extending  back  from  the  river  on  both  sides. 

Below  station  71  the  top  of  the  mesa  is  about  500  feet  above  the 
river-level,  and  at  station  73  it  lias  increased  to  1,230  feet,  the  general 
surface  really  remaining  at  the  same  level  on  both  sides,  while  the 
river  in  its  progress  has  cut  deeper  and  deeper,  making  the  bluffs  nearly 
twice  as  high.  This  height  is  still  greater  farther  below,  aa  we  will  find 
when  we  speak  of  the  canon. 

The  streams  joining  the  Gunnison  cut  deeply  into  the  surface,  divid- 
ing the  original  mesa  into  many  others.  The  canons  thus  formed  have 
almost  perpendicular  walls.  There  appeared*  to  be  more  than  one 
layer  of  the  trachyte,  for,  from  the  edge  of  the  mesa  a  higher  outcrop 
can  be  seen.  I  was  notable  this  year  to  determiqedefinitely  the  relations 
between  the  trachytic  flows  and  the  breccia  on  the  mountainous  mass 
around  station  31.    Another  year  I  hope  to  explain  it. 

Above  the  mouth  of  the  Lake  Fork,  the  Gunnison  flows  through  a 
small  open  valley  covered  with  grass  and  sage-brush,  in  which  it  is 
joined  by  a  branch  of  some  size  from  the  north.  From  this  valley  the 
river  plunges  into  the  largest  caiion  in  its  entire  course.  Lake  Fork  is 
itself  in  a  deep  canon,  cut  through  dark,  micaceous  schists,  and  until 
one  comes  to  the  edge  of  the  gorge,  he  has  no  idea  of  its  size  or  extent. 
Gunnison's  wagon-trail  is  obliged  to  cross  it  a  long  way  back  from  the 
river,  and  come  down  the  stream  on  the  opposite  side. 


'     5,  i  ' 


r  *  '-  ^-  * 


..-' 


\ 


96        GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

trachyte  capping  it  as  we  go  toward  the  hills.  On  the  south  side  (he 
rocks  are  gueissic,  as  they  also  are  in  the  caHon.  At  the  upper  end  of 
the  valley,  on  the  north  side,  is  an  outcrop  of  soft  yellowish  gray  sand- 
stone. Farther  down  the  breccia,  instead  of  resting  on  this  sandstone, 
appears  to  be  directly  upon  the  schists.  At  station  71,  however,  between 
the  schists  and  the  breccia  there  is  a  belt  of  sandstone  that  seems  to 
have  been  metamorphosed.  Above  the  breccia  there  is  a  capping  of 
trachyte. 

The  caiion  is  only  about  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  and  in  it  the  river 
has  rather  a  tortuous  course,  flowing  at  first  south  of  west  and  afterwards 
north  of  west.  The  walls  are  not  very  high,  never  exceeding  300  feet 
Below,  the  river  is  in  another  valley  similar  to  the  one  above.  This, 
however,  is  not  as  large,  being  only  two  miles  long  and  a  mile  wide  in 
the  widest  portion.  It  is  not  so  well  grassed  as  the  valley  above-  The 
schists  still  compose  the  hills  on  the  lower  side,  while  on  the  north  there 
are  sandstones,  breccia,  and  trachyte  in  long  mesa  like  ridges  that 
extend  from  the  margin  of  the  valley  toward  the  hills  in  which  station 
31  is  situated. 

Leaving  this  valley  the  river  again  goes  into  canon  and  keeps  so 
almost  all  the  way  to  the  mouth  of  the  Lake  Fork,  broken  only  by  small 
and  unimportant  valleys.  The  rocks  in  which  the  river-channel  lies  are 
schists,  and  the.  walla  never  exceed  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  height.  This  granitic  rock  forms  a  narrow  strip,  leaving  a  bench  or 
shelf  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  reaching  back  to  tbe  edge  of  the  blufis. 

On  top  of  the  schists,  forming  the  base  of  the  bluif,  are  the  sand- 
stones that  probably  belong  to  the  Dakota  group.  As  we  proceed  down 
tbe  river  we  find  on  top  of  these,  black  and  yellow  shales,  above  which 
is  the  breccia  to  which  I  have  so  frequently  referred  in  this  chapter. 
This,  in  a  great  many  places,  has  weathered  into  sharp  pinnacles  and 
towers.    It  is  capped  with  obsidian  and  trachyte. 

A  section  of  thebluffs  will  be  given  in  another  place,  when  the  differ* 
ent  layers  will  be  particularly  described. 

These  bluffs  are  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  form  the  edge  of  tbe 
mesas  that  are  so  characteristic  of  this  part  of  the  valley  of  the  Gun- 
nison, extending  back  from  the  river  on  both  sides. 

Below  station  71  the  top  of  the  mesa  is  about  500  feet  above  tbe 
river-level,  and  at  station  73  it  lias  increased  to  1,2-30  feet,  the  general 
surface  really  remaining  at  the  same  level  on  both  sides,  while  the 
river  in  its  progress  has  cut  deeper  and  deeper,  making  the  bluffs  nearly 
twice  as  high.  This  height  is  still  greater  farther  below,  as  we  will  find 
when  we  speak  of  the  canon. 

Tbe  streams  joining  the  Gunnison  cut  deeply  into  the  surface,  divid- 
ing the  original  mesa  into  many  others.  The  canons  thus  formed  have 
almost  perpendicular  walls.  There  appeared  to  be  more  than  one 
layer  of  the  trachyte,  for,  from  the  edge  of  the  mesa  a  higher  outcrop 
can  be  seen.  I  was  notable  this  year  to  determiqedefinitely  therelatious 
between  the  trachytic  flows  and  the  breccia  on  the  mountainous  mass 
around  station  31.    Another  year  I  hope  to  explain  it. 

Above  the  mouth  of  the  Lake  Fork,  the  Gunnison  flows  through  a 
small  open  valley  covered  with  grass  and  sage-brush,  in  which  it  is 
joined  by  a  branch  of  some  size  from  the  north.  From  this  valley  the 
river  plunges  into  the  largest  caiion  in  its  entire  course.  Lake  Fork  is 
itself  in  a  deep  canon,  cut  through  dark,  micaceous  schists,  and  until 
one  comes  to  the  edge  of  the  gorge,  he  has  no  idea  of  its  size  or  extent. 
Gunnison's  wagon-trail  is  obliged  to  cross  it  a  long  way  back  from  the 
river,  and  come  down  the  stream  on  the  opposite  side. 


V  ■ 


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KALE.1  GEOLOGY — GUNNISON   CANON — SMITH'S   FORK.  97 

The  country  between  Lake  Fork  and  the  Uncompabgre  River  is  rongb 
and  ragged.  The  streams  cat  deep  canons  to  join  the  Oannison. 
Moantain  Creek,  Blae  Creek,  and  Cebolla  Creek  are  the  principal  streams 
draining  this  region.  Blae  Creek,  to  which  1  have  jast  referred,  is  placed 
ou  Gunnison's  map,  as  a  branch  of  Cebolla,  whereas  it  is  a  tributary 
of  the  Gunnison. 

The  mesas  are  found  on  Mountain  Creek,  and  until  we  reach  Cebolla 
creek.  Here  we  meet  with  cretaceous  shales,  seeming  to  be  horizontal, 
and  resting  on  granite.  The  granite  in  places  has  trachyte  resting  on 
it    I  noticed  it  on  the  hills  east  of  Cebolla  Creek. 

The  great  canon  of  the  Gunnison  is  about  fifty  miles  long.  In  it  the 
course  of  the  river  at  first  is  west ;  it  gradually  changes  toward  the 
north,  and  at  station  80  flows  northwest,  gradually  becoming  due  north, 
which  course  it  keeps  rather  uniformly  to  the  mouth  of  the  North  Fork. 

From  the  head  of  the  canon  to  the  mouth  of  Smith's  Fork  the 
main  portion  is  cut  in  dark  micaceous  schists.  It  has  its  great- 
est depth,  perhaps,  opposite  station  77 ;  the  height  from  the  water  to 
the  top  of  the  mesa  on  which  the  station  was  located  being  about 
3,000  feet.  The  granitic  portion  is  about  2,000  feet  deep.  It  was, 
of  course,  impossible  to  reach  the  edge  of  the  river  while  in  the  cation, 
80  that  these  figures  are  not  perfectly  accurate.  They  are  obtained 
by  comparing  the  heights  of  stations  77  and  78  with  that  of  camp 
No.  53,  on  Cebolla  Creek,  about  one  mile  above  its  mouth,  and  allow- 
ing for  the  fall  of  the  river  between  the  two  points.  The  error,  if  any, 
would,  therefore,  be  very  small  and  in  favor  of  greater  depth. 

The  section  across  the  river,  through  stations  77  and  78,  is  shown  in 
Figure  2,  Plate  VI  I.  On  the  west*  side  of  the  river  is  a  plateau  about 
four  miles  in  width  and  thirteen  miles  long.  Its  elevation  above 
the  river  is  2,500  to  3,000  feet.  It  is  composed  of  schists,  and  the  top 
seems  to  have  a  gentle  slope  to  the  eastward.  It  seems  to  have  had  in 
places  a  capping  of  trachyte. 

East  of  Cebolla  Creek,  on  the  granite  hills,  a  portion  of  this  trachyte 
still  remains.  To  the  northward  the  plateau  runs  to  apoiut,  the  termina- 
tion being  marked  by  ahigh  conical  point  of  granite.  Beyond  this,  are  red 
sandstones  (Triassic),  with  superimposed  Jurassic  and  Cretaceous  strata, 
as  seen  from  station  No.  80,  on  the  opposite  sideof  the  river.  Fig.  1,  Plate 
VII,  shows  a  section  through  station  80.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  granite 
forms  a  sort  of  shelf  along  the  river,  on  which  the  sedimentary  forma- 
tions rest,  having  bluff-like  edges  a  short  distance  farther  back.  These 
beds  incline  at  a  small  angle  (about  5^),  causing  the  country  to  slope 
gently  toward  Smith's  Fork,  which  here  flows  almost  parallel  to  the 
Oannison.  The  illustration.  Fig.  1,  carries  the  section  across  Smith's 
Fork.  Beneath  station  80  is  an  outcrop  of  the  Bed  Beds.  Where  the 
section  crosses  Smith's  Fork,  the  latter  stream  does  not  cut  below  the 
Dakota  group  (No.  1).  Near  the  mouth,  however,  it  cuts  through  the 
Bed  Beds  reaching  the  granite. 

Smith's  Fork  joins  the  Gunnison  as  the  latter  emerges  from  the  gran- 
itic portion  of  its  canon,  and  cut«  across  the  strata  into  the  Cretaceous 
sandstones.  It  rises  in  the  group  of  tra^hytic  peaks  that  I  have  already 
referred  to  as  terminating  the  Elk  Mountains  to  the  westward.  Before 
it  leaves  these  peaks  there  are  outcrops  of  Cretaceous  shales  seen  near 
the  water's  edge,  on  the  main  creek  at  flrst,  but  afterward  spreading  out 
and  covering  wider  areas.  After  it  is  fairly  out  of  the  mountains  it  flows 
across  the  Upper  Cretaceous  formation,  and  gradually  cuts  throagh  the 
sandstone  of  No.  1,  which  forms  bluffs  extending  along  its  course  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Southern  Fork  to  the  mouth.  (See  map  B). 
7  H 


100       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY -.OP  THE  TEBRITORIES. 

Grand,  immediately  opposite  tbe  plateau  in  which  station  48  was  lo- 
cated. Its  coarse  is  nearly  south,  on  a  line  with  Coal  Creek.  The  valley 
is  comparatively  narrow,  there  being  but  tew  open  bottoms  along  its 
course.  The  slopes  of  the  hills  on  either  side  are  well  timbered  with 
pines  and  cottonwoods.  Near  the  head  of  the  main  creek  there  ai*e 
large  bowlders  of  a  black  basalt,  derived,  in  all  probability,  from  tbe 
layer  which  once  covered  the  entire  divide.  While  on  this  creek  we 
met  a  party  of  prospectors,  who  said  they  had  found  indications  of  gold 
along  the  stream,  but  not  in  any  very  great  quantky. 

The  divide  between  Bock  Creek  and  this  branch  of  the  North  Fork  is 
a  sharp  ridge  of  Cretaceous  sandstones,  reaching  above  the  timber-line. 
The  strata  dip  about  15^  to  the  west,  the  angle  decreasing  on  crossing 
theNorth  Fork,  until  they  becomealmosthorizontal  in  theplateau  divide 
between  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison  and  Grand  Biver.  Station  26  was 
located  on  this  ridge.  The  lines  of  outcrop  between  the  station  and 
Sophs  peak  are  the  prolongation  of  the  hog-backs  on  the  west  side  of 
Eoaring  Fork. 

The  rock  on  the  summit  of  station  26  is  a  compact  greenish-gray 
sandstone,  somewhat  laminated,  and  containing  in  the  lower  part  frag- 
ments of  stems  and  leaves,  and  particles  of  carbonaceous  mat<erial.  The 
most  careful  search  revealed  nothing  perfect  enough  for  identification.  Be- 
low this  sandstone  is  a  narrow  band  of  dark-colored,  very  compact  lime- 
stone, of  a  reddish-brown  color  on  the  weathered  surfaces.  Next  below  is 
a  coarse  textured,  soft,  gray  sandstone,  which  seemed  to  continue  to  the 
base  of  the  amphitheater  which  the  station  overlooked. 

Near  the  base  of  the  slope  we  ascended,  I  noticed  an  outcrop  of  con- 
glomerate in  which  the  pebbles  were  of  a  rock  very  much  like  that  form- 
ing the  nucleus  of  the  Elk  Mountains.  The  matrix  was  siliceous. 
What  the  relations  of  this  bed  were  to  the  sandstones  I  could  not  de- 
termine, as  the  slopes  were  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  and 
tbe  underlying  beds  were  for  the  most  part  covered  with  d6hr%s.  The 
pebbles  were  rounded  and  evidently  water- worn. 

South  of  station  26  the  strike  curves  to  the  eastward,  the  dip  changing 
more  and  more  toward  the  southwest.  The  line  of  outcrop  of  the  Creta- 
ceous beds  crosses  Rock  Creek  into  the  Elk  Mountains,  where  they  become 
very  much  faulted  and  upturned.  In  this  portion  of  the  Elk  Mountains 
Dr.  Hayden  made  a  more  detailed  survey,  and  to  his  report  and  the  re- 
port of  Mr.  Holmes,  the  reader  is  referred  for  the  geology  of  Bock  Creek 
and  the  adjacent  peaks. 

Station  ^  was  located  south  of  station  26  on  one  of  a  group  of  high 
peaks,  rising  from  a  mass  of  trachyte  resembling  that  composing  the 
mountains  between  Anthracite  Creek  and  the  head  of  Ohio  Creek  near 
station  32. 

The  western  slope  of  this  ^mass  is  extremely  steep,  the  sandstone 
reaching  to  the  base ,  almost  horizontal  in  position.  At  the  northern 
end,  however,  as  seen  from  a  distance,  the  strata  appear  to  dip  to  the 
northeast  at  an  angle  of  about  40^,  so  that  there  would  seem  to  be  a 
synclinal  fold  between  this  point  and  the  ridge,  extending  from  station 
26.  A  branch  of  North  Fork  rises  here  and  flows  nearly  due  west.  Near 
its  mouth  the  beds  are  also  inclined  towards  the  northwest,  although 
the  angle  is  only  about  6^. 

At  the  southern  end  of  the  mass  in  which  station  33  is  situated,  on 
Anthracite  Creek,  the  sandstones  are  tipped  up,  dipping  north  54^  west 
atanangleofl5^.  Dikesof  trachyte  penetrate  thesandstones.  The  branch 
of  North  Fork  that  we  have  just  been  considering,  after  the  union  of  the 


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PSAUtj  GEOLOGY — ^NORTH  FORK  OP  THE   GUNNISON.      ^         101 

streams  heading  in  the  plateau,  flows  for  a  short  distance  through  a 
beantifal  grassy  valley,  &om  which  the  country  on  the  west  rises  in  a 
plateau  which  is  timbered  on  the  slopes. 

At  the  lower  end  of  the  valley  the  stream  gradually  cuts  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  i^ndstones,  until,  at  the  point  where  it  meets  Anthracite 
Greek,  it  is  about  a  thousand  feet  below  the  general  level.  All  the 
branches  here,  even  the  smallest,  cut  these  canons,  leaving  mesas  or  tables 
between,  in  which  the  strata  are  nearly  horizontal,  thus  giving  them 
about  the  same  general  level. 

After  the  union  of  the  two  main  creeks,  the  North  Fork  flows  a  little 
south  of  west,  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  former  courses,  in  a  canon 
which  is  from  1,500  to  2,000  feet  deep.  This  caiion  is  about  fifteen  miles 
long.  In  the  lower  part  the  river  gradually  turns  to  the  southward, 
finally  emerging  into  a  rather  broad,  open  valley  extending  on  the  lower 
side  to  the  foot  of  the  hills  on  which  stations  38  and  39  are  located. 
The  valley  becomes  wider  as  we  go  toward  Smith's  Fork.  It  is  compara- 
tively open,  being  broken  only  by  low  hills  or  buttes  of  yellowish  and 
gray  shales,  all  belonging  to  the  Cretaceous  formation.  These  buttes 
have  a  scattered  growth  of  stunted  cedars  and  sage-brush.  The  soil  is 
impregnated  with  alkali,  and  generally  sterile.  -  The  small  streams  cut 
deep  guUeys  in  the  soft  beds.  As  the  river  emerges  from  the  canon  the 
mesas  on  the  south  side  end  abruptly  in  steep  blufi's,  just  north  of 
stiition  39.  Stations  38  and  39  belong  to  the  tracbytic  group,  to  which 
I  have  already  so  often  referred.  They  are  beautiful  examples  of  moun- 
tain forms,  rising  in  sharp  conical  points.  Station  38  risers  4,000  feet 
above  the  general  level  of  the  valley  which  it  overlooks.  As  already 
described,  there  is  a  gradual  slope  from  the  Gunnison  to  Smith's  Fork,  the 
sandstone  of  the  Dakota  group  forming  the  floor.  Crossing  Smith's  Fork, 
the  softer  beds,  which  we  have  already  described,  form  lines  of  buttes. 
Along  the  North  Fork  there  are  outcrops  of  black  shales,  in  which  the 
general  dip  is  to  the  northeast.  On  the  north  side  of  the  river  is  a  series 
of  terraces  sloping  from  the  basaltic-capped  mesa  which  here  forms  the 
divide  between  the  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers. 

Leaving  the  mesa  canon  the  North  Fork  turns  still  more  toward  the 
south,  and  flows  southwest  to  within  about  four  miles  of  its  mouth,  when 
its  course  becomes  due  west.  In  this  valley  the  river  winds  in  graceful 
curves,  outlined  in  the  most  distinct  manner,  as  seen  from  the  moun- 
tains and  plateau,  by  the  fringes  of  cottonwoods  on  its  banks.  Just 
before  it  turns  to  the  westward  it  enters  a  cation.  The  walls,  at 
first,  are  mere  bluffs,  cut  in  the  black  shales  that  lie  immediately  above 
the  Dakota  sandstone.  By  the  time  it  joins  the  Gunnison  it  has  cut 
pretty  deeply  into  the  Dakota  group.  The  river  in  this  part  of  its 
course  is  parallel  with  Smith's  Fork,  and  joins  the  Gunnison  in  the  caiion 
ftt  right  angles  to  the  former  course  of  that  stream.  The  Gunnison, 
however,  turns  and  flows  to  the  westward  in  the  direct  line  of  the  North 
Pork. 

This  part  of  the  canon  of  the  Gunnison  is  ten  miles  in  length  and  with 
^alls  from  400  to  500  feet  high.  Although  in  many  places  the  bluffs  rise 
in  sheer  precipices  from  the  river's  edge,  in  others  there  are  alluvial 
bottoms,  sometimes  on  one  side  and  sometimes  on  the  other.  The  general 
course  is  about  due  west. 

Fig.  3,  Plate  YIII,  represents  a  section  across  the  Gunnison  through 
the  Une  E  F,  on  map  B.  At  a  it  cuts  the  river  just  above  the  mouth  of 
Smith's  Fork,  before  it  leaves  the  granitic  canon,  and  at  d  it  cuts  the 
river  below  the  mouth  of  the  North  Fork.    It  will  be  seen  that  there  is 


102     • '  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITOBIES. 

a  slight  synclinal  fold  between  c  and  <f,  which  is  more  marked  farther 
west,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2,  which  is  a  section  across  the  Gunnison  just 
before  it  leaves  the  canon,  on  the  line  G  H.  The  following  is  the  sec- 
tion represented  in  Fig.  3,  the  figures  corresponding  with  section  L. 

SECTION. 

1.  Granite  reaching  to  edge  of  the  river. 

2.  Bed  sandstone  (Triamef). 

3.  Greenish  and  gray  shales  and  sandstones  (Jurassic  fj. 

4.  Shaly  sandstones.      )  n^i.^*^  ^-^^.^^ 
6.  Massive  sandstones.  }  ^^*^*^  ^''''''^' 

6.  Laminated  sandstones  and  black  shales. 

7.  Black  shales.  >  Cretaceous. 

8.  Dark  yellow  shales. 

9.  Light  yellow  and  gray  beds. 

10.  Terrace  with  light-colored  shales.  j 
At  a  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  YIII,  the  strata  are  seen  to  be  curved  abruptly, 

the  river  occupying  the  axis  of  an  anticlinal  fold.  This  is  at  the  point 
where  it  leaves  the  canon.  The  fold,  however,  is  not  simply  a  north 
and  south  fold,  for,  aa  we  see  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  YIII,  there  is  folding 
east  and  west.  This  is  the  main  fold,  or  rather  the  termination  of  the 
anticlinal  fold,  the  axis  of  which  the  Gunnison  follows  in  the  canon 
above  Smith's  Fork. 

Fig.  1  represents  a  section  on  the  line  I  K,  almost  at  right  angles 
to  the  sections  in  Figs.  2  and  3. 

The  following  are  the  beds  represented  in  Fig.  2  (Section  K) : 

3.  Sbales  and  sandstooes.  >  Cretaceous. 

4.  Black  shales.  ,  f 

5.  Yellow  and  gray  shales.  3 

In  Fig.  1,  the  following  is  the  section  (Section  I) : 

1.  Sandstones  of  No.  1,  Cretaceous. 

2.  Yellowish  and  black  shales. 

3.  Fine  hard  brownish  shales. 

g     >  Shales  forming  terraces^ 

As  we  go  south  along  the  west  side  of  the  canon  of  the  Gunnison, 
we  see  that  the  dip,  at  first,  is  to  the  northwest,  gradually  coming 
around  to  the  west.  The  connection  between  the  Dakota  group  and  the 
overlying  shales  seems  to  be  broken.  Opposite  station  80,  the  Bed 
Beds  (Triassic)  are  se^n  resting  on  the  schists.  A  little  farther  south 
the  Dakota  group  is  washed  off,  and  there  are  simply  remnants  of  the 
red  sandstones  left.  I  did  not  have  time  to  visit  this  from  the  west 
side,  and  until  this  is  done,  all  opinions  must,  to  a  certain  extent,  be 
conjectural.  As  we  go  farther  south  we  find  the  granite  plateau,  before 
referred  to,  shown  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  YII,/  to  g^  standing  between  the 
Gunnison  and  the  valley  of  the  Uncompahgre.  Abutting  against  this 
plateau,  at  the  head  of  Cedar  Creek,  and  on  the  branches  of  Cebolla 
Creek,  as  we  have  already  seen,  the  Cretaceous  sbales  are  horizontal. 
Whether  the  fold  noticed  at  the  northern  end  of  the  caiion  becomes  a 


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PBALt]  GEOLOGY — ^UNCOMPAHGRE   RIVER.     .  103 

fault  at  the  sontherHf  I  am  unable  to  say.    The  western  side  of  the 
canon  will  have  to  be  studied  before  the  question  can  be  decided. 

Leaving  the  canon  the  Gnnnison  keeps  its  westerly  course  for  about 
six  miles,  when  it  makes  some  southing  to  the  month  of  the  Uncom- 
pahgre,  which  joins  tbe  river  eight  miles  below  the  foot  of  the  caiion. 

The  trncompahgre  is  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Gunnison  from  the 
Bonth.  It  rises  in  the  Uncompahgre  Mountains  (Sierra  de  la  Plata  of 
Oannison*),  and  has  a  general  course  a  few  degrees  west  of  north.  The 
range  in  which  it  rises  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  liocky  Mountains. 
The  geology  will  be  fully  treated  of  in  Dr.  Endlich's  report,  the 
range  being  in  the  southern  district.  While  we  were  in  the  valley  of 
the  Uncompahgre,  we  had  a  magnificent  view  of  its  snowy  peaks,  which 
stand  out  prominently  against  the  sky.  To  the  west  we  had  a  sight  of 
the  Sierra  la  Sal  or  Salt  Mountains,  the  peaks  being  just  visible. 

Near  the  head  of  the  Uncompahgre  there  seem  to  be  some  beautiful 
open  parks.    We  did  not  visit  them,  as  our  trail  led  us  up  Cedar  Greek,* 
one  of  the  eastern  branches  of  the  river.     We  were  but  a  few  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  Cedar  Creek,  at  the  point  where  the  wagon-trail 
crosses. 

Cedar  Creek  is  probably  dry  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  It 
rises  in  a  plateau-like  divide,  opposite  a  small  branch  of  Cebolla  Creek, 
a  few  miles  we8tx>f  the  mouth  of  the  main  stream.  Its  general  course  is 
about  northwest.  The  upper  portion  of  the  valley  is  narrow  and^ ravine- 
like, the  slopes  of  the  hills  being  covered  with  scrub-oak,  sage,  and 
cactus,  with  here  and  there  patches  of  gras8.  This  valley  continues  for 
about  ten  miles,  when  the  creek  comes  out  into  the  broad  valley  of  tbe 
Uncompahgre,  which  at  this  point  has  lines  of  buttes  of  light-colored 
clayey-beds,  the  debrisof  which  forms  a  soft  soil,  in  which  the  mules  sink 
to  their  fetlocks  at  every  step.  All  the  small  creeks,  dry  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  year,  cut  deep  gullies  in  this  soft  soil,  which  is  almost  desti- 
tute of  vegetation.  In  places  there  is  considerable  effioresence  of  alkali, 
and  gypsum  is  found  abundantly  throughout  the  valley.  The  buttes 
are  found  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  valley.  They  are  from  two  hundred 
to  four  hundred  feet  high,  and  form  two  lines,  those  nearest  the  canon 
of  the  Gunnison  being  the  highest.  The  buttes  are  not  so  numerous 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  valley,  where  the  general  level  is  but  a  few  feet 
above  the  river-bed.  It  is  more  plain-like,  without  grass,  having  only  a 
sparse  growth  of  low  sage,  interspersed  with  spots  of  alkali,  giving 
the  countrv  a  most  desolate  aspect  Along  the  river  is  an  alluvial 
bottom,  with  good  grass,'  the  river  being  bordered  with  cotton  woods, 
willows,  and  low  bushes  of  various  kinds.  This  bottom  becomes  much 
wider  as  we  descend,  and  is  a  favorite  wintering  place  for  the  Ute  In* 
dians.  We  found  traces  of  their  camps,  while  their  trails  run  in  every 
direction.  In  one  place  we  found  a  field  where  corn  had  been  raised,  the 
stalks  of  which  weie  still  standing. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Uncompahgre  the  country  preserves  a 
very  uniform  level  for  ten  or  fifteen  miles  to  the  west  and  southwest, 
where  it  seems  to  rise  in  a  plateau.  This  level  country  is  terraced,  cut 
by  the  branches  of  the  Gunnison  and  Uncompahgre,  which  contain 
water  only  in  the  spring.  The  terraces  are  for  the  greater  part  desti- 
tute of  vegetation,  being  coverd  with  pebbles,  among  which  are  scattered 
fragments  of  chalcedony  and  agate.  They  are  underlaid  with  Creta- 
ceoos  strata,  shales  in  the  eastern  part,  and  the  sandstones  of  the  Da- 
kota group  toward  the  west,  as  the  country  rises  into  the  plateau.    The 

*  Pacific  Railroad  Report,  vol.  ii,  page  55. 


104       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERBITORIES. 

latter  was  seen  only  from  a  distance,  bat  it  is  probably  similar  to  the 
country  to  the  west  of  the  Gunnison,  near  its  mouth,  the  streams  prob- 
ably cutting  through  to  the  Triassicf  red  sandstones.  On  the  Un- 
compahgre  the  terrace  is  about  one  hundred  feet  high. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  Gunnison  below  the  mouth  of  the  Uncom- 
pahgre,  are  three  terraces.  The  first  is  100  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
river,  the  second  150  feet,  and  the  third  200  feet. 

Below  the  junction  of  the  Uncompah^e,  the  Gunnison  keeps  a  course 
a  few  degrees  south  of  west,  until  it  reaches  the  mouth  of  Roubideau's 
Creek,  nearly  five  miles  below.  Here  it  enters  the  lower  caOon.  Above 
Boubideau's  Greek  the  valley  is  very  wide,  averaging  about  two  miles. 
The  immediate  river-bottom  is  also  broad  and  overgrown  with  cotton- 
woods  and  low  brush.  There  are  numerous  sloughs  along  the  course  of 
the  river,  and  the  fall  per  mile  is  very  small.  The  river  winds  slug- 
gishly in  curves  that  sometimes  seem  to  approach  circles. 
'  On  the  north  side  are  terraces  which  soon  form  low  hills  or  battes 
reaching  almost  to  the  mesa.  The  edge  of  the  mesa  stands  boldly  out, 
like  the  edge  of  a  fortification-wall.  Its  slopes  are  well  timbered.  The 
battes  below,  extending  toward  the  river,  are  composed  of  yellow,  gray, 
and  whitish  strata,  the  weathering  of  which  gives  a  most  curious  appear- 
ance to  the  landscape.  On  the  south  side,  as  I  have  already  said,  there 
are  terraces  extending  southward  toward  the  Uncompahgre  Moun- 
tains. 

The  canon  which  commences  at  the  month  of  Boubideau's  Greek,  ex- 
tends almost  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison.  It  is,  therefore,  about  32 
miles  in  length,  in  an  air-line.  By  the  Ute  Indians  it  is  called  Unaweep 
or  Bed  Canon,*  from  the  deep-red  sandstones  that  are  exposed  at  va- 
rious points  along  its  course.  In  the  caiion  the  river  winds  considerably, 
and  has  in  places  meadows  and  even  groves  of  cottonwood  fringing  it-. 
It  is  not  very  rapid,  the  fall  per  mile  being  about  eight  feet.  Although 
in  an  air-line  the  caiion  is  32  miles  long,  the  length  of  the  river  is  about 
forty-five  miles,  or  perhaps  a  little  more,  if  we  allow  for  all  the  smaller 
curves.  The  course  of  the  river  at  first  for  ten  miles  is  north  6(P  west.  It 
then  flows  due  north  for  about  three  miles,  when  it  turns,  taking  a  coarse 
to  the  northwest,  which  it  keeps  generally  for  nearly  fifteen  miles,  when 
it  again  bends  to  the  west  and  gradually  curves  back  again  to  its  mouth 
in  the  Grand. 

The  walls  of  the  canon  often  rise  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge  in 
sheer  precipices,  while  in  others  there  is  a  narrow  strip  between  the  river 
and  the  edge  of  the  bluffs.  The  latter  are  betterpreserved  on  the  eastern 
side,  as  the  course  of  the  river  is  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  dip,  which 
is  approximately  to  the  eastward,  really  a  few  degrees  north  of  east. 

At  the  mouth  of  Boubideau's  Creek  the  walls  are  only  200  feet  high, 
while  at  station  GO  they  are  663  feet  high  on  the  eastern  side,  and  much 
higher  opposite.  This  probably  increases  slightly  as  we  go  down-stream, 
but  it  can  scarcely  reach  a  thousand  feet  at  any  point- 

At  first  the  river  merely  cuts  through  the  sandstones  and  shales  of 
the  Dakota  group  (Cretaceous  No.  1),  as  shown  in  a'  section  of  the 
bluffs  given  in  another  portion  of  the  report. 

As  we  go  down,  the  river  gradually  cuts  through  the  base  of  No.  1 
into  the  Jurassic  shales  and  limestones ;  and  finally,  below  station  62, 
the  red  sandstones  (Triassic  f )  appear  beneath  the  shales. 

Fig.  3,  Plate  IX,  represents  a  section  across  the  Gunnison  through 
station  60  eastward  to  the  mesa  terminating  the  plateau  divide.   It  will 

*  Vide  Pacific  Rulroad  Report,  vol.  II,  pag^  57. 


4    >     •''♦      ' 


*      M 


I    - 


f-. 


P1ALE.1  GEOLOGY — LOWER  CANON  OP   GUNNISON  KIVEE.  105 

• 

be  seen  that  there  is  a  gentle  slope  from  the  edge  of  the  canon,  and  that 
from  the  edge  of  the  mesa  there  is  another  slope,  thus  forming  a  valley 
between  the  two  points.  This  valley  is  filled  with  Cretaceous  sand- 
stones, shales,  and  marls,  which,  on  the  east  side,  form  mesa-like 
bottea. 

There  are  five -streams  joining  the  Gunnison  from  the  east  in  the  canon. 
The  largest  is  Kahnah  Creek.  Most  of  the  creeks  cut  deep  caiions  as 
they  join  the  river.  It  will  be  seen,  on  referring  to  the  illustration 
(Fig.  2,  Plate  IX),  that  there  is  a  dip  at  right  angles  to  the  stream,  and 
that  this  is  the  greatest  at  the  river,  anddecreases  as  we  goawayin  either 
direction.  At  the  point  where  the  section  was  made,  the  dip  isouly  about 
50.  Farther  north,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Grand,  the  angle  is  from  15° 
to  20°,  decreasing  as  we  go  westward  or  south  westward  to  about  6°,  and 
also  decreasing  as  we  go  toward  the  east.  There  is  therefore  here  a 
monoclinal  fold,  the  axis  of  which  has  a  direction  about  northwest,  the 
dip  being  to  northeast.  At  station  60,  the  fold  is  very  gentle;  but,  as 
we  have  seen,  to  the  north  it  is  much  steeper,  and  probably  still  far- 
ther it  may  become  a  fault. 

Pig.  1,  Plate  IX,  represents  a  profile  of  this  fold  as  far  north  as  we 
could  see  it  from  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison.  It  will  be  in  one  of  the 
districts  during  the  next  season,  when  it  will  be  thoroughly  investi- 
gated. 

This  canon  of  the  Gunnison  seems,  therefore,  to  have  been  outlined  by 
a  fissure  in  the  rocks  caused  by  their  folding ;  otherwise  it  would  seem 
most  natural  for  the  river  to  have  cut  its  way  through  the  soft  strata 
that  lie  between  the  edge  of  the  canon  and  the  basaltic-Capped  mesa. 

The  country  to  the  southwest  rises  into  a  broad  plateau,  beyond  which 
we  could  see  the  peaks  of  the  Sierra  la  Sal.  Ked  sandstones  seem  to 
form  the  basis  of  this  plateau,  which  is  cut  into  profound  canons  by  the 
branches  joining  the  Gunnison  on  the  southwest  side.  This  will  be  in 
the  field  of  explorations  next  season,  and  I  therefore  only  refer  to  it 
liere. 

The  bluffs  of  the  Gunnison  as  we  approach  the  Grand  again  fall  off, 
and  do  not  exceed  150  feet  in  height.  A  section  at  this  point  will  be 
found  elsewhere,  with  a  description  of  tbe  beds  forming  it. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

STBATiaBAPHY— ABGH^AN  ABBAS  OF  EAaLE,  GBAND,  AND  GUNNISON 

BIYEBS. 


As  will,  perhaps,  be  evident  from  the  preceding  chapters,  the  greater 
portioD  of  thecoautry  comprised  in  onr  district  is  underlaid  with  rocks  of 
Tertiary  and  Cretaceous  age,  the  older  Ibrmations  showing  only  where 
there  are  abrupt  folds,  and  whore  the  streams  have  cut  through  the 
more  modern  beds  to  them. 

The  other  formations  represented  are  the  Jurassic,  Triassic  (Y),  Carbo- 
niferous, and  Silurian.  These  will  be  referred  to  in  subsequent  chap- 
ters. The  present  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Archaean  rocks,  while  separate  chapters  will  be  given  to  the  sediment- 
ary formations,  and  to  the  eruptive  rocks  of  the  district. 

TheArcbaBan  areasare  limited,  and  will  be  considered  in  the  geographi- 
cal order  followed  in  the  chapters  on  the  general  topograph!^  and  ge- 
ological features  of  the  district. 

On  account  of  the  rapid  and  extended  character  of  our  explorations, 
and  also  the  difficulty  of  getting  at  these  rocks  from  their  being  cut  into 
deep  gorges  by  the  streams,  I  am  unable  to  present  but  few  lithologi- 
cal  details.  As  far  as  we  were  able  to  determine,  the  rocks  are  all  meta- 
morphic,  dark  micaceous  schists  prevailing.  Until  they  are  studied  in 
more  detail,  their  exact  age  must  remain  undetermined,  although  the 
occurrence  of  the  Potsdam  sandstone  resting  on  them  near  the  head  of 
Eagle  Biver,  and  at  various  localities  in  the  district  of  1873,  proves  them 
to  be  at  lea^t  of  Pre-Potsdam  age.  No  facts  were  obtained  in  regard  to 
their  relations  to  the  metamorpbic  series  exposed  in  the  Front  range. 

Eagle  River. — The  metamorphic  rocks  through  which  the  upper  triba- 
taries  of  Eagle  Biver  cut  their  courses  form  the  northern  extension  of 
the  Archaean  area  of  the  Sawatch  range.  This  area  was  described  in 
last  year's  (1873)  report,  and  therefore  I  will  do  little  more  than  refer  to 
it  here.  The  group  of  peaks  of  which  the  Holy  Cross  Mountain  forms 
one  of  the  most  prominent,  marks  the  northern  end  of  the  great  1^ 
watch  anticlinal.  The  sedimentary  beds  curve  gradually  around  the 
end  of  the  range,  the  line  of  outcrop  across  which  Eagle  Biver  cuts,  on 
its  way  to  the  Grand  being  the  direct  prolongation  of  the  line  of  out- 
crop crossing  Frying-Pau  Creek  (noticed  in  the  report  for  1873,  page 
266). 

The  upper  portion  of  the  Eagle  is  for  the  most  part  in  caiion  cut  in 
these  rocks.  The  caiion  is  one  mainly  of  erosion.  As  far  as  the  sedi- 
mentary beds  are  concerned  it  is  monocliual.  They,  however,  are  not 
well  shown  until  we  reach  the  lower  part  of  the  canon,  which  ends  a 
short  distance  above  the  mouth  of  Boche-Moutonn^e  Creek. 

This  caiion,  which  has  been  partially  described  in  a  preceding  portion 
of  the  report,  is  about  two  thousand  feet  deep,  and  presents  all  the  pe- 
culiarities of  gorges  cut  in  gneissic  or  granitic  rocks.  The  walls  are 
steep  and  rugged,  the  river  occupying  the  entire  width  of  the  canon  at 
the  bottom.  The  trail  keeps  high  up  on  the  hills  on  the  eastern  side  of 
^^fi  river. 

106 


«AUL]  GEOLOGY — ABCHiEAN  E0CK8  OF  GUNNISON  AND  GRAND.   107 

I  have  already  saM  that  the  cauon  of  Eagle  Biver  is  dae  mainly  to 
erosion.  The  coarse  was  probably  determined  by  a  line  of  fracture  of 
which  all  evidence  has  been  removed.  Inhere  is  no  evidence  of  glacial 
action  on  Eagle  Biver,  althongh  all.the  branches  coming  from  the  Sawatch 
range  show  it  abandantly,  especially  Koche-Moutonniie  Creek. 

The  valley  of  this  creek  is  filled  with  masses  of  gneissic  rock,  beanti- 
fally  rounded  and  smoothed  by  the  glacier  which  once  filled  its  valley. 

Grand  Biver. — A  little  more  than  three  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Eagle,  the  Grand  enters  a  caiion  in  which  it  is  more  than  probable 
there  are  ontcrops  of  metamorphic  rocks,  probable  gneiss  and  schists. 
To  verify  this  opinion  the  bottom  of  the  canon  ough4)  to  be  followed. 
The  rocks  at  the  entrance  of  the  caiion  ^re  limestones,  which  from  their 
position  were  supposed  to  be  of  Carboniferous  age.  The  course  of  the 
river  at  this  point  is  a  few  degrees  south  of  west,  while  the  limestones 
have  a  dip  which  in  general  is  east.  On  the  north  side  of  the  river 
it  probably  changes  to  south  of  east,  and  as  we  go  up  the  creek  that 
joins  the  Grand  just  above  the  cafiion  it  changes  more  to  the  north.  As 
we  go  down  the  caSon,  therefore,  the  sedimentary  beds  ri^e  and  the 
Archaean  rocks  ought  to  be  seen  beneath.  This  opinion  is  confirmed  by 
Mr.  Marvine,  in  whose  report  this  canon  will  be  fully  described.  He 
was  on  the  northern  side  and  had  a  much  better  opportunity  to  study 
its  features. 

He  says  that  on  comparing  the  thickness  of  the  sedimentary  rocks 
with  the  depth  of  the  caiion  it  is  evident  that  the  gneiss  must  show  be- 
neath. The  area,  he  thinks,  is  limited,  for  some  five  miles  down  the 
canon  there  is  either  a  fault  or  an  abrupt  fold  which  brings  the  sedi- 
mentary beds  once  more  to  the  bottom  of  the  canon.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  this  exceedingly  limited  area,  I  believe  there  are  no  ArchaBan 
rocks  shown  along  the  course  of  the  Grand,  from  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle 
to  the  month  of  the  Gunnison. 

Qunni%(m  Biver. — ^The  head  of  the  Gunnison  Biver  is  entirely  in  meta- 
morphic rocks,  which  were  described  in  the  reports  of  last  year.  Below 
the  mouth  of  East  Biver,  it  flows  through  a  belt  of  Cretaceous  rocks, 
from  which  it  again  enters  gneiss  and  schists,  in  which  it  keeps  almost 
entirely  from  the  month  of  Ohio  Creek  to  the  month  of  the  North  Fork. 
The  only  exceptions  are  where  the  river  flows  through  broad,  meadow- 
like valley^,  and  even  here  there  are  schists  underlying  the  river-drift 
and  alluvium.  There  are  but  few  of  these  meadows,  and  all  are  above 
the  Lake  Fork  of  the  Gunnison. 

This  belt  of  gneiss  and  schists  is  narrow  for  the  most  part,  extending 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  edge  of  the  river,  except  on  the  lateral 
branches  where  the  metamorphic  rocks  are  exposed  some  distance  from 
the  Gunnison,  forming  long,  tongue  like  areas.  These  lateral  branches 
are  generally  in  canons,  and  the  Gunnison  itself  cuts  a  cafion  in  the 
gneiss. 

Below  the  cattle-camp  near  the  mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek,  the  pre- 
vailing rocks  on  the  sooth  side  of  the  Gunnison,  for  a  distance  of  more 
than  six  miles,  are  schists  and  gneiss.  Becedmg  from  the  river,  vol- 
canic rocks  will  probably  appear  on  top.  On  the  north  side,  resting  on 
the  gneissic  rocks,  is  a  heavy  layer  of  volcanic  breccia,  underlaid  in 
places  by  sandstones,  as  evidenced  by  an  outcrop  not  far  below  the  cat- 
tle-camp. At  station  71,  the  ArchsBan  belt  narrows,  forming  the  walls  of 
a  caiion,  through  which  the  Gunnison  winds  with  rather  a  tortuous 
course.  A  section,  from  station  71  to  the  river  is  shown  In  Fig.  3,  Plate 
XIY.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  the  rocks  are  identical.  Imme- 
diately on  the  gneiss  the  sandstones  rest,  as  shown  in  the  illustration.  They 


108       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBEIT0RIE8. 

are  probably  of  Cretaceous  age,  belonging  to  "So.  1  or  Dakota  gronp. 
The  reason  for  this  opinion  will  be  given, at  length,  in  a  sabseqnentchap- 
ter.  Farther  down  the  river  these  sandstones  increase  in  thickness,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  XIV,  while  the  gneissic  area  is  very  narrow. 

The  presence  of  the  Dakota  gronp,  resting  immediately  on  the  Ar-  * 
chsBan  rocks,  wonld  seem  to  prove  that  in  Pre-Oretaceous  times  this  Ar- 
chaean area  was  above  sea-level.  What  its  limits  were  I  am  unable  to 
say.  It  was  probably  connected  with  the  Sawatch  range,  a  portion  of 
which,  as  I  mentioned  in  last  year's  report,  was  probably  above  the  sea- 
level  during  Pre-Oretaceons  times.  There  was  a  period  of  gradual  sub- 
sidence. This  commenced  at  least  in  Pre-Triassic  ages;  for,  as  shown  in 
map  B,  as  we  approach  Smith's  Fork  there  appear,  resting  on  the  gneiss 
and  underlying  the  Dakota  group,  first,  beds  of  Jurassic  age,  and  then 
the  Bed  Beds  (Triassic  ?). 

When  the  subsequent  elevation  began  it  is  difficult  to  say,  although 
it  is  altogether  likely  that  it  was  Post-Cretaceous.  It  was  probably 
gradual. 

Erosion  .subsequently  modified  the  original  surface.  Then  followed 
the  period*  when  the  breccia  and  lava  was  poured  out,  concealing  the 
underlying  formations.  Between  Lake  Creek  and  Cebolla  Creek,  there 
are  places  where  the  schists  and  gneiss  seem  to  be  capped  with  trachytic 
rock,  without  any  iutervening.layers^  while  at  lower  levels,  on  some  of 
the  small  branches  of  Cebolla  Greek,  there  are  shales  probably  of  Upper 
Cretaceous  age,  abutting  immediately  against  the  gneiss  and  horizontal 
in  position. .  Near  the  mouth  of  Cebolla  Creek  the  schists  seem  to  dip  to 
southeast.  Here  they  are  very  coarse,  with  large  masses  of  quartz  and 
pink  feldspar.  The  mica  is  silvery  (probably  Muscovite),  The  Grand 
canon  of  the  Gunnison  in  reality  commences  at  the  mouth  of  Lake  Fork, 
although  for  nearly  a  mile  it  is  not  very  deep.  Below  the  mouth  of 
Cebolla  Creek,  however,  it  is  between  2,000  and  3,000  feet  deep.  The 
gneissic  portion,  opposite  station  78,  shown  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  YII,  is  2,000 
feet  deep.    The  canon  extends  to  the  mouth  of  the  Korth  Fork. 

The  ArchsBan  area  in  which  this  canon  is  cut  is  defined  in  map  B,  Fig^ 
2.  Plate  YII  represents  a  section  across  it  through  stations  77  and 
78,  to  Cedar  Creek,  on  the  line  marked  A  B,  on  the  map  B.  Fig.  I  in 
the  same  plate  is  a  section  on  the  line  C  D  on  the  same  map. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  metamorphic  rocks  form  a  platesCu  like  mass 
between  the  Gunnison  Biver  and  Cedar  Creek.  This  plateau  narrows 
to  the  northwestward  and  ends  in  sharp,  isolated  peaks. 

South  of  station  80  there  is,  however,  as  shown  on  the  map,  a  narrow 
ArchaBan  belt  bordering  the  river,  in  which  it  cuts  the  deepest  (lortion  of 
its  canon.  This  belt  extends  to  a  point  below  the  mouth  of  Smith's  Fork 
and  forms  a  bench  on  each  side  of  the  river,  as  seen  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  VII, 
at  a.  It  will  be  seen  in  map  B  that  the  Gunnison  Biver  keeps  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  plateau,  and  that  on  the  west  (Fig.  2,  Plate  YII,  h  to 
i),  between  it  and  Cedar  Creek  the  strata  are  horizontal,  abutting  against 
the  granitic  rock.  The  age  of  these  beds  is  probably  Upper  Cretaceous, 
while  the  sandstones  under  station  77,  at  d  and  e  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  YII, 
represent  the  Dakota  group  (No.  1)  or  a  portion  of  it. 

From  the  uniformity  of  level  of  the  plateau  it  would  appear  that  the 
sedimentary  beds  once  extended  over  it  and  have  been  removed  by 
erosion.  In  the  section  Fig.  2,  Plate  YII,  they  are  shown  on  both  sides 
of  the  river.  If  they  once  covered  the  plateau  there  must  be  a  line 
of  faulting  along  its  western  edge,  for  the  level  of  the, Upper  Cretaceous 
beds  shown  there  is  below  that  of  the  Dakota  group  under  station 


«ALK.l  GEOLOGY GUNNISON  RIVER.  109 

77.  Tberefore  the  western  side  of  the  anticlinal  fold  must  change  to 
a  fanlt. 

If  there  is  no  fault,  the  force  of  upheaval  must  have  been  greater 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Archaean  ^rea.  If  this  be  so  it  would  ac- 
'conut  for  the  fact  that  the  Gunnison  Eiver  keeps  on  the  eastern  side, 
as  seen  on  the  map.  We  would  have  to  suppose,  also,  that  a  portion 
of  the  plateau  formed  an  island  in  the  Cretaceous  sea.  The  western 
side  of  the  plateau  will  have  to  be  followed  carefully  before  the  exact 
relations  can  be  determined.  This  I  hope  to  do  during  next  season. 
When  we  were  in  the  Uncompahgre  Valley  it  was  late  in  the  season; 
there  was  but  little  water,  and,  our  supplies  being  reduced,  we  had  to 
make  forced  marches,  so  that  we  were  unable  to  finish  the  work  on  the 
western  side  of  the  canon.* 

As  already  mentioned,  the  rest  of  the  Archaean  area  on  the  Gunnison 
is  very  narrow.  It  is  inaccessible  in  most  places,  and  I  am  therefore 
obliged  to  pass  by  it  with  merely  this  reference.  The  remainder  of  the 
course  of  the  Gunnison  is  in  sedimentary  formations,  which  will  be 
referred  to  in  their  appropriate  places. 

It  will  be  noticed  from  the  foregoing  pages  that  our  district  for  1874, 
unlike  that  of  the  preceding  year,  is  entirely  destitute  of  any  metamor- 
phie  ranges.  It  is  true  that  the  metamorphic  rocks  on  the  Eagle  Eiver 
are  a  continuation  of  those  in  the  Sa watch  range ;  but  this  portion  of 
the  district  forms  the  boundary,  as  it  were,  between  the  work  of  the  two 
years.  It  was  really  within  the  limits  of  one  of  the  districts  for  1873, 
but  was  left  unfinished.  On  the  Gunnison  and  on  the  Grand,  as  we  have 
seen,  the  metamorphic  rocks  are  ahown  in  canons  where  the  overlying 
formations  have  been  cut  through.  In  no  other  parts  of  the  district  are 
there  any  rocks  of  Archsean  age. 


CHAPTER    V. 


STBATIGSAPHY— PALEOZOIC    FORMATIONS. 


This  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  the  Paleozoic  areas  of  the  district 
They  are  as  a  rule  few  in  number  and  of  small  extent.  As  in  the  case 
of  the  metamorphic  rocks,  the  Paleozoic  formations  are  found  mainly 
along  the  courses  of  the  great  arteries  of  the  district,  never  extending 
any  great  distance  from  them.  They  appear  there  outcropping  beneath  ' 
the  rocks  of  Mesozoic  age  which  cover  a  large  part  of  the  region.  They 
have  been  identified  principally  by  their  position  and  lithological  char- 
acters. Although  frequent  and  careful  search  was  made  for  fossils,  it 
was  generally  without  success.  In  Mr.  Marvine's  district  organic  remains 
were  found  in  more  abundance,  especially  in  Carboniferous  layers. 

I  shall  take  them  up  consecutively,  commencing  with  the  Silurian,  and 
considering  them  In  the  geographical  order  adopted  in  the  preceding 
chapters.  On  the  Gunnison  Eiver  no  sedimentary  formations  older  tban 
the  Bed  Beds  (Triassic  f )  are  seen.  At  no  point  in  the  district  was  I  able 
to  get  the  entire  thickness  of  the  Paleozoic  strata.  It  is,  however,  proba- 
bly about  4,800  feet. 

SILUBIAN  AGE. 

• 

Although  no  fossils  were  found  by  me  this  year  in  the  strata  I  shall 
refer  to  this  age,  still  I  think  their  position  and  lithological  characters 
warrant  such  a  reference.  They  rest  immediately  on  the  metamorphic 
rocks  mentioned  in  the  last  chapter.  We  can  say  definitely  that 
they  are  of  a  Pre-Carboniferous  age.  The  upper  portion  of  the  series 
may  at  some  future  day,  when  more  data  are  obtained,  have  to  be  con- 
sidered as  Devonian.  Fossils  of  Carboniferous  age  were  found  in  the  lay- 
ers resting  immediately  upon  them.  There  was  a  much  greater  de- 
velopment in  Mr.  Marvine's  district,  and  further  details  will  be  found  in 
bis  report.  In  my  district,  the  formation  is  limited  to  Eagle  Eiver  with 
possibly  a  small  area  on  the  Grand. 

lam  unable  to  make  any  further  division  of  the  formation  than  to 
separate  the  Potsdam  sandstone  from  the  layers  above,  the  base  of  the 
latter  being  referable  to  the  Calciferous  epoch  or  Quebec  group.  The 
entire  thickness  of  the  Silurian  layera  is  about  820  feet 

PBIMOBDIAL  PEBIOB— POTSDAff  t  GROUP. 

The  Potsdam  sandstone  is  widely  distributed  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  preserves  its  characteristics  in  widely  separated  localities.  Dr. 
Hayden  noticed  the  strata  in  1856  or  1857,  in  the  Black  Hills  of  Wyom- 
ing, and  he  and  Professor  Meek,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  of  Philadelphia,*  announced  the  discovery  of  fossils, 

*  ProcoediDgs  Academy  Kataral  Sciences^  Philadelphia,  March,  1858. 
110 


Htujtl         GEOLOGY — ^POTSDAM   GROUP— CANADIAN  PERIOD.  Ill 

identifying  them  as  belonging  to  the  Potsdam  gronp.  Afterward 
Dr.  Ha>  den  fonnd  fossils  in  the  same  formation  in  the  Big  Horn  range 
in  Dakota.  In  1869*  he  also  loand,  near  Colorado  City,  fossils  in  layers 
just  above,  that  prove  the  layer  in  which  they  were  found  to  belong  to 
the  Calciferoas  or  to  the  Quebec  group.  In  the  report  for  1870,  he  also 
mentions  the  group. 

In  1872  Dr.  Hayden  and  myself  recognised  the  same  group  in  Mon- 
tana, near  Gallatin  City,  t  The  same  year  Professor  Bradley  |  recog- 
nized it  in  Utah,  Idaho,  and  Wyoming. 

ITewberry  §  speaks  of  the  Potsdam  sandstone  occurring  on  the  Colo- 
rado Biver  in  Utah.  Comstock||  refers  to  it  as  occurring  in  the  Wind 
Biver  Mountains.  In  all  these  localities,  the  genenil  characters  are 
very  similar.  In  Colorado,  in  1873, 1  discovered  Potsdam  sandstone  in 
various  localities,  but  was  unable  to  discover  any  organic  remains  in  it, 
although  just  above,  I  found  fossils  reierred  by  Professor  Meek  to  the 
Quebec  group.  Dr.  Endlich,  in  1873,  had  outcrops  of  the  group  in  his 
district,  while  the  northern  district  was  without  any  trace  of  it. 

During  the  past  season  I  lound  on  Eagle  Biver  a  series  of  beds  rest- 
ing on  the  gneiss  and  Schists.  From  their  position  and  lithological  rela- 
tions to  corresponding  beds  found  by  me  in  1873, 1  referred  the  lower 
layer  to  the  Potsdam  group.  The  characters  of  these  beds  will  be  given 
in  the  sections  a  little  farther  on.  Their  extent  in  my  district  was 
limited. 

JEagle  Biver, — ^The  Potsdam  group  here  is  represented  by  a  bed  of 
white  quartzite.  Near  the  head  of  the  river  it  is  shown  on  both  sides, 
dipping  to  the.  northeast  at  an  angle  of  5^  to  10^.  It  is  between  300 
and  400  feet  in  thickness.  As  we  go  down  the  river  it  caps  the  ridge 
separating  the  two  forks,  while  the  gneissic  rocks  on  the  west  side  of 
the  western  fork  are  bare,  the  quartzite  which  once  extended  over 
them  having  been  eroded  away.  Still  farther  along,  opposite  the  canon, 
they  re-appear  in  patches,  and  soon  extend  from  the  edge  of  the  canon 
in  long  strips  between  the  branches  of  the  Eagle,  toward  the  Sawatch 
range,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  I,  representing  the  Potsdam  sandstone 
on  the  gneiss.  The  inclination  is  toward  the  northeast,  the  angle  being 
very  small.  At  the  point  where  the  section  in  the  illustration  is  made, 
it  is  shown  on  both  sides,  but  as  we  go  down  the  river  it  gradually  dis- 
appears on  the  north,  and  appears  only  on  the  south  side,  where  it  con- 
tinues to  the  southward,  curving  around  the  end  of  the  Sawatch  range. 
The  inclination  increases,  and  consequently  the  area  occupied  by  the 
Potsdam  becomes  much  narrower,  connecting  with  the  belt  that  extends 
across  Frying-Pan  Creek  into  the  Elk  Mountains. 

Grand  River. — ^The  only  place  on  the  Grand  where  the  Potsdam  group 
is  likely  to  be  seen  is  in  the  canon  between  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle  and 
the  mouth  of  Bearing  Fork.    Mr.  Marvine's  report  will  treat  of  this. 

Chinnison  River, — There  is  no  exposure  of  this  age  on  the  Gunnison 
in  our  district  for  1874. 

CANADIAN  PERIOD— OALCIFEBOnS  AND  QUEBEC  GROUPS. 

Although  I  cannot  define  the  limits  of  the  groups,  in  ascending  from 
the  top  of  the  Potsdam  sandstone^  I  have  thought  it  best  to  give  them 

*  Report  United  StateA  Greological  Survey,  1870,  page  359. 

t  Report  United  States  Oeological  Sarvey,  187*^,  pages  72, 174. 

t  Report  United  States  Geological  Sarvey,  1872.    Report  of  F.  H.  Bradley. 

I  Ives's  report  of  Colorado  River  ;  pace  47  of  Geological  Report. 

$  Report  on  Northwestern  Wyoming,  by  WiUiam  A.  Jones,  page  106. 


112 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEEBIT0RIE8. 


a  separate  position  here.  Calciferous  rocks  were  first  recognized-  in  the 
Bocky  Mountains  in  1869  and  1870.  In  1869  Professor  Hayden  obtained 
fossils  from  near  Colorado  City,  of  which  Professor  Meek  says,  in  the 
Report  of  1870,  page  287 :  "  So  far  as  these  few  fossils  warrant  the  ex- 
pression of  an  opinion  respecting  the  age  of  the  rock  from  which  they 
were  obtmned,  I  shoald  be  inclined  to  place  it  nearly  on  a  parallel  with 
the  Calciferous  division  of  the  Lower  Silurian."  Prof.  F.  H.  Bradley,  in 
1872,  recognized  the  Quebec  group  in  Utah  and  Idaho.  Theseriesconsisted 
of  limestones  underlaid  by  glauconitic  sandstones.  The  limestones  were 
mostly  thin  and  contained  interlaminated  shales.  The  same  year  Dr. 
Hayden  discovered  beds'  of  the  same  age  in  Montana,  near  Gallatin  City. 
There  we  had  layers  of  limestone  also  underlaid  with  glanconitic  sand- 
stones. In  1873 1  found  near  Trout  Creek,  in  Bergen  Park,  Colo.,  pink 
laminated  limestones  underlaid  with  glauconitic  sandstones.  In  them  I 
found  fossils  referred  by  Professor  Meek  to  the  Quebec  group.  Anal- 
ogous beds  had  been  seen  in  Glen  Eyrie,  where  Professor  H.'iyden, 
in  1869,  found  a  few  forms  that  were  referred  to  the  same  group.  I. 
obtained  a  few  indistinct  fossils  there  in  1873.  On  Eagle  Biver,  above 
th6  white  quartzite,  that  has  been  already  treated  of  as  belongiug  to 
the  Potsdam  group,  we  have  glauconitic  sandstones  and  qnartzites  that 
lie  below  a  bluish  limestone.  No  fossils  were  found  here,  and  I  refer 
the  beds  simply  on  the  lithological  evidence  afi  in  the  following  table : 


TROUT  CEEEK,  1873. 

FOUR  MILE  CREEK,  1873. 

EAGLE  RIVER,  1873  AND 
1874. 

Gneiss. 

Gneiss. 

Gneiss. 

•a 
1 

Yellow  sandstone. 

White  quartzite. 

White  quarteite. 

Pinkish  sandstone. 

Reddish  quartzite. 

Dark  purplish  sandstone. 

Qnartzites  with  shales,  glan- 
conitic near  the  base. 

Glauconitic  sandstone. 

Green  sandstone. 

Quartzite. 

a 

These  beds  are  glauconitic. 

Quartzitio  conglomemte^ 

C3 

Blood-red  calcareous  sandstone 
with  LingtUepit  and  Obolus. 

Blaeish  limestones  with  layer 
of  qtiartz'toa  near  base,  con- 
taining fragments  of  Eiurni- 
'phahu  and   Orthit  duma- 
pleura. 

• 

k 

Pink     limestones,     containing 
Orthis    desmopleura,    Conoco- 
ryphe,  A»aphus,  Euomphalus, 
Lin^ula,  BathyurtUf  and  Para- 
doxides  or  OUtmu. 

Light  bluish  limestone. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  order  of  the  section  on  Trout  Creek  is  ob- 
served in  the  other  sections.  Instead  of  sandstone,  resting  on  the 
gneiss,  we  have  quartzite,  which  in  all  of  the  sections  is  followed  by 
beds  which  are  glauconitic. 

The  limestones  in  the  section  on  Fonr-mile  Creek  were  considerably 
metamorphosed,  and  the  fossils  found,  very  indistinct.  Still,  those  rec- 
ognized identity  the  bed  as  belonging  to  the  same  horizon  as  the  lime- 
stones in  the  section  made  on  Trout  Creek,  which  is  of  Calciferous  age. 

It  may  be  that  in  the  future  the  glauconitic  beds  will  have  to  be  de- 


muL]  GEOLOGY — SILURIAN   STRATA.  113 

tached  from  the  Calciferons  gronp,  and  considered  a  part  of  the  Pots- 
dam. Not  being  able  to  define  the  boundary  between  the  top  of  the 
series  and  the  next  succeeding  group,  I  cannot  give  the  thickness.  The 
entire  thickness  of  the  Silurian  will  be  given  in  another  place. 

Eagle  River, — ^The  Calciferons  group  is  mainly  shown  on  the  east  side 
of  Eagle  River,  until  a  point  below  the  canon  is  reached,  when  it  crosses 
to  the  other  side.  It  does  not  extend  up  the  slopes  as  the  Potsdam 
group  does,  although  patches  of  it  may  be  found  scattered  over  it.  It  is 
entirely  conformable  to  the  Potsdam  group,  and  of  course  follows  it 
across  the  country  to  the  southward. 

Grand  River, — The  only  locality  on  Grand  River,  within  our  district, 
.for  1874,  where  there  is  any  probability  of  the  group  occurring,  is  in  the 
canon  between  Eagle  River  and  Roaring  Fork.  The  canon  was  not  fol- 
lowed by  ns,  and  therefore  I  cannot  positively  assert  that  it  is  shown 
there.  The  reasons  for  the  opinion  are  given  in  the  preceding  chapter 
when  speaking  of  the  probability  of  metamorphic  rocks  appearing  there. 

Qunniaon  River, — The  group  occurs  nowhere  on  the  Gunnison  River 
from  the  mouth  of  Ohio  Creek  to  Grand  River. 

REMAINDER  OF  THE  SILURIAN. 

The  remainder  of  the  beds  that  I  have  included  in  the  Silurian  con- 
sist of  limestones,  which  are  for  the  most  part  magnesian.  In  one 
place  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  canon  of  E^gle  River,  there  is  just 
above  these  limestones  a  bed  of  trachytic-looking  rock,  50  or  60  feet  in 
thickness.  I  was  unable  to  trace  its  extent,  but  farther  north,  between 
some  higher  layers,  found  a  bed  of  similar  rock,  which  was  probably 
derived  from  the  same  source.  ^ 

The  following  is  the  section  of  the  Silurian  strata,  as  exposed  on  Eagle 
Biver : 

No.  1. — Section  of  Silurian  strata  on  Eagle  River. 

Top.  Thiolcnefls. 

(f>  Ft      In. 

7.  Li||fht-blaiBh  liinoatoDes  on  weathered  surfaces,  white  and  yeHow.  It  is 
m  bands  of  from  three  to  eight  inches  thickness,  mith  a  cross  frac- 
tnre  and  non-fosAiliferoaSt    A  great  portion  of  these  limestones  are 

probably  magnesian.    At  the  top  they  are  crystalline 219       6 

Calciferous  Group: 
6.  Space,  in  the  upper  portion  of  which  there  is  an  oat-crop  of  metamor- 
phosed conglomerate,  seemingly  composed  of  pieces  of  white  quart-zite 
and  brown  sandstone.    The  masses  are  irregularly  shaped.    The  out- 
crop is  only  a  few  feet  in  thickness,  and  the  remainder  of  the  space  is 
!  probably  filled,  with  sandntones  and  quartzites  with  perhaps  a  few 

shales.    The  space  was  so  covered  that  the  beds  were  all  coucealed. 

The  entire  thickness  is 68       4 

5.  Milk-white  qaartzite,  similar  to  that  of  No.  1 4        9 

4.  Space  probably  filled  with  sandstones 22        8 

3.  Grayisn-brown  laminated  sandat>ones  with  a  greenish  coating  and  mad- 
marks  ou  the  surfaces  of  the  laminie 96       6 

2.  Fine-grained,  rather  compact,  glauconitio  sandstone,  somewhat  lami- 
nated, dark  brown  and  greenish-gray... 10       0 

Pmimordial  Group  : 

1.  Milk-white  quartzite 400       0 

;        Gneiss. 

Total  thickness  Silarian  about 819       9 

It  is  probable  that  a  portion  of  the  limestone  marked  Ko.  6  in  the 
section  above,  should  be  referred  to  the  Trenton,  or  perhaps  to  the 
l^iagara  gronp.    It  is  impossible  to  say  whether  No.  7  is  all  Upper 
Siiorian  or  part  Lower. 
8  H 

1 


114       GEOLOGICAL  SUB  VET  OF  THE  TEBRITOBIES. 

The  following?  table  gives  the  comparative  thickoess  of  the  SilariaD 
strata  an  noted  ap  to  the  present  time  in  Colorado : 


Locality. 


ThickneBS  of  Si- 
lorian  10  feet 


Gleo  Eyrie,  on  Onmp  Creek 

^ear  ManitoQ,  by  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Holmes 

FroQt  Creek,  in  Bergen  Park 

In  Park  range 

On  Eagle  River 

North  of  Grand  River,  in  Mr.  Marvine's  district 
Im  Dr.  Endlich's  district,  1873 


113 

Mazimnm,  400 

150  to  350 

350 

Maximnm,  500 
40  to  80 


DEVONIAN  age! 

Dr.  Endlich  discovered  a  series  of  limestones  in  his  district,  in  which 
there  were  characteristic  Devonian  fossils,  and  Mr.  Marvine  also  obtained 
Devonian  fossils  in  his  district.  While  in  the  field  I  supposed  the 
Devonian  to  be  entirely  wanting,  and  I  have  no  positive  data  by  which 
to  define  its  limits  in  my  district  Still  there  is  the  possibility  of  its 
presence;  and  if  so,  the  limestones  jnst  above  those  given  in  the  section 
of  the  Silurian  will  probably  represent  the  formation.  For  the  present, 
and  until  more  reliable  data  can  be  obtained  than  I  now  have,  I  will 
include  them  in  the  section  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  Garboniferoas. 
They  have  a  total  thickness  of  over  1,000  feet.  It  is  possible  that  the 
lower  portion  may  be  of  Silurian  age.  I  was  unable  to  get  a  detailed 
section  of  them,  so  that  all  opinions  are  somewhat  conjectui*al. 

GARBONyEROUS  AGE. 

Immediately  above  the  limestones  mentioned  above,  under  the  head 
of  Devonian,  is  a  series  of  strata  having  a  blue  fossiliferous  limestone  at 
the  base,  which  is  succeeded  by  sandstones  and  interlaminated  shales 
varying  from  fine-grained  and  even-textured  to  coarse  and  conglomeritic 
layers.  They  are  nearly  all  micaceous,  and  generally  of  a  greenish-gray 
color,  although  in  the  lower  i)oition  they  are  reil  and  pink.  Some  of 
the  layers  contain  Carbonaceous  material.  From  the  fossils  I  discovered 
in  the  limestone  at  the  base  of  these  beds,  and  their  lithological  identity 
with  the  Carboniferous  layers  of  the  Park  range  as  exposed  on  Foar< 
Mile  Creek,*  1  have  referred  the  series  to  the  Carboniferous  horizon. 
It  was  iiu|)ossible  to  define  the  boundary  between  the  Carboniferous 
layers  and  those  above,  which  are  probably  Permian,  as  the  latter  are 
comformable  and  form  a  continuous  series,  so  I  have -arbitrarily  chosen 
a  line  to  separate  them. 

The  Carboniferous  formation  was  well  developed  in  Mr.  Marvine^s  dis- 
trict, and  characteristic  fossils  were  found  by  him  in  abundance.  To  his 
report  the  reader  is  therefore  referred  for  more  detailed  information. 

£agle  River, — On  the  Eastern  bi>inch  of  Eagle  Kiver  above  the  caiion, 
and  on  the  branch  coming  from  the  Blue  liiver  range,  the  formation  is 
well  develoi)ed.  Unfortunately  we  did  not  have  time  to  follow  the 
streams,  where  we  might  have  discovered  many  points  of  interest  in 
regard  to  these  beds. 

East  of  the  broad  meadow  on  the  eastern  branch,  above  its  canon, 
.Vir.  Holmes,  in  1873,  found  characteristic  fossils,  Spirijerj  ProductuSj 
Crinoidsj  d;c. 

Below  the  cafion  of  the  Eagle,  opposite  the  month  of  Roche-Mou* 
tenure  Creek,  the  formation  is  well  shown  in  the  blufi's.    It,  however, 

*  Section  No.  18,  page  231,  Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  for  ld73.  "^ 


PSALB.)        GEOLOGY — SECTION   OP   CARBONIFEROUS   STRATA.  115 

MGQ  crosses  the  river,  aa  the  underlying  formations  do,  and  extends  to 
the  southward  into  the  district  worked  over  in  1873.  Its  occurrence 
ibere  was  treated  of  in  the  report  for  that  year. 

A  section  of  the  strata  on  Eagle  Eiver,  as  shown  in  the  bluffs,  will  be 
pven  in  the  section  below.  This  section  is  compiled  from  two  sections 
I  made  in  1873.  A  portion  of  the  beds  being  exposed  at  the  base  of 
tbe  bluff  below  the  mouth  of  Roche- Mou ton uie  Creek,  I  had  to  make  a 
Mctiou  of  the  lower  beds  in  the  bluff  above  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
\vhere  they  were  exposed. 

No.  2. — Section  of  Carboniferous  strata  on  Eagle  River.         % 

Top.  ThickDess. 

Ft.      In. 

1.  PiDk  oonglomoritio  flandstoneB 37        5 

2.  Cunglonieritic  sandstones  and  gi*ay  phales 92        9 

'X  Light-gray  shales  with  hard  sandstone  bands 3        9 

4.  Blackish  micaceous  sfaales 3        9 

5.  Sandstones  and  interlamluated  micaceous  scales,  some  of  the  sand- 

stones conglomeritic 367        2 

6.  Sandstone    conglomerate  with  pebbles   of  qnartz   from   one   to   two 

inches  in  diameter.  This  bed  is  the  base  of  a  blnff-like  wall,  and  is 
10  feet  in  thickness.  AboTO  are  beds  of  shale  and  coarse  sandstone 
in  alternation.    On  top  is  a  greenish  micaceous  sandstone 252        0 

7.  Coarse,  grayish  sandstone, with  interlaminated  shales ;  near  the  top  is  a 

layer  of  red  sandstone,  succeeded  by  a  conglomeritic  layer 25        1 

8.  Fine-grained,  reddish-brown  sandstone 27        4 

9.  Coarse-grained  hard  sandstone,  spotted  with  green, general  color  gray..        4       0 

10.  White  and  greenish-gray  conglomerates  and  shales.     First  we  have 

a  congloniefitio  sandstone,  and  then  green  micaceous  shales,  with 
black  carbonaceous  layers;  followed  by  more  conglomeritic  layers, 
above  which  is  about  15  ft* et  of  hard  sandstone,  with  interlaminated 
soft  shales ;  then  5  feet  of  compact  gra^  micaceous  sandstone.  Next 
are  very  soft  gteenisU-gray  micaceous  shales,  extending  for  about  10 
feet,  followed  by  from  10  to  12  feet  of  alternating  shales  and  sand- 
stone (some  of  the  latlbr  conglomeritic)  in  beds  from  2  to  4  feet  in 
thickness.  Above  these  are  conglomeritic  sandstones  with  shales  in 
tbe  center.    The  total  thickness  is  about 511        0 

11.  Coarse  white  sandstone,  with  a  band  of  hard  fine-grained  sandstone  near 

the  top.    The  micaceous  character  is  marked  between  the  layers 40        0 

12.  White  conglomeritic  sandstone 5        0 

I'i  Red  conglomeritic  sandstones 38       8 

14.  Dark-red  micaceous  shaly  sandstones 6        8 

15.  Brownish-red  sandstones,  conglomeritic 30      10 

IC.  Fine-Drained  sandstone,  generally  white,  but  becoming  pink  in  places, 

with  two  or  three  layers  of  gray  micaceous  shale,  each  from  two  to 

four  inches  thickness ■        4        0 

17.  Coarse  white  sandstone,  with  grains  of  quartz  and  some  decomposed 

feldspar 71        3 

18.  Soft  greenish  sandstone  in  fine  layers,  with  a  few  hard  bunds,  each  a  few 

inches  in  thickness 99        3 

li*.  Ked  sandstone 11        4 

^0.  Brownish  sandstones ^ 99        8 

21.  Whito  granular  brown-spotted  sandstone 8        0 

*^^  Greenish-gray  micaceous  sandstones,  partially  conglomeritic -     352        0 

ti,  A  Bpace  in  which  the  beds  were  so  much  concealed  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  make  a  detailed  section ;  the  upper  portion  is  probably  filled 
with  a  prolongation  downward  of  the  micaceous  shales  and  sand- 
stones, while  tde  base  is  limestone.  In  the  Utter  I  found  Avioidopeo- 
tettf  Pleuropharm,  and  an  Avicula  or  Bakevellia.  The  total  thickness 
of  strata  as  indicated  by  the  space  is 408        4 


Total  thickness  of  supposed  Carboniferous 2, 504      20 

Tbe  remainder  of  the  section  to  the  beds  I  included  in  theDevrnian  f  is  as 
ft»ll<»w« : 

"U.  A  laminated  tracliytio  rock 15  feet. 

t  &.*?  probably  fi»«l  raaii'ly  by  lim^tones...... ...... ...-.  )  i  qoo  to  1,500  feet, 

26.  Blnok  llinty  limestone,  with  pifces  of  pyrite  and  fragments  of  >  »     estimated 
S^irifer  or  8piriferina j 


116  GEOLOGICAL   SUfiVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

llDder  tbe  head  of  Devonian,  I  referred  to  these  beds,  and  said  that  they  occupied 
debatable  ground.  A  portion  of  tbe  npper  limestone  may  have  to  be  referred  to  tbe 
Lower  Carboniferons,  while  tbe  lower  layers  may  be  of  Silurian  aj^e,  leaving  tbe  center 
to  represent  the  Devonian.  Of  course,  without  fossils  to  prove  their  age,  all  opinions 
are  merely  conjectures. 

The  section  given  above  holds  good  in  detail  only  for  tbe  locality  in 
^hich  it  was  made.  The  beds  ai'e  very  irregular  in  their  horizontal  exten- 
sion, some  of  them  thinning  oat  very  rapidly.  Thus,  for  instance,  the  bed 
numbered  17  in  the  section  above,  in  another  place,  not  more  than  half 
a  mile  distant,  was  only  three  feet  in  thickness,  instead  of  seventy-one. 
One  of  the  illustrations  in  last  year's  (1873)  report  *  shows  this  remark- 
al^'  well.  Not  only  do  they  thin  ont,  but  they  also  change  in  color 
and  nature,  as  we  trace  them.  A  bed  of  red  sandstone  will  gradually 
fade  into  white,  while  a  layer  that  is  Hue-grained  in  one  place  will 
become  conglomeritic  as  we  follow  it  horizontally.  The  space  contain- 
ing beds  numbered  in  the  section  from  18  to  22,  inclusive,  in  another 
place  is  occupied  by  light  red  couglomenite  sandstones,  with  interlam- 
inated  dark-red'  shales.  Above  the  section  is  a  thickness  of  about 
1,300  feet  of  strata,  to  which  I  will  refer  when  I  speak  of  the  Permian. 
The  lower  portion  might  be  referred  to  the  Upper  Carboniferous,  but 
as  there  was  nothing  to  mark  the  end  of  the  Carbonifei'oas  or  the  begin- 
ning, I  have  arbitrarily  separated  them. 

Below  the  se<;ond  cation  of  the  Eagle  are  outcrops  of  gypsiferons 
beds,  to  which  1  will  refer  under  the  head  of  Permian.  None  of  the 
limestones  or  sandstones,  referred  to  above,  outcrop  until  we  reach  the 
Grand  below  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle^ 

Grand  River. — The  rocks  forming  the  entrance  to  tbe  canon  of  tbe 
Grand  Kiver,  thbt  extends  from  a  short  distance  below  Eagle  Biver  to 
the  mouth  of  Roaring  Fork,  are  limestones,  probably  of  Lower  Carbonif- 
erous age.  They  also  form  a  small  cafion  on  the  creek  that  joins  the 
Grand  at  this  point.  Above,  the  valley  of  thg  creek  widens,  and  suc- 
ceeding the  limestones  are  sandstones  forming  bluffs,  especially  on  tbe 
eastern  side.  Farther  up  the  creek  the  gypsiferous  series  forms  the 
top  of  the  bluffs. 

The  following  section  was  made  about  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the 
mouth  of  the  creek : 

No.  3. — Section  an  branch  of  Orand  River. 

BaM.  ThickneM. 

Fl  It- 

1.  Occasional  outcrops  of  coarse  gray  sandstones,  vith  interlaminated 

greenish  shales.    The  space  in  which  they  occur  extends  from  the 

base  of  tbf  bluff 150  0 

2.  Fine  black  sbaiesi  breaking  into  very  fine  laniiu» 36         0 

3.  Coarse  conglomeritic  white  sandstone,  in  beds  of  from  three  to  five  feet 

thickness,  with  interlamlnated  soft  greenish  shales,  in  bands  from 

two  to  three  feet  thickness 41  0 

4.  Very  bard,  compact,  dark,  greenish-gray  sandstone 32         9 

5.  Coarse  white  conglomeritic  sandstone 16         ^ 

6.  Hard  gray  sandstone,  in  bands  of  about  a  foot  thickness  each,  with  in- 

tenaminated  greenish  shales 49  1 

7.  Bluish  calcareous  sandstone,  with  their  bands  of  shaly  limestone  ...  45  0 

8.  Coarse  gray  conglomeritic  sandstone 2  0 

9.  Massive  yellow  sandstones,  with  bands  of  fine  black  shales.    These 

beds  are  gypsiferous  at  the  base.    They  form  at^the  point  where 

tbe  section  the  top  of  the  bluff.    Thickness  about 200  or  300  feet 

Total  thickness 579-679  feet 

*Fig.  15|  opposite  page  71,  Report  United  States  Geological  Survey,  1873. 


FEAUL]  GEOLOGY — ^PERMO-CARBONIFEROUS   STRATA.  117 

The  Strata  exposed  in  the  cation  of  the  Grand  will  be  treated  of  in 
Mr.  Marvine's  report,  to  which  the  reader  is  referred. 

Gunnison  River, — Nothing  was  found  along  the  course  of  the  Gunni- 
son River  that  could  be  referre<i  to  the  Carboniferous. 

Id  treating  of  the  Carboniferous  formation  as  exposed  in  our  district, 
up  to  this  point  I  have  made  no  division.  I  have  not  separated  the 
Subcarboniferous  from  the  Coal-Measures  because  I  had  no  reliable 
data  to  guide  me  in  making  such  a  separation.  1  believe,  however, 
tbat  the  limestone  which  lies  at  the  base  of  the  section  made  on  Eagle 
River  represents  the  Subcarboniferous,  although  I  cannot  say  so  posi- 
tively, and  that  the  sandstone  and  shales  which  overlie  it  conformably 
are  the  representative's  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  the  eastern  portion  of 
the  United  States.  As  exposed  in  the  bluffs  on  the  eastern  side  of 
Eagle  River,  these  sandstones  and  shales  have  black  coaly-looking 
latere  between  them,  while  patches  of  black  carbonaceous  material  are 
of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  midst  of  the  sandstoues.  During  their 
deposition  there  must  have  been,  on  Eagle  Biver  at  least,  low  marshy 
ground  which  probably  extended  around  the  Sawatch  range. 

The  beds  on  a  creek  (Map  A)  present  the  same  general  characters  as 
those  on  Eagle  River,  and  belong  in  all  probability  to  the  same  horizon, 
although  without  the  discovery  of  organic  remains  this  cannot  be  posi- 
tively asserted.  The  strata  m  their  horizontal  extension,  as  already 
mentioned,  change  rapidl^^  so  that  lithological  characters  are  very 
uncertain  tests  of  age. 

PERMIAN    OR    PERMO-OARBONIFEROU3. 

Under  the  head  of  Permian,  I  will  describe  the  strata  that  continue 
uninterruptedly  from  the  top  of  the  section  given  under  the  Carbonif- 
erous, to  the  base  of  the  Red  Beds,  (Triassicf ) 

I  have  called  them  Permian,  from  the  discovery  in  the  beds  on  Eagle 
Biver  of  fossils  which  Professor  Lesquereux  decided  were  of  Permian 
age.  On  Eagle  River,  on  the  Grand  and  on  Roaring  Fork  the  upper 
portion  of  these  beds  is  exposed,  and  in  all  these  localities  the  beds  are 
gypsiferous.  They  consist  of  variegated  strata,  yellow,  pink,  and 
cream-coloi^d  shales  and  limestone,  subject  to  so  much  change  that  it 
i^as  impossible  to  make  any  continuous  section. 

Dr.  Hayden  found  a  series  of  beds  in  the  Black  Hills  which  he  re- 
ferred to  the  Permian,  as  they  contained  fossils  that  had  been  before 
found  in  Kansas  and  referred  to  the  Permian. 

Below  the  series  in  Kansas  is  anotlier  set  of  beds  which  were  also 
referred  to  the  Permian  by  Swallow  and  Hawn,  but  which  have  been 
referred  by  Meek  and  Hayden*  to  the  Upper  CoalMeasures.  Between, 
however,  is  a  series  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Permo-Carbonif- 
erous.  Professor  Meek  says:t  ^^This  latter  distinction,  however,  it 
should  be  remembered,  is,  as  we  have  always  explained,  even  in  Kansas, 
merely  an  arbitrary  one,  not  founded  ui)on  any  well-defined  physical  or 
paleontological  break  between  these  upper  beds  and  the  Upper  Coal 
Measures." 

On  Eagle  River,  also,  as  I  have  before  said,  there  is  no  break  between 
the  Carboniferous  and  the  Permian. 

In  New  Mexico,  Shumard  claims  to  have  found  Permian  strata  in  the 
Guadalupe  Mountains. 

*  United  States  Geological  Survey,  FiDal  Report  on  Nebraska, 
tlbid,  page  130. 


118       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Uagle  River, — The  remainder  of  the  section  made  iu  blnffa  on  Eagle 
Biver  near  the  mouth  of  lloche  Moutonu^e  Creek  is  as  follows: 

Ifo.  4. — Section  of  Permian  or  Permo- Carboniferous  strata  on  Eagle  River. 

Thleknec«b 
Bam.  Ft.  In. 

1.  Coarse  white  oonglomerate • 27    3 

2.  Greenish-gray  micaceons  eandstoue  shales,  with  bands  of  very  hard  sand- 

stone       45  U 

3.  Very  hard  irregnlar-stractnred  bine  limestone,  of  a  brownish  color  on 

weathered  surface 10   0 

4.  Coarse  gray  sandstone  with  interlamiuated  shales 145   G 

5.  Massive  sandHtones,  generally  of  a  gray  color,  with  a  greenish  tinge.    They 

are  mostly  fine-jirained  and  generally  micaceons.  Some  of  the  beds  are 
pebbly,  and  near  the  bottom  is  a  band  of  black  shale  with  carbonaceous 
material.  This  band  is  from  six  to  eight  feet  iu  thickness.  These  sand- 
stones are  exposed  in  a  bluifinthe  upper  part  of  which  they  are  cooglom- 
critic  and  darker  in  color  than  below 205  10 

6.  Rather  coarse  gray  sanilstones,  in  thin  beds,  fossil iferous,  and  weathering  of 

a  rusty  color 342   4 

7.  Space  probably  filled  with  sandstones  and  shales  reaching  to  the  summit  of 

the  hill  back  from  the  bluffs,  containing  a  thickness  of  about 500   0 

Total  thickness  about 1,276   4 

This  probably  does  not  represent  the  entire  thickness  of  the  beds,  as 
I  was  unable  to  carry  the  section  up  to  the  base  of  the  Red  Beds,  and, 
farther  down  Eagle  River,  where  the  Bed  Beds  are  present,  the  strata 
immediately  beneath  are  so  changed  that  I  could  not  positively  recog- 
nize any  of  the  beds  of  the  section  made  farther  up  the  river. 

In  bed  No,  G  of  the  section,  in  1873,  I  found  fossils  which  Professor 
Lesqnereux  identitied  as  Catamites  sttckoviiy  Brgt.jStigmariafucoideSjWi^d 
Calamites  gigas,  Brgt.  I  qnote  his  remarks  from  my  report  of  last  year. 
Of  Calamites  suckovii  he  says:  ''This  species  is  perhaiMd  more  abundant 
in  the  CoalMeasures ;  but  it  ascends  to  the  base  of  the  Permian,  where 
in  Europe,  at  least,  it  has  been  found  in  plenty."  The  species  was, 
however,  associated  with  Calamites  gigas^  which  Professor  Lesquereox 
says  '*  is  exclusively  Permian  and  has  never  as  yet  been  found  in  the  Car- 
boniferous Measures.''  Of  Stigmaria  fuooides  he  says  '*it  is  a  universal 
species  of  the  Coal-Measures  also  ascending,  rarely,  however,  to  the  base 
ef  the  Permian,  I  am  inclined  to  consider  it  as  Permian,  merely  by 
the  lichological  relations  to  the  other  specimens,  but  it  is  not  possible 
to  decide  positively  from  this." 

I  think  it  pi-obable,  therefore,  that  the  lower  layers  in  the  section  given 
above  may  be  of  Permo-Carboniferous  age,  as  there  is  but  one  species 
that  belongs  exclusively  to  the  Permian,  while  all  above  should  proba- 
bly be  referred  to  the  Permian. 

In  contributions  to  the  fossil  flora  of  the  western  Territories,  Part  1  (vol. 
vi,  Report  United  States  Geological  Survey),  Professor  Lesqnereux  says 
(page  15) :  "In  the  explorations  of  Dr.  Hayden,  1873,  however.  Dr.  A.  C. 
Peaie  discovered,  in  strata  referred  by  him  either  to  the  Carboniferous  or 
the  Permian,  a  number  of  well-preserved  branches  or  stems  of  Calamiies, 
whose  identiflcatioii  proves  for  the  formation  whence  they  are  derived 
the  same  intermixture  of  characters  referable  to  both  the  Permian  and 
Carbonifei'ous.''  "This  coincidence  in  the  data  furnished  by  animal 
and  vegetable  paleontology,  (referring  to  some  refnarks  ffiven  upon  this 
statement^)  proves  that  the  end  of  the  Paleozoic  times  in  onr  Americau 
geology  is  marked  from  the  Mississippi  Biver  to  the  Rocky  Mountains 
by  the  Upper  Carboniferous,  already  modified  by  the  first  traces  of  Per- 
mian life."     Professor  Lesquereux,  however,    says  that  the  Dakota 


RALE.]        PERMO-CABBONIFEEOUS   STRATA   OF   EAGLE   BIYER.         119 

group  is  in  immediate  superposition  to  this  Upper  Carboniferous. 
This  is  probably  a  mistake,  as  we  will  see  further  on.  In  going  down 
Eagle  Biver  we  fiud  that  these  layers,  like  those  of  the  lower  formation, 
cross  the  river  and  are  shown  on  the  western  side.  From  the  month  of 
the  Piuey  to  the  head  of  the  second  canon  of  the  Eagle,  the  pru^^ailiug 
rocks  on  the  hills  bordering  the  valley  on  either  side,  are  probably  of 
Peruiian  age.  On  the  eastern  side  the  Bed  Beds  (Trias  t)  show  above 
them  on  the  summits  of  the  hills,  which  are  comparatively  low  and  rounded. 
On  the  western  side  the  Bed  Beds  do  not  appear  until  we  reach  the  head 
of  the  caiiou.  The  beds  here  that  I  have  relvrred  to  the  Permian  consist 
of  a  series  of  gypsiferous  beds,  shales,  and  sandstones,  with  probably  a 
few  bands  of  limestone.    I  was  unable  to  make  any  section  of  them. 

Dr.  Hayden,  in  the  report  for  1873,  refers  them  all  to  the  Carbonifer- 
ous, finding  species  of  Prodiictus  and  Spirifer  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
series,  and  in  the  upper  part  a  specimen  of  Orbicula.  I  have  given  my 
reasons  for  calling,  at  least  the  upper  portion,  Permo-Carbouiferous,  and 
Professor  Lesquereux  has  shown  that  Carboniferous  forms  are  mingled 
with  Permian  in  the  fossils  I  collected  on  Eagle  Biver.  In  Mr.  Marvine's 
district  the  gypsiferous  beds  extended  down  into  the  Carboniferous. 

Above  the  canon  on  the  west  or  south  side  of  the  river  the  area  occu- 
pied by  the  gypsiferous  series  extends  some  distance  back  from  the  edge 
of  the  valley.  At  the  head  of  the  Ciiilou  on  the  west  side  the  dip  is  south 
dOo  west.  The  strata  cross  the  river, conforming  to  the  overlying  Triassic 
aud  Cretaceous  hiyers  which  make  the  spoon-shaped  curve  that  is  repre- 
sented in  Plate  II,  and  which  has  already  been  relerred  to.  The  angle*  of 
iucliuation  at  this  point  is  GiP.  This,  of  course,  diminishes  as  the  strike 
tarns  and  is  parallel  to  the  course  of  the  river. 

The  following  is  a  general  section  at  this  point : 

No.  6. — Section  of  Permo- Carboniferous, 

Feet. 

1.  GypsifeiODS  shales  and  sandstones.    The  gypsum  occnre  in  great  qnantity 

aud  is  rather  iuipare.  The  sandstones  are  laniianted  and  f^eueraHy  of  a 
pink  or  red  color.  I  was  unable  to  gut  the  exact  thickness,  but  the  out- 
crop was  from 500  to  800 

2.  Shales,  sandstones  and  limestones,  alternating  colors,  pink,  brown,  gray, 

yellow,  white,  cream  color,  aud  blackish.  Th^ese  beds  are  best  shown  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river.  They  incli  ue  generally  abont  (30^ .  In  some  plnces 
they  are  inclined  past  the  vertical,  especially  in  the  upper  portion.    The 

thickness  is  about 500 

3i.  Pink,  brown,  and  gray  shaly  sandstones  with  iuterlaminated  thin  beds  of 
blue  limestone.  These  beds  resemble  those  I  noticed  in  l':^3  in  South  Park, 
which  are  given  in  the  report  of  1873,  in  sections  9, 10,  aud  11.  The  thick- 
ness on  Eagle  River  is  about 200 

Total  thickness l.;:00 

Tlie  gypsiferous  series  is  probably  tipped  up  with  the  overlying  beds, 
as  represented  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  I,  at  e,  although  they  are  hidden  by  the 
volcanic  overflow.  Below  the  canon  they  occupy  the  greater  part  of  the 
valley.  This  area  is  indicated  on  the  map  A.  it  is  difficult  here  to*  re- 
duce the  strata  to  any  order.  Their  softness  has  caused  them  to  yield 
readily  to  eroding  influences,  and  they  have  weathered  into  low  hills,  in 
which  they  are  for  the  most  part  concealed.  There  are  one  or  two  folds 
in  them  of  some  extent.  These  I  referred  to  in  the  chapter  on  Eagle 
Kiver  Valley.  Besides,  however,  there  are  numerous  minor  foldings, 
which  it  would  require  more  time  than  we  could  give  to  reduce  them  to 
any  system.  Mr.  Marvitie  will  probably  have  some  additional  notes,  as 
they  extended  into  his  district. 


120-      GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  Oi  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  sections  iu  Plate  III  show  tbe  gypsiferous  series  below  the  Bed 
Beds  at  the  points  marked  a.  They  are  probably  the  same  beds  I  noticed 
last  year*  on  Frying-Pan  Creek,  above  shales  and  sandstones  that  I 
then  referred  to  Carboniferous.  I  did  not  know  exactly  where  to  put  the 
gypsifdSrous  beds,  whether  to  include  them  with  the  Red  Beds  which  were 
exposed  in  the  hills  above  or  to  place  them  with  the  Carboniferous. 

In  tbe  lower  caiion  of  the  Eagle,  which  extends  to  the  month,  the 
gypsiferous  beds  are  well  exposed,  dipping  from  the  river  on  both  sides, 
leaving  the  channel  in  the  axis  of  the  anticlinal.  Near  the  mouth  of 
the  river  a  flow  of  lava  from  the  hills  on  the  eastern  side  has  forced  the 
river  to  the  opposite  side,  and  it  has  scooped  out  a  large  jiortion  of 
these  soft  beds.    The  Bed  Beds  here  cap  the  bluffs  on  either  side. 

Grand  River, — ^The  gypsiferous  beds  continue  from  E.igle  River  to  the 
Grand,  and  follow  it  to  within  a  short  distance  of  the  canon,  when  the 
line  crosses  to  the  southwest  and  appears  again  on  a  creek,  at  first  odIj 
capping  the  bluffs  on  the  east  side,  but  gradually  showing  in  the  bed  of 
the  creek  as  we  ascend.  They  do  not  ap])ear  again  until  we  cross  to 
Roaring  Fork,  where  they  show  beneath  the  Red  Beds  of  tbe  hogbacks 
that  extend  along  the  western  side  of  the  creek,  below  Rock  (^reek. 
They  are  represented  at  d  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  IV.  At  first  the  series  is  seen 
only  on  the  western  side  of  Roaring  Fork,  but  as  we  go  down  they  grad- 
ually appear  on  the  eastern  side,  also  extending  up  a  small  branch  that 
comes  in  from  the  east.  On  the  western  side,  at  first  they  have  a  ter- 
race-iike  surface.  Further  down  they  form  bluffs,  on  the  sides  of  which 
they  weather  into  pinnacles  and  spires  of  yellow  and  pink  colors.  They 
continue  to  the  Grand,  where  the  Red  Beds  appear  above  them  on  the 
south  side,  and  on  both  sides  of  Roaring  Fork.  Below  the  month  of 
Roaring  Fork  the  gypsiferous  beds  cross  the  river  into  Mr.  Marvine's  dis- 
trict. In  Fig.  1,  Plate  IV,  they  are  shown  at  the  point  e  to/  in  the  sec- 
tion on  the  north  side  of  the  Grand. 

Gunnison  River, — The  gypsiferous  series  does  not  show  anywhere  on 
the  course  of  the  Gunnison  or  its  tributaries  in  our  district. 

*  Report  of  United  States  Survey  for  1873,  page  2G6. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


STRATIGRAPHY— MESOZOIO  FORMATIONS. 
The  Mesozoic  formations  in  our  district  are  divided  about  as  folio  c^s: 

ThickDMs  in  feet. 

Triassio 1,000  to  1,500 

Jurnfisic 400  to      900 

Cretaceoaa ...4,000  to  4,700 

5, 400  to  7, 100 

In  the  Triassic  beds  the  arenaceous  element  seems  to  predominate,  a 
few  bands  of  limestone  appearing  in  the  Jar<assic.  Sandstones  and  marls 
prevail  in  the  Dakota  group.  In  the  rest  of  the  Cretaceous,  shales  form 
the  largest  portion  of  the  strata,  alternating  with  sandstones  and  thin 
bands  of  bluish  limestone. 

The  red  sandstones  of  the  Trias  (?),  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  district 
have  a  more  laminated  structure  than  was  noticed  either  in  the  Front 
range  in  1873,  or  in  the  Gunnit^on  this  year.  Gretac^eous  strata  cover 
larger  areas  than  any  of  the  underlying  strata,  as  will  be  noticed  as  we 
proceed. 

TBIASSIO. 

Although  the  red  sandstones  which  are  referred  to  the  Triassic  form  a 
well-defined  lithological  series,  and  are  prominently  exposed  over  the 
Becky  Mountains  and  at  widely-separated  localities,  with  very  little 
change,  less  is,  perhaps,  definitely  known  in  regard  to  their  age  than  of 
any  of  the  sedimentary  formations  of  the  West. 

The  correctness  of  the  assumption  of  Triassic  age  for  them  depends 
entirely  upon  their  position.  Up  to  the  present  time  no  fossils  have 
been  found  in  them.  The  character  of  the  sandstones  is  not  favorable 
to  the  preservation  of  organic  remains. 

They  have  been  referred  to  the  Triassic  by  Marcou,  Newberry,  Hay- 
den,  and  others  who  have  studied  them  in  the  West. 

In  the  Black  Hills  and  at  Red  Buttes,  on  the  North  Platte,  in  Wy- 
oming Territory,  they  underlie  well-defined  Jurassic  layers,  as  deter- 
mined by  Dr.  Hayden.  In  Golorado,  also,  they  are  beneath  Jurassic 
layers,  along  the  eastern  edge  of  the  Front  range.  Near  Pleasant  Park, 
in  1873, 1  found  Garboniferous  fossils*  in  a  series  of  red  limestones  and 
calcareous  sandstones.  These  beds  were  beneath  the  red  sandstcfnes. 
Again,  as  already  mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter,  I  found  fossils  of 
Permian  age  below  the  Red  Beds,  so  that  they  must  be  referred  either  to 
tbe  Permian  or  to  the  Jurassic,  leaving  an  unoccupied  gap  between. 
Therefore,  until  fossils  are  found  by  which  their  age  can  be  definitely 
settled,  I  think  it  best  to  refer  them  to  the  Triassic. 

Tbe  line  between  the  Triassic  and  the  Jurassic  is  indefinite,  and  I 

*  Report  United  States  Oeologicul  Survey,  lt^73,  page  19^. 

121 


122       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

have  taken  the  upper  or  more  massive  part  of  the  sandstones  as  the 
limit  of  the  Triassic  formation,  referring  all  above  to  the  Jurassic. 
This  arbitrary  division  was  also  used  by  Mr.  Marvine  last  ^ear. 

As  already  mentioueil,  these  red  sandstones  vary  but  little  over  broad 
areas.  On  the  Colorado  River  they  were  observed  by  Newberry.*  In 
Colorado,  last  year,  we  had  them  in  the  Front  range,  in  South  Park,  and 
in  the  Elk  Mountains,  and  they  were  readily  recognized  by  their  litho- 
logical  characters.  Their  general  massiveness  was  a  prominent  charac- 
teristic. 

Eagle  River, — Near  the  head  of  Eagle  Elver  the  Bed  Beds  do  not  ap- 
pear close  to  the  river,  although  they  are  doubtless  exposed  between  the 
Blue  River  range  and  Eagle  River.  Below  the  Piney  they  outcrop  in 
the  hills  bordering  the  valley  on  the  east.  The  strike  here  is  parallel, 
or  nearly  so,  with  the  course  of  the  river.  At  the  head  of  the  second 
canon,  however,  the  line  of  outcrop  crosses  the  river  almost  at  right 
angles  to  its  course,  first  making  a  spoon-like  curve  shown  in  the  illus- 
tration in  Plate  II.  On  the  south  side  of  the  river  it  curves  to  the  west- 
ward, and  then  gradually  to  the  north,  crossing  the  river  again  at  the 
foot  of  the  caOon,  as  shown  on  the  map,  (A,)  and  extending  up  into  Mr. 
Marvine's  district.  Opposite  the  canon,  that  is,  south  of  it,  this  curve 
forms  the  northern  side  of  an  anticlinal  fold  or  break,  which  is  shown  in 
Fig.  1,  Plate  I,  caused  by  the  protrusion  of  the  trachytic  mass  shown  in 
the  illustration. 

A  section  of  the  Red  Beds,  as  exposed  near  the  Eagle  River,  on  the 
south  side,  is  given  below. 

No.  6. — Section  of  Triaasic  on  Eagle  River  at  second  caiion. 

Base.  ThicknctBb 

feet 

1.  Red  BandstODes,  somewhat  laminated 70 

2.  Purplish  sandstones 15 

3.  Red  and  brown  laminated  sandstones,  some  of  the  layers  being  seemingly 

calcareous 193 

4.  Coarse  white  sandstone 5 

5.  Red  sandstones,  more  massive  than  the  lower  layers,  althongh  there  is  some 

lamination 375 

6.  Pink  quartzitic  sandstone )  ^aq 

7.  Red  sandstones  somewhat  laminated 5 

8.  Massive  light-colored  quartzitic  sandstone 10  to  20 

Total  thickness :-.  978 

It  will  be  noticed  in  this  section  that  there  is  considerable  lamination 
in  the  red  sandstones.  Farther  westward  this  lamination  is  not  so 
decided. 

Below  the  cafion,  in  the  hills  that  rise  back  of  the  low  gypsiferons 
bills,  the  Red  Beds  form  the  surface,  covering  a  large  area,  extending 
across  to  Frying  Pan  Greek.  They  form  broad-topped  ridges,  in  which 
the  general  dip  is  toward  the  north,  the  inclination  being  slight.  As 
we  approach  the  valley  of  the  Eagle,  however,  it  increases  and  we 
have  several  folds,  as  pointed  out  in  the  chapter  on  Eagle  River  Valley. 

On  station  No.  8,  the  red  sandstones  dip  a  few  degrees  east  of  north. 
On  station  No.  9,  they  dip  North  35©  West,  angle  30O-^o. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  probability  of  there  being  here  a 
synclinal  fold,  of  which  the  eastern  half  has  been  removed.  This  fold 
is  indicated  in  the  illustration  Fig.  1,  Plate  III,  by  the  dotted  lines.  Below 
the  valley,  the  river  flows  through  a  canon-like  valley  in  the  axis  of  an 

*  Ives^s  Colorado  Exploring  Expedition,  Geological  Report. 


PiALB.)        GEOLOGY — TRIASSIC   STRATA — GRAND   RIVER,    6lC.  123 

aDticlinal,  which  is  sbown  at  a  ainFig.l,  Plate  III,  the  Red  Beds  forming 
the  top  of  the  bluffs  od  either  side  of  the  river,  as  shown  in  the  figure. 

Grand  River, — From  the  mouth  of  Eagle  liiver  the  Bed  I^edscap  the 
blufi"  for  some  distance,  when  the  line  of  outcrop  crosses  to  the  south- 
ward and  afterward  to  the  east,  joining  the  line  continuing  westward 
from  h  creek  (map  A),  thus  forming  an  isolated  area  of  red  sandstones. 
Between  the  Grand  and  Koariug  Fork,  there  is  another  patch  of  Red 
Beds,  which  is  partially  concealed  by  an  overflow  of  lava.  On  the  west 
side  of  Roaring  Fork  we  have  the  Red  Beds  showing  in  the  hog  backs. 
Their  thickness  here  is  about  1,500  feet.  They  dip  south  75^  west,  at 
an  angle  of  30^,  below  station  14.  The  upper  part  of  the  series  here  has 
layers  of  pink  conglomerate  sandstone. 

As  we  go  down  Roaring  Fork  the  strike  curves  to  the  westward,  and 
the  Red  Beds  disappear  beneath  a  layer  of  volcanic  rock  which  covers 
the  hills  here.  They  reappear  on  Grand  Riverou  the  south  side,  a  short 
distance  below  the  mouth  of  Roaring  Fork,  forming  high  bluffs,  that  rise 
600  or  COO  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river.  The  Grand  then  gradually 
cuts  into  thered  sandstones,  following  the  strike,  which  is  about  north  60'^ 
west  for  nearly  four  miles  in  an  air-line,  forming  the  base  of  the  hog- 
backs that  here  extend  along  the  southern  side  of  the  Grand.  The 
river  then  cuts  across  the  strata,  flowing  out  into  higherand  softer  beds, 
while  the  Red  Beds  cross  into  Mr.  Marvine's  district.  From  this  point 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison  there  are  uo  exx)osures  of  the  Triassic 
sandstones. 

Gunnuton  iJtver.— The  Triassic  sandstones  do  not- appear  on  the  Gun- 
nison River  until  the  lower  half  of  the  Grand  Gaiion  is  reached.  They 
seem  to  increase  gradually  in  thickness,  although  the  total  thickness 
attained  in  the  canon  is  not  very  great.  They  rest  immediately  on  the 
granite  shelf  forming  the  edge  of  the  canon  below  station  No.  80.  The 
ana  occupied  by  them  along  this  caiion  is  indicated  on  map  B.  At 
station  80^  the  anticlinal  axis  occupied  by  the  river  is  very  evident. 
It  is  shown  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  VII,  at  a.  Leaving  the  caiion  the  river  cuts 
across  the  northern  end  of  the  anticlinal,  and,  turning  to  west,  flows 
out  into  the  soft  shalesof  Cretaceous  age.  In  the  second  or  lower  caiion 
the  river  cuts  down  through  the  Dakota  group  and  the  Jurassic  layers, 
and  partially  into  the  Red  Beds. 

The  top  or'  the  series  here  is  a  pink  sandstone,  from  30  to  40  feet  in 
thickness.  The  thickness  of  the  red  sandstones  varies.  Below  station 
60,  where  the  pink  sandstones  were  measured,  the  thickness  exposed  is 
about  150  feet-  They  are  massive  and  present  all  the  characteristics 
that  the  Red  Beds  east  of  the  mountains  do.  They  dip  approximately  to 
the  eastward,  the  angle  decreasing  as  we  leave  the  river  and  increasing 
to  the  west.  The  river  winds  through  the  canon  in  large  curves  that 
almost  meet  each  other.  Whenever  the  curve  is  to  the  westward  the 
led  sandstones  are  cut  into  most  deeply,  and  when  the  curve  is  in  the 
opposite  direction  the  Red  Beds,  if  exposed  at  all,  are  only  cut  into 
slightly.  This  causes  the  areas  of  Triassic  age  to  appear  in  patches 
along  the  course  of  the  river.  All  the  streams  joining  the  Gunnison 
from  the  west  cut  profoundly  into  the  strata,  and  near  their  sources, 
niay  have  outcrops  of  Pre-Triassic  layers  along  their  courses.  I  have 
already  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  Gunnison  River  at  this  point  fol- 
lows a  rift  or  break,  which  was  probably  caused  by  a  monoclinal  fold. . 
Two  sections  sicross  this  are  shown  in  Figs.  1  and  2,  in  Plato  IX.  At 
first  the  fold  as  shown  in  Fig.  1  is  not  very  marked.  It  gradually 
increases,  however,  and  below  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison  is  as  repre- 


124       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

sen  ted  in  Fig.  2.    Farther  on  this  fold  probably  becomes  a  faalt.    In  the 
two  figures  just  referred  to,  the  red  sandstones  are  represented  at  a. 

To  the  west  and  southwest  of  the  Gunnison  the  red  sandstones  seem 
to  prevail  extensively,  and  probably  from  the  top  of  the  plateau  which, 
as  seen  from  the  G.unnison,  extends  in  this  direction.  The  Indians  give 
the  lower  canon  of  the  Guunison  the  name  of  Unaweep  or  Red  Earth, 
evidently  on  account  of  the  exposures  of  Ked  Beds  along  the  edge  of  the 
river. 

JURASSIC. 

Immediately  abovethe  Red  Beds,  between  them  and  the  Dakota  group, 
is  a  t^eries  of  sandstones,  marls,  and  limestones  which  I  have  referred  to 
the  Jurassic,  although  I  was  unable  to  find  any  lossils  at  any  point 
where  they  were  exposed  in  our  district  of  1874. 

They  correspond  lithologically  and  stratigraphically  to  the  strata  that 
in  1873  I  referred  to  that  horizon.  The  reasons  for  so  doing  were  stated 
in  the  report  for  1873,  and  I  will  not  take  up  the  space  here  with  the 
repetition  of  them.  They  are  generally  in  thin  beds,  the  shaly  element 
predominating.  Their  softness  has  rendered  them  readily  amenable  to 
eroding  influences,  so  that  they  are  generally  covered  with  debris^  and 
it  is  difficult  to  make  complete  sections  of  tbe  formation. 

The  Jurassic  formation  is  widely  spread  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  its 
distribution  being  identical  with  that  of  the  Dakota  group  and  the  un- 
derlying Red  Beds.  Hayden,  Newbery,  Comstock,  and  others  have 
recognized  it  in  various  portions  of  the  West.  Marcou*  also  claims  to 
have  discovered  it  in  New  Mexico  and  other  parts  of  the  West,  but,  as  I 
shall  subsequently  point  out,  the  layers  referred  by  him  to  this  horizon 
are  probably  of  Cretaceous  age,  while  those  that  are  Jurassic  he  refers 
to  the  upper  part  of  the  Triassic. 

Dr.  Hay  dent,  speaking  of  the  formation,  says:  "At  both  of  these 
localities  {near  the  Wind  River  Valley  and  Big  Ilorn  Mountains)^  at  the 
Black  Hills  and  ^t  the  Red  Butte  on  the  North  Platte,  as  well  as  at 
the  other  localities  already  mentioned  in  Utah  (near  Uintah  and  Weber 
Bivers)y  the  rocks  containing  these  Jurassic  fossils  consist  of  a  series  of 
grayish,  ash-colored  and  red  argillo-calcareous,  more  or  less  gritty 
strata,  with  beds  of  soft  dark-brown  and  reddish  sandstones.  Tbese 
Ibeds  preserve  a  remarkable  uniformity  of  character  taken  as  a  group, 
wherever  they  have  been  seen,  and  need  never  be  confounded  with  the 
Cretaceous  or  Tertiary  rocks  so  widely  distributed  over  the  Northwest- 
ern Territories,  even  where  no  fossils  are  to  be  found." 

In  Colorado,  Dr.  Qayden,  Mr.  Marvine,  Dr.  Endlich,  and  myself  found 
the  Jurassic  layers  presenting  the  same  general  characters  that  they  do 
north  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  Along  the  eastern  edge  of  the 
mountains  in  Colorado,  the  greatest  thickness  measured  was  870  feet. 

Eagle  River. — On  the  south  side  of  the  river  no  strata  of  Jurassic 
age  appear  until  we  reach  the  head  of  the  second  cation,  when  it  crosses 
from  Mr.  Marviue's  district  conformable  with  the  overlying  Cretaceous^ 
and  underlying  Triassic. 

The  following  is  a  section  made  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  at  the 
point  where  the  section  previously  given  of  the  Triassic  sandstones 

was  made. 

• 

*Geo1ogy  of  North  America,  by  Jules  MarcoD. 

tGeoIof^ical  Report  of  Exploration  of  tbe  Yellowstone  and  Missouri  Rivers.  F.V* 
Hayden,  under  Capt.  W.  F.  Raynolds,  185*J-*60. 


mLE.1    QEOLOGT— SECTIONS  OP  JDRASSIC^EAGLE  BIVEB,  &C.      125 
No.  7. — 8ectwn  of  JuraHtdc^  head  of  second  canouj  Eagle  Biver^  south  side. 

Top.  ThicluieM  in  feet 

1.  Space  probably  filled  with  sandstones  and  marls,  aboat 500 

2.  Laminated  sandstones  and  blue  limestone ?   joq 

X  Li^bt-yt'llowish  brown  sandstone > 

4.  Blue  limestone 50 

5.  Gray  Hbaly  sandstones  with  interlaminated  marls  and  thin  bands  of  bine  lime- 

stone  200 

Base  ~^-~~ 

Total  about '. 940 

A  portion  of  these  bids  may  be  Cretaceoas. 

No>^here  along  the  course^of  the  Eagle,  nor  at  any  point  in  the  dis- 
trict, does  the  Jurassic  formation  occnpy  any  extensive  area.  It  occurs 
only  as  a  narrow  belt  outcropping  beneath  the  Dakota  group.  It  is, 
therefore,  shown  principally  along  the  courses  of  the  streams. 

The  line  of  outcrop  on  which  the  section  given  above  was  made  con- 
tinues conformable  with  the  Cretaceous  and  Triassic  strata,  following 
the  curve  indicated  on  the  map,  and  crosses  to  the  north  side  of  the 
Eagle  at  the  lower  end  of  the  cation. 

Around  the  almost  circular  area  of  Cretaceous  rocks  south  of  the 
Eagle,  represented  on  the  map,  there  is,  in  all  probability,  a  narrow  belt 
of  Jurassic,  although  I  cannot  be  positive,  as  I  have  not  followed  it 
around,  and  judge  so  only  from  my  observations  from  stations  6  and  8. 
With  this  exception,  I  believe  there  are  no  Jurassic  strata  exposed  be- 
tween the  Eagle  and  Frying-Pan  Creek.  Ih  the  low,  rounded  hills 
which  occupy  the  greater  portion  of  this  space,  all  the  beds  above  the 
Triassic  sandstones  have  been  removed. 

Orand  River, — From  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle  to  the  tnouth  of  Roaring 
Fork  there  are  no  exposures  of  Jurassic  age  close  to  the  Grand.  The 
Bed  Beds  here  form  the  top  of  the  strati&ed  rocks  and  are  covered  with 
a  volcaiuic  layer.  There  may  be  an  occasional  outcrop  between  the 
bead  of  a  creek  of  Grand  Bi  ver  and  Roaring  Fork.  If  so,  they  mnst  be 
very  limited  in  extent.  At  the  head  of  Mesa  Creek,  a  branch  of  Boar- 
iog  Fork,  there  is  probably  a  narrow  belt  dipping  to  the  south  or  south- 
east. 

In  the  hog-backs,  on  the  west  side  of  Soaring  Fork,  the  Jurassic 
strata  are  seen  following  the  line  of  the  overlying  and  underlying  strata, 
disappearing  beneath  the  volcanic  rock  capping  the  hills,  and  re-appear- 
ing on  the  Grand  below  tbe  mouth  of  Boaring  Fork,  Anally  crossing 
the  Grand,  ai' J  extending  to  the  northwest,  forming  a  portion  of  the 
hog-back  range,  that  dies  away  in  the  plateau.  Between  this  point  and 
the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison  there  are  no  other  exposures  of  Jurassic 
age  along  the  course  of  the  Grand. 

No.  8. — Section  ofJurassiCy  west  side  of  Boaring  Fork,  beloic  stcction  No.  14. 

Base.  ThiokneM  in  feet 

1.  Coarse  gray  sandstone 20  to  30 

^.  Space  probably  filled  with  sandstones  and  shales 20 

3.  Fine-textnred  light-yellowish  sandstones 15 

4.  Space  probably  filled  with  sandstones,  marls,  and  shales,  and  perhaps  some 

limestones 165 

5.  Light-colored  fine-grained  siliceons  sandstone 30 

6.  Sou  shaly  sandstone,  probably  slightly  argillaceons 12' 

7.  Blue  limestone 8 

8.  Gray  sandsto  nes,  becoming  green  ish  near  tbe  npper  part 125 

9.  Dark-brownish  gray  sandstone,  becoming  lighter  as  we  ascend 15 

10  Brownish  sandstone  with  interlaminated  black  shales 20 

Top.  

Total  aboat 440 


126       GEOLOGICAL  gURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Jast  above  the  bed  marked  Ko.  10  in  the  Bection  ia  a  massive  sand- 
stone, from  60  to  70  feet  thick,  which  forms  the  summit  of  a  prominent 
hog-back,  beyond  which  the  beds  are  concealed.  I  have  taken  this  bed 
as  the  lower  portion  of  the  Dakota  gronp.  It  is  possible  that  on  further 
investigation  the  layers  marked  8,  9,.  and  10  may  have  to  be  incladed 
in  the  Dakota  group.  This  would  give  a  total  thickness  for  the  Juras- 
sic at  this  point  280  feet  instead  of  440  feet. 

Below  tbe  first  layer  in  the  section  is  a  coarse  pink  sandstone,  which 
at  some  points  is  a  conglomerate.  It  rests  immediately  on  the  red 
sandstones,  and  I  have  taken  it  as  the  top  of  the  Triassic.  Of  course, 
without  the  evidence  of  fossils,  the  lines  separating  the  Jurassic  from 
the  Cretaceous  and  the  Triassic  must  be  necessarily,  somewhat  indefi- 
nite. The  lines  I  have  taken  are  therefore  arbitrary  and  liable  to  be 
changed  when  more  complete  data  are  obtained 

In  the  section  given  above,  and  in  that  made  on  Eagle  River,  it  will 
be  noticed  that  the  arenaceous  element  seems  to  predominate.  The 
beds  were  so  much  concealed  that  it  was  impossible  to  make  a  more 
detailed  section.  The  extension  of  the  hog-backs  up  Rock  Creek  into 
tbe  Elk  Mountains  will  be  tresited  of  in  the  reports  of  Dr.  Hay  den  and 
Mr.  W.  U.  Holmes. 

Gunnison  River, — The  Jurassic  appears  on  the  Gunnison  first  in  the 
Grand  Canon,  resting  immediately  on  the  schists,  and  gradually  becom- 
ing thicker  as  we  go  down  the  river,  until  the  Red  Beds  appear  between 
it  and  the  schists.  The  Jurassic  is  also  exposed  on  Smith's  Fork, 
extending  some  distance  from  the  mouth  up  the  stream. 

The  area  occupied  by  the  formation,  in  connection  with  the  Red  Beds, 
is  shown  on  map  B. 

I  was  unable  to  make  any  section  in  the  course  of  the  caiion,  but,  as 
seen  from  station  No.  80,  it  appears  to  consist  of  variegated  yellow, 
white,  pinkr  and  gray  beds,  probably  sandstones,  shales,  and  marls.  On 
the  eastern  side  of  the  caiion  these  beds  have  a  much  greater  extension 
than  on  the  west.  The  entire  thickness  is  X)robably  about  the  same  as 
in  the  lower  caiion,  as  shown  in  the  section  to  be  given  farther  on. 

On  Smith's  Fork,  the  variegated  appearance  of  the  Jurassic  strata  is 
also  seen.  In  the  sections  made  on  Eagle  River  and  Roaring  Fork,  this 
is  wanting.  I  shall  refer  to  this  fact  again.  In  the  lower  caiion  the 
Gunnison  very  soon  cuts  through  the  Dakota  group,  which,  at  the  head 
of  the  caiion,*  forms  the  bluffs  on  either  side,  and  reaches  the  soft 
Jurassic  layers  beneath. 

At  first  they  are  exposed  in  isolated  patches  similar  to  the  outcrops 
of  the  Red  Beds  lower  down,  varying  according  to  the  curves  of  the 
river.  When  the  Red  Beds  are  reached,  however,  the  Jurassic  is  shown 
on  both  sides  of  the  stream. 

No.  9. — Section  of  Jurassic  in  the  loicer  carton  of  Ounnison  River  near 

Station  (iO. 

Base.  Thiokoeaa. 

Ft,  In. 

1.  Soft  greenlBh  and  parpliah  argillaceous  BandstoDes  about 20   0 

2.  Space  tilled  with  gray  laminated  liiuestoues  and  iaterlamioated  soft  gjp- 

siferous  shales ". BO  to  90   0 

3.  Compact  white  siliceous  pandstuoe 8    9 

4.  Soft  argillaceons  and  arenaceons  shales,  with  bands  of  bard  sandstone 

from  0  inches  to  a  foot  in  tbickness.    The  sbcles  are  covered  with  an 
efflorescence  of  alkali,  in  which  there  is  salt,  as  revealed  in  tasting  it.. .  30    0 

5.  Compact  white  sillceons  sandstone,  like  that  marked  No.  3 6  10 

6.  Dnll  bluish'frray  limrstone,  in  layers  of  about  a  foot  thickuess,  having 

shaly  arenaceons  and  argillaceous  beds  between.    Near  tbe  top  arc  soft 
greenish  and  pink  shales.    All  the  beds  are  more  or  less  gypaiferoas..         35   0 


KA1E.J  GEOLOGY — ^JURASSIC   STRATA  IN  ARIZONA.  127 

« 

ThiclmeM. 
Ft.  In. 

7.  Tellow  siliceoTis  sandstone «^ 2    0 

8.  Soft  green  sandstones  and  argillaceons  shales 

9.  Space  covered  where  the  section  was  made,  but  as  seen  from  a  distance 

lower  down  the  river  filled  with  beds  similar  to  those  of  No.  8. ...... .40  to  50    0 

Top. 
Total  thickness  about 248  7 

Above  layer  I^o.  9  is  a  massive  siliceous  sandstone,  which  I  have  taken 
as  the  base  of  the  Dakota  group,  for  reasons  that  will  be  given  when  I 
describe  the  Dakota  group  at  this  locality.  Below  the  section  are  pink 
Bandstoues,  resting  on  the  red  sandstones,  referred  to  the  Triassic. 

The  colors  of  these  layers  gives  a  unique  and  striking  appearance  to 
the  canon-walls.  Farther  south  and  west  this  variegated  appearance 
seems  to  be  more  marked. 

In  the  Painted  Desert  in  Arizona,  Newberry*  gives  the  following  sec- 
tion of  the  beds : 

Variegated  inarU, 

Thiokneaa. 
Ft.     In. 

1.  Light  orange  marl 15       0 

2.  Green  and  purple  magnesian  limestone^  containing  worm-like  concretions 

of  calcareous  spar 5  0 

3.  Pinkitth-purple  marl S2  0 

4.  Brown  shelly  sandstone 0  8 

5.  Purple  marl  with  silicified  wood 16  0 

6.  Purplish  green  cherty  magnesian  limestone^  in  seyeral  layers,  alternat- 

ing with  bands  of  marl 8  0 

7.  Purple  and  cream  colored  marls 30  0 

8.  Greenish  magnesian  limestone  in  thin  layers,  with  bands  of  marl 12  0 

9.  Yellow,  red,  and  purple  marls 40  0 

10.  Green  limestone,  similar  to  No.  8 3       0 

11.  Red,  purple,  pink,  green,  lilac,  brown,  and  blue  marls  with  silicified 

wood A 350        0 

Marconf  refers  these  beds  to  the  Trias,  regarding  them  the  equivalent 
of  the  J^arnea  Irisies  of  France  and  of  the  Keiiper  of  Germany.  He 
says,  "The  third  division  or  upper  group  of  the  Trias  is  subdivided 
agiHo  into  two  parts.  The  lower  is  formed  of  thick  beds  of  whitish- 
gray  sandstone,  often  rose-colored  and  even  red ;  and  the  u|>per  con- 
sists of  beds  of  sandy  calcareous  clay,  of  very  brilliant  colors,  violet, 
retl,  yellow,  and  white — in  a  word  of  variegated  marls.  This  upper  por- 
tion presents  a  striking  resemblance,  as  to  the  rocks,  with  the  Marnes 
Irism  of  France,  or  the  variegated  marls  of  Euro|>e." 

Above  the  section  (No.  9)  I  made  ou  the  Gunnison  is  a  bed  of  massive 
sandstone  succeeded  by  shaly  and  marly  beds,  in  the  upper  portion  of 
vhich  is  a  lignitic  layer. 

Above  the  variegated  marls  of  the  section  given  above,  Newberry  J 
fonnd  a  bed  of  lignite  which  he  considered  to  be  of  Jurassic  age. 
Whether  this  is  identical  with  the  lignite  in  sections  Nos.  12, 13,  and  14, 
I  cannot  positively  determine,  but  I  think  it  improbable,  as  the  beds 
below  do  not  seem  to  be  ideuticaL  If  they  are  identical,  I  place  the 
lower  limit  of  the  Dakota  group  lower  than  he  did.  The  reasons  for 
so  doing  will  be  stated  hereafter.  Newberry,  in  .his  sections  of  what 
he  considers  the  base  of  the  Lo>yer  Cretaceous,  also  finds  a  lignitic  bed, 
which  is  probably  the  one  I  have  included. 

Newberry§,  in  speaking  of  the  lignite,  says :  '*  The  sandstone  shales 
and  limestones  lying  above  also  include  many  beds  of  lignite  closely 

*Ives's  Colorado  £xpk>ring  Expedition,  Geological  Report,  page  79. 
t  Geology  of  North  America,  page  13. 

t  Ives's  Colorado  Exploring  Expedition,  Geological  Report,  page  81. 
i  Ives's  Colorado  Exploring  Exptdition,  Geological  Report,  page  63. 


128       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES, 

resembling  this,  and  on  litbological  grounds  woald  be  appropriately 
grouped  with  it.  In  fact  they  have  been  considered  Jurassic,  and  the 
only  Jurassic  rocks  in  this  region,  by  the  geologist  who  claims  to  have 
discovered  the  representatives  of  this  formation  in  New  Mexico.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  for  that  classification,  immediately  over  the  thin 
stratum  of  yellow  sandstone  which  overlies  the  coal  are  beds  of  clay- 
shale  with  bands  of  limestone  in  which  are  unmistakable  Cretaceous 
fossils.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  the  Jurassic  formation  cannot  be 
extended  in  this  direction,  and  there  is  no  alternative  left  but  to  con- 
sider the  coal-seam,  if  Jurassic,  the  sole  representative  of  the  Jurassic 
series,  or  to  combine  with  it  some  portion  of  the  underlying  variegated 
marls,  which,  for  this  purpose,  must  be  abstracted  from  the  Trias  of 
Mr.  Marcou." 

CRETACEOUS. 

It  is,  perhaps,  impossible  at  present  to  subdivide  the  Cretaceoas 
formation,  as  seen  west  of  the  continental  divide,  in  the  same  manner 
as  has  been  done  east  of  the  mountains. 

For  the  sake  of  convenience  in  description,  it  may  be  best  to  consider 
it  as  divided  into  three  groups,  Lower,  Middle,  and  Upper  Cretaceous, 
as  follows : 

inieet 
Lower  Cretaceous —    Dakota  gronp  (No.  1) 500-700 

(  Fort  BeDton  group  (No.  2),  ) 

Middle  Cretaceous — <  Niotrara  division  (No.  3),  > 2,000 

(  Fort  Pierre  group  (No.  4),  ) 

f  Fox  Hill  beds  (No.  5).  ^ 


Upper    Cretaceous-J  ^  ««^»f «  «^ f  ^^7, f*°<l«*«°/«;^^»^VV^^^^ 

xj^^ro,.    xy^«i.»^«>vuo     X      part  are  lignitic.    On  Autbracite  Creek  this  f     •*»*'^    » 

t     lignite  is  changed  into  anthracite  coal . . .  _ .  J 
Total 4,000-4,700 

This  table  represents  the  estimated  thicknesses  as  developed  in  oar 
district. 

LOVTEB  CRETACEOUS. 

Dakota  group — Formation  No.  1. 

Immediately  above  the  group  of  shales  last  described,  under  the  head 
of  Jurassic  and  conformable  to  it,  is  a  series  of  beds  in  which  rather  mas- 
sive siliceous  sandstones  predominate.  It  is  ))ersistent  throughout  the 
Bocky  Mountains,  preserving  it-s  litbological  characters  very  constantly 
over  widely-separated  areas. 

The  group  forms  a  convenient  horizon  for  reference,  being  more 
strongly  marked,  perhaps,  than  any  other  in  the  sedimentary  series.  Its 
age  is  well  established,  and  I  will  therefore  not  take  the  space  here  to 
repeat  the  evidence.  The  discussion  in  full  will  be  found  in  Professor 
Lesquereux's  "  Cretaceous  Flora  of  the  West."  • 

The  evidence  as  to  its  identity  in  Colorado  is  as  follows : 

During  the  explorations  of  1873,  near  the  exit  of  the  South  Platte 
Biver  from  the  mountains,  I  found  fragments  of  a  Proteoide8j\  of  which 
■  Professor  Lesquereux,  writing  me,  said :  **  It  is  very  near  Froteoides 
acuta  (Beer.),  if  not  a  small  form  of  the  same." 

As  yet  no  leaf  of  this  genus  has  been  found  higher  than  the 

*  Report  of  United  States  Geological  Survey,  vol.  vi ;  Cretaceoas  Flora,  by  Leo 
Lesqnercnz. 
t  See  Report  of  United  States  Geological  Survey  for  1873,  page  196. 


»ALK.J  GEOLOGY DAKOTA   GROUP — ^EAGLE    RIVER.  129 

Dakota  group.  In  tbe  same  series  I  also  found,  near  Glen  Eyrie,  a  few 
miles  from  Colorado  City,  specimens  of  a  liugula  too  indistinct  for  spe- 
cific identification.  In  the  Elk  Mountains  namerous  impressions  of 
dicotyledonous  leaves  were  noticed,  most  of  them  fjagmentary  and  in- 
distinct. 

On  the  Gunnison  Biver  during  the  past  season  (1874)  I  found  a  frag- 
ment of  a  sassairas-leaf  like  8.  mirabilej  near  station  60,  and  in  the 
blnffs  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison  I  obtained  a  Cretaceous  IScaphite. 
Id  various  parts  of  the  Elk  Mountains  Mr.  Holmes  found  impressions 
of  a  Salix. 

Professor  S'ewberry*  recognissed  tbe  group  in  New  Mexico.  I  shall 
hereafter  refer  to  the  identity  of  his  sections  with  those  made  by  me 
ou  the  Gunnison. 

Speaking  of  the  rocks  as  exposed  in  Kew  Mexico,  be  says :  *'  The 
paleontological  evidence  of  tbe  age  of  these  rocks  is  quite  conclusive 
and  of  unusual  value,  as  it  fixes  tbe  place  in  tbe  geological  scale,  of  a 
well-marked  formation  in  New  Mexico,  and  one  which  has  been  the  sub- 
ject of  considerable  discussion.  In  the  second  member  of  the  Cretace- 
ous portion  of  the  section,  counting  from  tbe  base  upward,  are  con- 
tained fossils  which  are  characteristic  of  the  Cretaceous  formation  in 
Texas  and  Nebraska.  These  are  Inoceramus  crispii  and  Oryphwa  pitcherij 
well  known  Cretaceous  fossils,  common  in  Texas  and  the  Indian  Terri- 
tory, and,  in  greater  numbers,  specimens  of  an  ammonite  {A.ptricarina- 
tu»)j  higbly  characteristic  of  Nos.  1  and  2  of  Meek  and  Haydeu's  section 
of  the  Cretaceous  rocks  on  the  Upper  Missouri.  There  is  no  doubt  of 
tbe  parallelism  of  the  group  of  sandstones  with  those  of  the  base  of 
Meek  and  Hayden's  Cretaceous  section." 

Tbe  litbological  characters  will  be  shown  in  the  various  sections 
given,  as  I  consider  the  formation  according  to  its  geographical  distri- 
bation  in  our  district. 

Eagle  Biver, — Until  we  reach  tbe  bead  of  the  second  canon  there  are 
no  outcrops  of  Cretaceous  age  on  tbe  south  side  of  Eagle  Uiver.  Here, 
however,  the  sandstones  of  tbe  Dakota  group  cross  from  the  north  and 
form  a  semicircular  ridge,  crossing  to  the  north  side  again  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  cafion.  In  Plate  11  tbe  group  on  tbe  north  side  at  the  bead 
of  tbe  canon  is  shown  at  a  a. 

The  semicircular  line  of  outcrop  is  shown  on  map  A.  Stations  6  and 
7  were  located  on  its  edge.  The  dip  of  the  strata  on  station  6  was  North 
50  East,  and  on  station  7  North  85^  East,  the  angle  of  inclination  about 
2(P.  In  this  basin,  included  between  the  ridge  and  the  river,  tbe  overlying 
strata  have  almost  entirely  been  removed,  the  upper  part  of  the  group 
forming  the  greater  part  of  tbe  floor  of  the  depression  or  semiquaqua- 
versal.  A  section  through  the  center  of  this  basin  is  shown  in  Fig.  1, 
Plate  1,  from  the  point  a  to  the  Eagle  Iliver.  1  was  unable  to  get  a 
iteetion  here,  so  that  I  cannot  say  bow  thick  it  is.  On  station  6  the 
rock  is  a  coarse  white  siliceous  sandstone.  Where  it  is  in  contact  with 
the  volcanic  rock,  as  seen  in  the  section  and  on  tbe  map,  it  is  meta- 
morphosed. 

Below  station  No.  7  there  is  tbe  following  section,  from  below  up : 

1.  Gray  sandstone,  greenish  coating  on  the  surfaces  of  the  lamin®. 

2.  Hard  greenish  mottled  limestone. 

3.  Greenish  gray  sandstone. 

4.  Blue  limestone. 

5.  Sandstones  forming  the  station. 

*  Ives's  Colorado  Exploring  Expedition,  Geological  Report,  page  85. 
9  H 


130       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  lower  portion  of  this  section  is  probably  Jnrassic. 

The  area  of  (^retaceoas  represented  on  the  map  lying  between  the 
semicircular  ridge  and  g  creek  is  probably  almost  entirely  of  the  sand- 
stones of  the  Dakota  group.  There  may  be  some  of  the'  layers  of  No. 
2  and  No.  3  in  places,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  I.  There  are  no  other 
outcrops  of  No.  1  on  Eaigle  Kiver  or  its  tributaries  within  the  limits  of 
our  district. 

Grand  River. — Between  the  Grand  and  Roaring  Fork,  at  the  head  of 
Mesa  Greek,  there  are,  judging  from  the  view  we  had  from  station  No.  11, 
outcrops  of  the  Dakota  group  dipping  to  the  southwest.  It  also  oat- 
crops  beneath  the  mesa  between  this  creek  and  Frying-Pan  Greek,  near 
the  base,  on  the  south  side.  Between  the  Grand  and  Boating  Fork 
there  may  be  a  few  patches  of  Gretaceous,  but,  if  so,  I  think  they  are  of 
higher  beds  than  the  Dakota  group.  On  the  west  side  of  Roaring  Fork 
it  forms  the  summit  of  the  prominent  hog-back  ridge.  On  station  14  it 
is  a  massive  light  grayish  siliceous  sandstone,  the  outcrop  of  which 
measures  63  feet.  If  the  beds  marked  8,  9,  and  10,  in  the  section  of  the 
Jurassic  (section  No.  8)  made  here,  are  included,  the  following  would  be 
the  section  of  the  Dakota  group  at  this  point. 

No.  10, — Section  an  Station  No.  14, 

Top.  TbiokneM  in  feet 

1.  MnsBive  grayish  white  siliceoiis  sandstone 63 

2.  Brown  sandstone,  with  fine  black  shales ^ 

3.  Dark  brownish-gray  sandstone,  becoming  light-colored  near  the  top 15 

4.  Light  greenish  sandstone 1>^ 

Base.  — 

Total,abont 203 

The  character  of  these  beds,  I  think,  warrants  their  being  considered 
Cretaceous  rather  than  Jurassic.  The  bbick  shales  in  No.  2  probably 
occupy  the  same  horizon  that  in  the  other  places  is  filled  with  the  ligiiitic 
beds.  If  they  are  not  considered  Cretaceous  we  have  only  a  thicknesa 
of  63  feet  for  the  Dakota  group.  Above  the  layer  marked  No.  1  the 
beds  have  been  eroded  and  covered  with  the  dSbria^  leaving  a  valley 
between  the  hog  back  and  the  hills  to  the  west.  On  the  Grand,  below 
the  mouth  of  I^aring  Fork,  the  Dakota  group  comes  out  from  beneath 
the  volcanic  rock  of  station  16.  At  station  14  the  strike  of  the  hog- 
backs is  north  15°  west,  and  the  angle  of  dip  3Uo.  Station  17  was  ou  the 
sandstones  of  the  DakoUi  group.  The  inclination  here  is  35^.  This 
seems  to  increase  to  50°  or  OO^  to  the  westward.  The  strike  is  north  15P 
to  80O  west.  The  hog  backs  extend  about  seven  miles  beyond  station 
17,  when  they  cross  the  river  into  Mr.  Marvine's  district,  and  the  Grand, 
from  that  point  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison,  flows  through  beds  of 
higher  horizons,  not  reaching  the  No.  1  until  the  river  is  joined  by  the 
Gunnison.  Here  it  outcrops  in  the  bluff's.  I  will  reserve  the  description 
to  the  section  devoted  to  the  Gunnison. 

Gunnison  River. — At  several  points  bordering  the  meadow-like  expan- 
sions of  the  valley  of  the  Gunnison  below  the  mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek, 
there  are  indistinct  outcrops  of  sandstones  that  probably  represent  a 
portion  of  the  Dakota  group.  As  we  proceed  down  the  river  these  oat- 
crops  becomemore  distinct,  and  below  station  73,  besides  the  No.  1,  shales 
of  No.  2  are  represented,  shown  at  c  in  Fig.  1,  PlateXIV.  The  Cretaceous 
rocks  seem  to  have  been  subjecticd  to  considerable  erosion,  preceding  the 
lava  flow  that  has  covered  them.  This  is  shown  by  the  change  in  the 
strata  shown  in  the  figures  in  Plate  XIV,  which  are  sections  on  the  north 


mLK]  GEOLOGY — DAKOTA   GROUP — GUNNISON  RIVER.  131 

side  of  theGiiDDison  at  various  points  between  the  month  of  Goehetopa 
Creek  and  the  mouth  of  Lake  Fork. 

The  drainage  had  probably  then  the  same  general  direction  it  has  at 
present.  In  Fig.  2,  Plate  VII,  beneath  station  77,  at  the  point  d,  we  have 
on  top  of  the  Dakota  gronp  a  few  shales.  Farther  north,  at  station  79, 
there  is  greater  thickness,  reaching  in  all  probability  as  high  as  No.  4. 
The  wearing  down  was  probably  from  north  toward  the  south,  which  is 
the  general  direction  of  the  streams  at  present. 

The  following  section  was  made  from  the  point  a  to  5,  in  Fig.  I,  Plate 
XIV. 

No.  11. — Section  of  No,  1  Cretaceous^  beneath  station  73  north  side  of  Gun- 
nison River. 

Base.  ThiokoesB  in  feet 

1.  Dark  micaceotis  gneiss 

0-2.  SiliceooB  saudstoney  general  color  yellowish,  becoming  pink  and  white  in 

places.    The  lower  portion  is  somewhat  concealed  in  beds  that  are  raussive.     43 

3.  Siliceous  sandstones  like  those  of  No.  2,  general  color  pink.    These  sandstones 

are  not  so  massive  as  those  of  No.  2.    They  are  somewhat  laminated 58 

4.  Yellow  sandstones  in  bands  of  two  and  three  feet  thickness, 32 

5.  Sandstones  and  interlaaiinated  shales.    The  general  color  of  the  sandstones  is 

yellowish ;  some  of  the  layers  have  greenish  pebbles.  Tbe  shales  near  the  top 
are  greenish • 79 

6.  Laminated  brownish-gray  sandstones  in  bands  from  a  foot  to  eighteen  inches 

in  thickness.  There  are  greenish-gray  interlaminated  bhales.  Some  of  the 
sandstones  are  probably  urgillaccons  and  weather  into  rounded  bowlder-like 
masses 6 

7.  Spacefilled  with  baudsof  sandstone  and  soft  argillaceous  shales  and  limestones. 

In  the  lower  part  there  is  a  nodular  limestone  with  pebbles  of  red  jasper. 
Tbe  upper  parts  of  the  sandstones  are  faintly  tinged  with  purple 82 

8.  Greenish  and  yellowish  indurated  argillaceous  sandstones  and  shales,  resem- 

bling the  beds  of  No.  7 52 

9.  Soft  yellow  and  white  laminated  sandstones 10 

10.  Soft  pinkish  laminated  sandstones 14 

11.  White  argillaceous  sandstones  and  shales;  some  of  the  beds  are  indurated  and 

break  with  a  conohoidal  fracture.  The  sandstones  weather  with  rounded 
corners,  forming  bowlder-like  masses  as  in  the  case  of  No.  6 54 

12.  Massive  yellow  siHceous  sandstones,  about 100 

Top.  

Total,  about 536 

These  sandstones  and  shales  are  exposed  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
beneath  the  breccia,  and  also  for  soine  distance  up  the  lateral  branches. 

North  of  the  Grand  Canon  the  gently-sloping  surface  between  the 
Gunnison  and  Smith's  Fork  is  underlaid  by  the  Dakota  group,  which 
forms  a  bluff-like  edge  above  the  granitic  shelf  bordering  the  canon. 
Tbe  slope  is  about  lour  degrees  in  a  direction  a  little  east  of  north. 
Smith's  Fork  cuts  through  the  No.  1  almost  parallel  to  its  strike.  The 
beds  here  have  the  same  general  character  that  was  noticed  in  the  sec- 
tion given  above.  In  some  places  on  Smith's  Fork  I  noticed  black  coaly- 
looking  shales,  and  in  some  of  the  laminated  sandstones  were  ripple  and 
mud  marks. 

Near  the  head  of  the  south  branch  of  Smith's  Fork  the  gentle  slope 
of  the  Dakota  group  is  broken  and  the  stream  flows  through  a  small 
canon  caused  by  the  breaking.  Tnis  canon  is  marked  a  a  on  map  B. 
It  is  only  about  two  miles  long.  On  the  west  side  the  dip  of  the 
strata  is  5<^,  while  on  the  east  it  is  15^  or  2(P.  In  the  latter  place  it 
forms  a  small,  almost  triangular  area,  of  which  the  base  is  toward  the 
\vest.  The  fracture  determining  this  canon  was  probably  the  result  of 
a  told,  which  may  have  been  caused  by  igneous  action,  contemporane- 
ous with  the  elevation  of  the  tnichytic  hill  opposite  the  moiUh  of  the 


132  OEOIiOGICAL   SURVET   OF   THE   TERRITOKIE8. 

creek.  Between  the  canon  and  station  No:  38  there  are  two  areas  of 
trachy  tic  rock^which  may  also  have  bad  something  to  do  with  it.  On  the 
sonth  side  of  the  Grand  Canon  the  Dakota  group  does  not  appear  at 
the  npper  end,  shales  of  higher  positions  abatting  against  the  schists, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  VII. 

In  the  angle  included  in  the  great  bend  of  the  Gnnnison,  opposite  the 
month  of  Smith's  Fork,  the  sandstones  of  No.  1  form  the  surface.  Sec- 
tions across  this  area  are  shown  on  Plate  Yllly  the  letters  giving  tbe 
lines  on  which  they  are  made,  as  represented  on  map  B.  On  the  west 
side  of  this  area  the  beds  dip  steeply,  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Uncom- 
pahgre  the  Dakota  group  is  covered  with  the  overlying  beds  of  later 
origin. 

A  short  distance  above  the  mouth  of  Koubidean's  Creek  it  appears 
again,  forming  bluffs  that  gradually  rise  as  we  go  down  until  the  river 
is  again  in  canon  (Unaweep  Canon.) 

The  following  is  a  section  of  the  bluff  on  the  Gunnison  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Roubideau's  Creek : 

No.  12. — Section  of  Vretaceaus  No,  1. — Bluff  on  Gunnison  River. 

TbiclnMM 
Top.  Ft    In. 

1.  Space  reaching  from  the  top  of  the  blaff,  which  is  covered  with  bowlders 

of  sandstone  and  volcanic  rock,  underlaid,  in  all  probability,  with  sand- 
stones and  shales 50to60    0 

2.  Massive  yellow  sandstones 10   0 

3.  Space  in  which  the  upper  part  is  occupied  with  gray  and  rust-colored 

sandstone  shales,  with  carbonaceous  material.  The  lower  portion  of  the 
sp^Loe  is  probably  filled  with  layers  similar  to  those  above.  The  slope  is 
covered  with  the  debris  of  sandstones  in  which  there  arefragmental  im- 
pressions of  stems,  bat  no  leaves,  although  careful  search  was  made..  31  0 

4.  Oray  laminated  sandstones 33  0 

5.  Black  carbonaceous  or  lignitic  shales  with  etiOioresence  of  alkali 1  6 

6.  Yellow  and  gray  shaly  sandstones 4  0 

7.  Fine  black  carbonaceous  shales 6  0 

8.  Massive  gray  sandstone 10  0 

9.  Shaly  sandstones  alternating  with  shales  like  those  of  No.  5 22  0 

10.  Coarse,  white,  granular  siliceous  sandstone 2to  4  0 

It.  Sandstone  shales  reaching  to  the  base  of  the  bluif 16  to  18  0 

Base  I 

Total,  alx)ut 199   6 

This  represents  only  a  portion  of  the  No.  1.  The  river,  however,  soon 
cuts  through  to  its  base.  The  area  occupied  along  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Gunnison  by  tbe  Dakota  group  is  limited  to  a  narrow  belt,  the 
higher  beds  outcropping  in  low  blutfs  from  three  to  Ave  miles  from  the 
river. 

A  section  at  station  60  is  given  below : 

No.  13. — Section  of  No.  1  Cretaceous. — Bluff  on  east  side  of  Ounnisan 

Biverj  Station  60. 

ThieknMB. 
Top.  Ft.    In. 

1.  Kassive  yellow  siliceous  sandstones,  with  indistinct  impressions  of  leaves 

and  stems.    The  sandstones  are  so  coarse  that  nothing  recognisable 

could  be  seen 54       0 

2.  Bine  argillaceous  shales,  gypsiferous 6 

3.  Fine  black  lignitic  shales  with  interlaminated  sandstones  and  clays 16       6 

4.  Blackish-gray  laminated  sandstones  and  shales 31       B 

5.  Soft  gray  sandstones  with  greenish  shales  in  the  upper  part S5       4 

6.  Soft  argillaceous  sandstone  shales  in  bands  of  red  and  green  colors  alter- 

nating        25       4 

7.  Yellow  siliceons  sandstones  in  rather  massive  layers,  very  much  like  those 

in  No.  1,  given  above 63      0 

8.  Blue  and  yellow  mottled  argillaceous  sandstone  shales 6       4 

9.  Fine  red  and  green  shales,  argillaceous  and  probably  calcareous 5     10 


PIAU.] 


GEOLOGY SECTIONS  OF  DAKOTA  GROUP. 


133 


Thickaeas. 
Ft.     In. 

47 

6 

8 
19 

0 
0 

6 

4 

8 
24 

0 
0 

>      68       6 


43 

10 

1 


0 
0 
6 


30 


10.  Compact,  fine-ii^ined,  brownish-red  sandstones,   with   interlaniinatod 

shaly  beds  with  a  cross-l'ractnre 

11.  White,  dendritic,  argillaceous  sandstones,  indurated  near  the  top,  and 

having  a  &harp,  concboidal  fracture 

12.  Greenish  and  purplish  argillaceous  shales 

12).  Yellow  siliceons  sandstone,  rather  massive  in  the  lower  part,  laminated 

above 

14.  Reddish  and  whitish-green  mottled  sandstones,  grading  np  into  soft 

shales 

15.  Reddish,  purplish,  and  greenish  sandy  shales,  mottled 

16.  Qreenish-white,   argillaceous  sandstone,    weathering  into*  rounded 

masses  like  bowlders 

17.  Brick-red  shales  mottled  with  green 

18.  Pink  sandstone,  1  foot 

19.  Greenish  shaly  sandstones,  with  hard  bands  of  sandstone  at  intervals, 

and  fine  red  shales  in  laminie,  6  inches  in  thickness 

20.  Soft  greenish  conglomeritic  sandstone.    The  upper  bed  is  a  green  sand 

stone,  below  which  is  au  irregular  mottled  limestone,  argillaceous, 
brown,  reddish,  and  greenish,  with  jasper  in  centerof  nodules.  In  the 
center  there  are  also  quartz  and  calcite.  Some  of  the  beds  in  this  space 
are  concealed 

21.  Massive  yellow  siliceous  sandstone,  coarse  in  places,  with  siliceoos  peb- 

bles  

^.  Soft  white  sandstones,  conglomeritic  at  the  base,  containing  black,  red, 
and  yellow  pebbles;  very  fine 

23.  Soft  shaly  beds,  pattially  concealed  by  argillaoeoas  debris.    These  beds 

are  composed  of  greenish-jp>ay,  argillaceous  sandstones,  brownish  nod- 
ular limestone,  and  greenish  clays.  Nearly  all  the  beds  are  f|;ypsifer- 
oos.  The  sandstones  break  into  rounded  pieces.  The  ddbru  is  coated 
with  a  salty,  alkaline  efflorescence 

24.  Space  in  which  the  slope  is  partially  covered  with  d^brig  of  hard  red 

sandstone  and  dark  gray  sandstone,  and  indurated  argillaceous  beds 
of  a  purplish  sandstone ;  near  the  top  was  an  outcrop  of  dark  browu- 
ish-gray  sandstone.  In  the  debris  below  I  found  a  specimen  SasMifraSj 
like  S,  ndralnle^  in  a  rock  similar,  but  was  unable  to  find  any  fossils  in 
place 

25.  Yellowish  siliceons  sandstones,  generally  in  massive  beds,  but  toward  the 

base  somewhat  laminated 

Base. 
Total  about 

I  think  it  likely  that  most  of  the  argillaceous  beds  given  above  in 
the  section  are  calcareous.  I  had  no  means  of  testing  them  on  the  spot. 
The  nodnlar  bed  of  limestone  in  No.  20  is  identical  with  that  in  No.  7 
of  the  section  No.  11  at  station  73.  The  jaspery  pebbles  are  the  same. 
They  are  bright-red  and  have  calcite  in  cavities  in  the  center  of  irreg- 
ular masses.    The  calcite  is  deep  yellow. 

There  is  a  partial  outcrop  of  the  Dakota  group  in  the  bluff  between 
the  Gunnison  and  the  Grand  at  the  mouth  of  the  latter.  The  following 
is  the  detailed  section  at  this  point : 

No.  14. — Section  of  No,  1  Cretaceous, — Bluff  on  Ounnison  near  the  mouth. 

Thick  neM. 
Feet 

1.  White  siliceous  sandstone  at  base  of  bluff.    Thickness  conld  not  be  ascer- 

tained, only  upper  part  showing 

2.  Fine  black  lignitic  shales 5 

3.  Gray  siliceous  sandstone  with  shaly  beds ' 

4.  Beds  of  soft  friable  lignite  with  bands  of  dark  greenish-gray  sandstone 

filled  with  fragments  of  stems  and  carbonaceous  material.  These 
sandstones  are  in  bands  of  one  foot  to  two  feet  thickness.  The  lig- 
nite is  of  poor  quality,  decomposing  rapidly  on  exposure  to  the  at- 
mosphere  

5.  Yellow  siliceons  sandstones  with  massive  structure  below  and  becom- 

ing shaly  above.    The  lower  portion  is  gypsiferous 


>   150  tu  160 


Total 155  to  106 


134       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  lignitic  beds  No.  2  in  this  section  correspond  with  No.  2  in  the  sec- 
tions made  near  Boubidean's  Creek  and  station  No.  60  (sections  Nog. 
12  and  13).  In  the  section  made  near  station  73  (No.  11)  this  layer 
seems  to  be  absent,  as  it  also  is  in  the  section  made  at  station  14  on 
Boaring  Fork. 

It  is  probably  this  bed  that  Dr.  Schiel  refers  to  in  the  Oeological  Re- 
port of  Captain  Gunnison's  exploration  when  he  says :  '^  In  the  Valley 
of  the  Blue  Biver,  a  coal-measure,  supported  by  sandstone,  crops  OQt 
at  several  places,  but  the  coal  does  not  seem  to  be  of  good  quality." 

Professor  Newberry  gives  the  following  detailed  section  made  in 
Arizona : 

Feet 

1.  Coarse  yeUowish  sandstone,  with  concretions  of  oxide  of  iron,  and  obscure  im- 

pressions of  dicotyledonous  leaves 16 

2.  Impure  coal,  alternating  with  bauds  of  bitnminous  shale  and  fire-clay,  con- 

taining   fossil-plants — Claihrttpteri$,    CyclopteriSt    Sphenopteria,    PSeopteris, 

A;c. — ^all  new  species 12 

3.  Fire-clay  and  shaJe 3 

4.  Coarse,  compact,  white  concretionary  sandstone (i 

5.  Green  marl 25 

6.  Bright  red  marl 22 

7.  White,  soft,  saccharoidal  calcareous  sandstone  to  base 

Layers  3  to  7,  inclusive,  are  probable  Jurassic. 

At  another  point,  not  far  distant  from  where  the' section  above  was 
made,  Professor  Newberry  made  another  section,  of  which  the  followiug 
is  a  portion : 

Feob 

1 1.  Coarse  light-yellow  or  whitish  massiye  sandstone l^ 

Is^.  Green  shales,  with  bands  of  ferruginous  sandy  limestone  and  beds  of  lignite. 
In  this  group  at  Oraylee  and  Camp  9G  are  Pinna  f  lingula  (u.  sp.)  and 
Gryphosa  pitcheri ;  and  over  the  lignite  beds  are  impressions  of  leaves  of 
PlotanuSf  Alnus  quercu»,  &.C.,  and  fossil  ferns  of  the  genus  Sphenopteria  ....        90 

13.  Green,  blue,  and  gray  argillaceous  shales,  with  bands  of  brown  or  3-ellow  sili- 

ceous limestone,  containing  Antmonitea  perlcarincUuSt  Inooeramua  crispii,  and 
Crvypihcea  pitcheri,  var.  navia  ...... 160 

14.  Coarse  yellowish  sandstone,  precisely  like  Nos.  9  And  11  (base  of  Cretaceous 

formation?) 25 

15.  Lignitic,  (Jurassic  T)  better  than  that  above,  to  base. 

The  bed  of  lignite,  which  he  marks  Jurassic?  is  the  layer  marked  No.  2 
in  the  first  section  given  above,  while  No.  14  corresponds  with  No.  1. 

Gompariug  these  sections  with  those  I  made  on  the  Gunnison  Eiver, 
the  litbological  similarity  is  evident. 

I  think  it  probable  that  his  beds  of  lignite,  marked  No.  12  in  the  sec- 
tion given  above,  are  identical  with  the  layers  included  under  No.  3  in 
my  sections  on  the  Gunnison  (Nos.  12  and  13).  If  so,  the  bed  of  lig- 
nite which  he  considers  as  Jurassic  is  wanting  iu  my  sections,  while  bis 
layers,  marked  Nos.  13  and  14,  correspond  to  those  included  in  Nos.  23, 
24,  and  25  in  section  No.  13,  made  at  station  60.  It  is  a  curipus  coinci- 
dence that  the  thickness  given  by  him  (185  feet)  is  the  same  as  that  given 
by  me.  This,  however,  is  no  positive  proof  of  identity,  as  these  beds 
vary  iu  thickness  in  localities*  very  close  to  each  other. 

If  the  beds  do  not  belong  to  the  same  horizon,  I  have  placed  the  line 
of  division  between  the  Cretaceous  and  Jurassic  layers  lower  than  Pro- 
fessor Newberry  has  done.  The  specimen  of  Sassafras  that  I  found  in 
bed  24  of  section  No.  13,  is  the  only  evidence  I  have  upon  which  to 
ground  such  a  separation. 

Speaking  of  the  specimen  Pecopteris  that  he  found  in  the  lignite  bed 
(No.  2  of  his  first  section  given  above),  Newberry  says,  "Associated 
with  Glathropteris  of  Jurassic  affinities,  and  with  the  first  appearing 
species  of  the  dycotyledonous  plants  of  the  Cretaceous  epoch,  this 


PKALiLj  GEOLOGY CRETACEOUS   NO.   2   AND   NO.    3.  135 

Peoopieris  confirms  the  inference  derived  from  other  sources,  that  the 
lignite  bed  containing  it  lies  just  at  the  poiut  of  junction  between  the 
Cretaceous  and  older  rocks,  and  showing  a  mingling  of  forms  belonging 
to  the  two  formations,  proving  the  impossibility  of  drawing  sharply  the 
liues  of  division." 

In  the  bluffs,  at  the  month  of  the  Gunnison,  below  the  lignitic  beds, 
I  found  a  specimen  of  Scaphite^  which  marks  the  layer  of  Gret^iceous 
age.  It  probably  represents  the  equivalent  of  layer  No.  13  in  the  second 
section  given  above  by  Newberry.  If  so,  the  identity  of  the  sections 
with  mine  would  seem  to  be  pretty  clearly  indicated. 

MIDDLE  CRETACEOUS. 

As  I  have  already  indicated,  it  is  impossible  in  our  district  to  give  the 
exactlimitsofthedifierentformationscomprehendedunderNo.  2toNo.  4, 
inclusive.  As  the  shaly  character  prevails  throughout  the  series,  I  have 
included  them  all  uuder  the  same  head.  At  the  base  in  No.  2  they  are 
decidedly  arenaceous,  the  beds  just  above  the  Dakota  group  beiug 
lainiuated  sandstones.  Gradually  they  become  more  and  more  argilla- 
ceous, and  near  the  top  thin  bands  of  limestone  appear. 

Cretaceous  No.  2  and  No.  3. 

Exposures  of  the  Fort  Benton  group  and  the  Niobrara  division  are 
8een  in  the  valleys  of  the  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers,  and  on  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Gunnisoii.  Want  of  time  precluded  the  possibility  of  mak- 
ing a  complete  section  from  the  base  of  the  series  to  the  top,  although 
1  sncceecled  in  getting  several  sections  which  will  give  the  general 
characters  of  the  strata.  The  layers  of  No.  2  were  not  generally  so  well 
ex|)osed  as  those  of  No  3.  The  higher  we  go  in  No.  2,  as  exposed  in  our 
district,  the  moie  shaly  and  argillaceous  do  the  beds  become,  and  in 
No.  3  they  are  also  calcareous. 

Eagle  River. — On  the  north  side  of  Eagle  River,  opposite  the  second 
caiion,  as  viewed  from  the  semicircular  ridge  of  stations  6  and  7,  the 
Fort  Benton  group  and  succeeding  divisions  of  the  Cretaceous  are  seen 
outcropping  in  the  most  beautiful  manner,  as  shown  in  Plate  II  (be- 
tween b  and  c).  On  the  south  side  all  have  been  removed  except  a  few 
remnants  of  No.  2,  and  perhaps  also  of  No.  3  in  places,  leaving  the  sand- 
stones of  the  Dakota  group  as  the  floor  of  the  semiquaquaversal  already 
described.  Still  farther  south,  in  the  circular  area  of  Cretaceous  near 
the  Eagle  (see  map  A),  remnants  of  No.  2  and  No.  3  are  seen,  as  shown 
in  the  section  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  I. 

Grand  River. — In  the  range  of  hog-backs,  extending  from  the  Elk 
Mountains  along  Roaring  Fork  and  Grand  River,  and  finally  crossing  the 
latter,  there  are  exposures  of  all  the  Cretaceous  strata  above  the  Da- 
kota group.    There  was  no  opportunity  here  to  make  any  sections. 

On  the  south  side  of  Grand  River,  in  low  blutfs  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Gunnison  beds  of  No.  2  and  No.  3,  outcrop,  black  shales  prevailing. 

Ounnison  River. — Under  the  rhyolitic  and  breccia-covered  areas,  bor- 
deiing  the  Gunnison  above  the  Grand  Canon,  there  are  in  all  proba- 
bilit}'  fragments  of  formations  No.  2  and  No.  3.  They  are  exposed  be- 
neath the  mesas  that  stand  between  Slate  or  East  River  and  Ohio  Creek. 
The  exposures  of  the  beds  immediately  above  No.  1,  between  the  North 
Fork  of  tiie  Gunnison  and  Rock  Creek,  will  be  referred  to  by  Mr. 
Holmes,  in  his  report  on  the  geology  of  the  Elk  Mountains. 

Between  Smith's  Fork  and  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison  there  is 


/" 


13G       GEOLOGICAL  SUBVET  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

wide  area,  in  which  the  strata  almost  entirely  belong  to  No.  2  and  No.  3. 
There  are  two  parallel  lines  of  bluffs,  the  first  coin|>osed  of  black 
shales,  which  are  also  shown  along  the  coarse  of  the  North  Fork.  Some 
of  the  upper  beds  may  belong  to  No.  4. 

The  following  is  a  partial  section  on  a  line  between  station  38  aUd  sta- 
tion 80. 

Section  No.  15. 

ThickiMa. 
B«M.  Fl  In. 

1.  TracbytOf  aboat  75  feet  thick 

2.  Grav  and  black  argillaceous,  with  JnoceramiM 58  0 

3.  Shales  and  bin ish  slates 100  0 

4.  Slope  covered  with  d^bria  of  shales  above 326 

5.  BInish  slates  weatheriog  rust-color,  in  laminae  i  of  au  inch  thickness,  con- 

taining Inoceramua  and  iish-scales,  too  indistinct  for  identification 160  0 

6.  Gray  and  grayish-blue  limestone  with  interlaminated  shales,  containing  JmK 

ceramus  and  fish-scales 160  0 

7.  Dark  bluish  and  black  shales 243  0 

Total,  about 753  6 

At  the  base  of  the  mesa,  which  ends  east  of  the  Gnnnison  below  its 
month,  No.  2  and  No.  3  ontcrop.  The  following  section  was  made  north 
of  the  Gnnnison,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Roubideau's  Creek.  It  will  give 
the  characters  of  the  beds.  They  may  all  belong  to  the  Fort  Bentou 
group,  or  the  upper  portion  of  the  section  may  possibly  represent  a  part 
of  the  Niobrara  division. 

Section  JVb.  16. — Ounnison  River j  opposite  Boubideau?8  Creek. 

Thicknem. 
Base.  Fl  In. 

1.  Sbaly  sandstones,  with  interlaminated  argillaceous  beds  extending  from' 

the  top  of  the  bluff  on  the  river  to  the  base  of  the  first  bluff  north  of  the 

river.    The  beds  are  for  the  most  part  concealed >      175  0 

2.  Course  yellow  sandstone,  with  calcite  

3.  Gray  laminated  sandstone 

4.  Thin  laminsB  of  grayish  sandstone  shales,  with  fine  black  argillaceous 

hhales,  gypsiferous  and  calcareous,  containing  InooeramuSf  Ostrea  lugubria 
(Conrad),  and  other  Cretaceous  fossils 125  6 

5.  Yellowish  sandstone  shales,  with  quantities  of  Jnooei'amiM  and  Ostrea  espe- 

cially abundant  near  the  top,  where  there  is  a  layer  of  black  shales 40  0 

6.  Black  argillaceous  shales,  partly  concealed  by  debris 3d0 

7.  Coarse  yellow,  gypsiferous,  and  calcareous  sandstones,  with  layer  at  top, 

breaking  into  pencil-like  pieces  one  to  two  inches  long  and  an  eighth  of 

an  inch  in  thickness 50  3 

8.  Sandstone  shales i       130  d 

9.  Fine  black  argillaceous  shales S 

10.  Coarse  yellow  calcareoussandstone,  resembling  that  described  under  No.  7.  1  0 

11.  Fine  black  argillaceous  shales,  with  bands  of  sandstone  ( fossil iferous),  spe- 

cies oi  Inoceramua  and  Oatrea 36  0 

12.  Hard  gray  sandstone 10 

13.  Very  fine,  soft,  black  argillaceous  shales,  with  a  few  laminro  of  gray  sand- 

stone. In  the  lower  part  of  the  group  the  shales  arc  coal-black,  but  as 
we  ascend  they  become  gray-black.  Nearly  all  the  layers  are  fossilifer- 
ous.  Among  the  forms  are  Prioncifclua  toyomingenaia^  Scaphitea  warren- 
ana,  and  Inoceramua  problematicua.  Tboy  are  especially  abundant  near 
the  top 66  6 

14.  Fine  gray  and  yellowish  shales 34  0 

15.  About  17  feet  of  gravel,  composed  largely  of  basaltic  bowlders,  forming  the 

top  of  the  bluff 

Total,  about 667  8 

Near  station  73,  on  the  Gunnison,  shales  belonging  to  formation  Na 
2,  ontcrop  l)eneath  the  breccia  that  underlies  the  rhyolitic  covered 
inesa.    (c,  Fig.  1,  Plate  XIV.) 


nxuL]     GEOLOGY CRETACEOUS   NO.  4 — ^UPPEE   CRETACEOUS.       137 

They  are  25  to  30  feet  in  thickDess,  and  represent  bat  a  portion  of  the 
gronp. 

Under  station  79,  on  the  south  branch  of  Smith's  Fork  df  the  Guuni- 
80D,  there  is  a  greater  thickness  exposed,  some  of  No.  3  probably  show- 
iDg,  although  I  cannot  be  certain,  as  I  had  no  opportunity  of  making  a 
section.  These  strata  are  the  direct  prolongation  of  those  exposed  in 
the  open  country  between  the  North  Fork  and  the  north  branch  of 
Smith's  Fork  of  the  Gunnison. 

CRETACEOUS  NO.  4. 

Unfortunately  opportunity  did  not  offer  to  study  in  detail  the  strata 
referred  to  the  Fort  Pierre  group  and  the  Fox  Hills  beds.  I  was  unable 
to  tell  where  No.  3  ended  or  No.  4  began ;  the  thickness,  therefore, 
could  not  be  given.  I  estimated  the  thickness  of  the  series  from  No.  2 
to  No.  4, inclusive,  at  from  1,500  to  2,000  feet.  The  only  fossils  obtained 
were  specimens  of  Avicula  linguaformis  and  InoceramuB  bardbina,  from 
an  outcrop  of  bluish  indurated  clay  in  the  valley  of  the  Gunnison,  ueHr 
Kahnah  Creek,  beneath  station  58.  This  layer,  I  think,  belongs  to  forma- 
tion No.  4.  No.  4  and  No.  5  outcrop  in  all  the  localities  where  Nos.  2 
and  3  are  seen,  with  the  exception  of  station  73,  where  No.  2  alone  is  seen 
beneath  the  breccia,  the  other  beds  having  been  eroded  previous  to  tLe 
deposition  of  the  breccia.  The  best  exposures  are  seen  in  the  valley  of 
the  Gunnison,  but  even  here  the  softness  of  the  beds  renders  them  re^idily 
eroded,  so  that  they  are  concealed  by  the  debris  of  the  strata,  and  it  is 
difScult  to  make  a  connected  detail- section.  The  strata  of  No.  4  are 
largely  light  gray  and  bluish  argillaceous  beds,  with  sandstones  near 
the  top  that  give  a  yellowish  dSbris.  They  pass  gradually  into  the  sand- 
stones and  shales  of  No.  5.  In  No.  5  the  arenaceous  character  prevail  a. 
The  group  next  to  be  described  may  belong  in  part  to  No.  5,  or  may, 
perhaps,  be  an  extension  of  it.  Until  fossils  are  found  in  it,  its  position 
is  somewhat  indefinite,  and  I  have  therefore  considered  it  separately. 

UPPEE  CRETACEOUS. 

I  bad  no  opportunity  of  estimating  the  entire  thickness  of  the  beds 
included  under  this  group.  In  the  Elk  Mountains,  where  they  are  seen 
post  extensively,  there  has  been  so  much  disturbance  of  the  strata  that 
it  is  difficult  to  obtain  connected  sections. 

On  Goal  Creek  there  is  a  bluff  in  the  face  of  which  are  exposed  1,500 
feet  of  light-gray  and  yellowish  sandstones  and  shales.  On  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Gunnison,  the  exposures  must  be  of  greater  thickness.  The 
ppper  part  of  the  series,  however,  is  not  shown  here.  The  coal  occurs 
io  the  lower  part  of  the  series,  as  shown  on  Coal  Creek.  The  sections 
will  best  illustrate  the  character  of  the  beds.  In  the  broad  valley  ease 
of  station  48,  and  south  of  Grand  Biver,  are  chocolate-colored  shales, 
and  greenish  and  gray  sandstones  that  should  probably  be  referred  to 
the  up[)er  part  of  the  series.  The  following  is  a  partial  section  made 
on  a  small  branch  of  the  Grand,  below  station  19. 

No  17. — Section  south  of  Grand  River. 


Base.  TbiokoeM. 

Feet. 
!•  Coarse  soft  whitish  sandstoue 3 

2.  GreeniBb  sandstoDe,  coarse  and  soft 4 

3.  Hard  brownish  limestoDe i 

4.  Space  covered  with  a  reddish-brown  dihris,  probably  underlaid  by  al-  >..  15 

terDaiiag  sandstooes  and  limestones ) 


138       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERBITORIES. 

Baae.  Tbickinsa. 

Foet 

5.  Light  gray  sandstone 1 

6.  8pac«  covereh  with  a  brownish  d^brU  in  which  aro  nodular  maeses  of  brown 

limestone ;  near  the  center  of  the  space  is  a  band  of  white  s&ndy  debris.^  45 

7.  Black  argillaceons  shale  (  5 

8.  White  sandstone J 

9.  Space  covered  with  debris,  in  which  are  occaeional  ontcrops  of  black  and 

reddish  shales 26 

10.  Rather  massive  light  greenish -gray  sandstone 3 

11.  Greenish  and  purplish  shales 6 

12.  Bluff  of  yellowish  flandstone,  massive  below,  becoming  shaly  above,  con- 

taining fragments  of  stems  and  leaves 104 

Total,  about 217 

In  layer  No.  12  I  found  an  indistinct  Aralia,  which  Professor  Lesqnerenx  considers 
Cretaceous.    The  section  on  station  26,  still  farther  south,  was  given  in  chapter  III. 

On  the  ridge  dividing  "  Oh  be  Joyful  ^  Creek  from  Anthracite  Creek, 
near  station  32,  I  made  the  following  section^  the  letters  correspouding 
with  those  in  the  illustration  in  Plate  X : 

Section  No.  IS.— Head  of  "0  he  joyful^  Creek. 

TfaickneM. 
Base.  Feet.   In. 

1.  Massive  white  sandstone,  reaching  from  the  base  of  the  cliff  for  sev-^ 

eral  hundred  feet I 

£.  •{    2.  Gray  shales,  succeeded  by  massive  sandstone ^  500     0 

3.  Black  shales  and  rusty  sandstone I 

4.  White  sandstone  succeeded  by  hard  bluish  sandstone J 

5.  Bluish-gray  laminated  sandstones 7     9 

6.  Couglomeritic  sandstone,  gray   below,  becoming  yellowish  toward 
the  top.    There  are  pebbles  of  red  Jasper 15     U 

7.  Purplish  and  yellowish  argillaceous  shales 11     6 

S.  Metamorphosed  conglomerate 3     0 

9.  Metamorphosed  sandstone,  white  and  greenish  below,  purplish  above ; 

D.  \           someof  the  layers  are  couglomeritic 77  9 

10.  Fine-grained,  very  compact,  purplish  sandstone,  breaking  into  small 
cubical  blocks 4  5 

11.  Greenish  and  purplish  argillaceous  shales,  in  thin  lamine 11  10 

12.  Purple  sandstone  resembling  that  of  No.  10,  more  laminated  at  the 
top 42  0 

^13.  Purple  and  yellow  argillaceous  shales 10     0 

C.      14.  Greenish  trachyte  in  massive  layer 18     0 

15.  Greenish  and  gray  shales,  partly  ai-gilJaceous 11     B 

n     i  16.  Dull  greenish  coarse  sandstones 17     0 

^  17.  Greenish  and  purplish  mottled  sandstones,  generally  compact,  break- 
ing into  irregular  pieces ;  some  layers  are  conglomeratic 35     0* 

18.  Compact  purple  sandstones,  in  bauds  of  eight  iuchcs  to  a  foot  thick- 
ness, breaking  at  right  angles  to  the  plane  of  deposition.  On  the  sur- 
faces quartz  crystals  are  numerous.  This  bed  forms  the  top  of  the 
bluff 88     0 


Total,  about 883     8 

Most  all  these  sandstones  have  a  metamorphosed  appearance,  and 
the  ridge  in  which  they  are  exposed  is  intersected  with  dikes,  which 
will  be  described  in  a  subsequent  portion  of  the  report.  Below  the 
strata  of  the  section  just  given  there  are  probably  1,000  feet  of  shales 
nnd  sandstones  to  a  series  of  coal-beariug  strata  on  ^^Oh  be  Joyful^ 
Creek.  The  latter,  according  to  Mr.  Holmes's  estimates,  is  about  2,OO0 
feet  above  the  Dakota  group.  The  upper  portion  of  these  beds  may 
possibly  have  to  be  referred  to  the  Lignitic  group,  but  for  the  present 
1  refer  them  to  the  Upper  Cretaceous. 

On  one  of  the  small  southern  branches  of  Anthracite  Creek,  near  its 
Lead,  is  an  outcrop  of  anthracite  coal.    We  found  the  float  iu  the  creek- 


3 
I 

X 


\ 


I 


4    I    K  W  _. 


/  • 


lihrttry 


( •'  .  . 


PKALtJ  GEOLOGY — UPPER   CRETACEOUS COAL.  139 

beil,  and  followed  it  up  antil  the  bed  was  reached,  near  the  head  of  the 
stream.  The  original  discovery  was  made,  I  believe,  by  prospectors. 
The  existence  of  coal  of  a  good  quality  in  the  Elk  Mountains  has  been 
known  for  several  years.  In  the  report  for  1873  (page  259)  I  referred  to  it. 
The  coal  was  exposed  on  both  sides  of  the  creek,  the  dip  being  nearly 
in  the  direction  of  the  coarse  of  the  stream,  inclining  about  25^.  The 
beds  are  tipped  up  against  the  Trachytic  range  that  forms  part  of  the 
divide  between  Anthraicite  Creek  and  Ohio  Creek.  The  coal  is  in  a 
bed  from  4  to  5  feet  thick.  The  following  is  the  section  from  the  coal 
down :  • 

1.  Coal,  4  to  5  feet  thick. 

2.  Black  slates  and  shales,  with  interlaminated  dark  sandstones, 
reaching  to  the  creek-bed,  about  150  to  200  feet  thickness  in  all. 

Above  the  coal  is  a  bed  of  sandstone,  brownish  near  the  coal,  becom- 
ing lighter  colored  as  we  ascend.  The  sandstone  is  succeeded  by  light- 
gray  sandstones  and  interlaminated  dark  shales.  About  100  feet  above 
the  coal  is  a  layer  of  porphyritic  trachyte,  which  inclines  with  the  sedi- 
mentary beds.  It  is  probably  an  intrusion,  as  it  resembles  closely  the 
trachyte  from  the  various  eruptive  masses  in  the  surrounding  country. 
It  contains  iron,  which  gives  it  a  rusty  appearance  on  weathered  sur- 
faces. The  coal  will  be  referred  to  in  a  subsequent  part  of  the  report, 
when  analyses  will  be  given.  Coal  Is  also  found  on  Coal  Creek,  and  at 
the  head  of  Slate  Biver,  and  on  Kock  Creek.  It  is  all  probably  of  the 
same  age. 

In  sandstone  shales,  near  Mount  Marcellina,  I  found  a  specimen  of 
Ferrea  stembergii.  Although  I  searched  carefully,  this  ^\as  the  only 
fossil  I  could  find  that  was  distinct  enough  for  identification.  This  and 
the  Aralia  I  found  in  layer  12  of  section  No.  17,  on  Grand  River,  are 
the  only  fossils  found  in  the  series  and  do  not  warrant  any  definite  con- 
clasion'as  to  their  age. 

The  beds  in  section  No.  17  have  probably  their  equivalents  in  section 
No.  18,  but  in  the  latter  they  have  been  so  changed  tbat  we  cannot  say 
80  with  any  certainty. 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  possibiliry  of  a  portion  of  this  group 
being  a  part  of  the  Fox  Hills  beds  (No.  5).  A  part,  also,  may  belong  to 
the  Lignitic  group,  (so  named  east  of  the  mountains.) 

Since  writing  the  above  I  learn  from  Mr.  Marvine  that  he  found  a 
ooalbearing  series  of  shales  above  typical  si>ecimens  of  No.  4  Oretace- 
•OS,  and  that  above  the  coal  he  obtained  fossils  referred  to  No.  5  by 
Prof.  F.  B.  Meek. 

Dr.  Endlich  also  found  coal  above  No.  4  in  the  Cretaceous. 

It  is  therefore  probable  that  the  beds  I  have,  for  convenience,  de- 
scribed as  Upper  Cretaceous  belong  to  No.  5. 

From  the  lowest  to  the  highest  beds  exposed  in  my  district  I  could 
find  no  nucouformability. 


y 


CHAPTER  VII. 


STBATIGBAPHY — CENOZOIC  FORMATIONS. 


vX 


Id  the  present  chapter  I  shall  take  up  the  remainlDg  members  of  the 
sedimentary  series  as  exposed  in  onr  district.  These  consist  mainly  of 
beds  referable  to  the  Green  Biver  and  Bridger  groups  of  the  Tertiary, 
and  I  shall  consider  them  without  entering  into  any  extended  discnssiou 
as  to  the  exact  names  that  should  be  given  them,  whether  Eocene  or 
Miocene.  Professors  Cope,  Leidy,  and  Marsh  consider  them  Eooeue^ 
basing  this  conclusion  on  the  discovery  of  vertebrate  organic  remains; 
while  Lesqaerenx  refers  there  to  the  Miocene  from  his  investigations  of 
their  fossil  flora,  calling  the '^Lignitic"  group  Eocene.  I  shall  simply 
describe  the  beds,  giving  the  local  names  of  the  groups  to  which  they 
are  referred. 

In  regard  to  the  ^'Lignitic"  group,  I  am  unable  to  present  any  details. 
Farher  discussion  as  to  the  exact  age  of  the  group  will  l>e  found  in  the 
other  reports. 

As  to  the  Post-Tertiary  formations,  I  am  able  to  speak  only  in  the 
most  general  way,  and  am  unable  to  separate  them  into  groups. 

« 

TEBTIABY. 

Above  the  beds  characterized  as  Cretaceous  by  their  lithological  pe- 
culiarities and  the  occurrence  of  typical  fossils,  is  a  series  of  b^s  from 
7,000  to  8,000  feet  in  thickness,  covering  a  large  area  extending  from 
the  Grand  Biver  to  the  Gunnison  beneath  the  basaltic  plateaus  west  of 
Bearing  Fork.    This  area  is  marked  on  map  E. 

The  best  exposures  are  seen  on  Plateau  Creek.  I  had  time  only  to 
make  a  partial  detailed  section.  The  strata  are  conformable  to  the  un- 
derlying Cretaceous,  and  it  is  difficult  to  determine  where  one  forma- 
tion endsand  the  next  begins.  I  have  arbitrarily  chosen  as  the  base  of  the 
Bridger  series  a  bed  of  red  sandstone  that  is  tolerably  persistent  beneath 
the  variegated  beds  above  which  the  fossils  were  found.  Another  year 
I  hope  to  define  the  limits  of  the  formation.  The  lower  portion  of  the 
series  is  referred  to  the  Tertiary  with  some  hesitation,  as  the  fossils, 
which  were  few  in  number,  were  found  too  far  above  to  predicate  any- 
thing very  definitely.  Before  entering  into  any  description  of  the  groups 
as  they  occur  in  our  district,  I  will  give  in  tabular  form  the  various 
views  held  by  different  authorities  in  regard  to  the  beds  that  have  beeu 
referred  to  the  Tertiary  formations  with  the  exception  of  those  I'eferred 
to  the  Pliocene. 

140 


PIALE.J    GEOLOGY — FORT   UNION   OB   GREAT   LIGNITIC   GROUP.      141 

Fart  Union  or  Great  Lignite  group. 


Local  ty. 


At  Fort  UnioQ,  Fort 
Clark,  and  under 
tiie  White  Biver 
beds,  on  the  North 
Fork  of  the  Platte 
Biver.  above  Fort 
Laramie,  and  west 
of  Wind  River 
Mountains. 

Upper  Miaaoari  re- 
gion. 


Eit^naion  into  Brit- 
ibb  America. 


Porcnpine  Creek, 
Mianonri  Cnteaii, 
West  Sonria  Biver, 
•ad  other  parte  of 
Britiah  America. 


Vilk  Hirer 


Tbnipie  Hirer 

Bastern  baae  of  Black 
Hflla. 

Grand  River,  Ne- 
braaka,  (now  Da- 
koto.) 

LiKoite  of  Long 
Lake.  Nebraaka, 
(now  Dakota.) 

I*imite  of  Big  Horn 
Monntnina,  and  at 
month  of  Big  Horn 
fiirer. 

Ms  beneath  White 
Kirer  beda,  aouth 
of  Fiort  Fetterman. 

Korth  Platto  River 
and  La  L'r61e  Creek. 


Deecription  of  strata 


Beds  of  clay  and 
sand,  with  round 
lermginona  con- 
cretions and  nti- 
moroua  beds  and 
seaius  and  local 
deposits  of  lignite. 


Age. 


Eocene  Tertiary  . . 


Tertiary 

Meek  and  Hay- 
den. 

Miocene  Tertiary 
Lower  Tertiarv . . . 

...do 

.  ...do 

Lower  Tertiary... 

Hayden 

Leidy 

Miocene 

LeConte 

Tertiary 

Hayden 

Cone 

Cretaccoas ■ 

Miocene 

v/ v^v  .......... 

Newberry 

Hayden 

Tertiary 

Miocene 

Newberry 

Cope 

Cretaoeooa  No.  6 . . 

Lower  Eocene 

Lesqnerenx... 

Eocene 

G.  M.  Dawson 

Cretaceous 

J.J.  Stevenson 

Eocene 


Lower  Eocene  . . . 
Lignitlc  Tertiary 


.do 
do 


Cretaceoaa. 


do 


do 


Lignite  (Tertiary) 


Eocene. 


Authority. 


Hayden. 


G.  M.  Dawson 


...do... 
Hayden. 


.do 
.do 


Cope. 
....do 


.do 


Hayden. 


.do 


Reference. 


Exploration  of  Yel- 
lowatooe  and  Mis- 
soari  Rivers,  under 
Capt  W.  F.  Bay- 
nolda,  ie59-'6U: 
Geol.  Beport  of  F. 
V.  Hayden,  p.  US. 


Proceedings  Acad. 
Nat  Sci.,  Philadol. 
phia,  1856,p.63. 

Do.,  p.  225. 

Do.,  p.  113. 

Transactions  Amer. 
Philosophical  Soc, 
1860. 

Do. 

Exploration  of  Smoky 
Hill  Bailroa<l  route, 
1868,  p.  65. 

American  Journal  of 
Sciences  and  Arte, 
1868,  p.  204. 

Transactions  Ameri- 
can Philoaophical 
Soo..  1869. 

Annals  Lyceum  Nat^ 
History  of  city  of 
New  York,  vol.  ix, 
1868. 

Report  n.  S.  Geol.  Sur- 
vey of  Ter.,  1867- 
•68-'69.  p.  57. 

BeportU.  S.  GeoL  Snr- 
vey  of  Ter.,  Itf70, 
pp.  95, 96. 

Beport  United  States 
Geol.  Survey,  1873, 
p.  433. 

Beport  TJ.  8.  Geol. 
Survey,  1872,  pp. 
410-417. 

Canadian  NatnraliAt, 
vol.  vii,  April,  1874, 
p.  252. 

"The  Geological  Beln- 
tlnns  of  the  Lignit  ic 
Gronpa,"  read  be- 
fore the  Amoiicnu 
Philo9op.  Soo ,  Jnne 
If-,  1H75. 

Beport  of  Briti^ih 
American  Boundary 
Survey  of  Forty- 
ninth  Parallel,  pp. 
6, 8, 18, 19,  86,  93, 97, 
103,152. 

Da,  p.  186. 

BopurtU.S  (3eol.  Sur- 
vey of  Ter.,  1867- 
'68-*69,  p.  72. 

Do.,  p.  73. 

Do.,  p.  73. 

Report U.  S.  Geol  Snr- 
vey  of  Ter.,  18TJ, 
p.  446. 

Do ,  pp.  453-'4. 


Do.,pp.4S3-*4. 


Rf*portU.S.Geol  Snr- 
vcv  of  Ter.,  ItfJO, 
P.1G. 

Du.,  p.  22. 


142 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES, 


F(yrt  Union  or  Oreat  Lignite  group — Continued. 


Locality. 


Coal-beds  under 
White  River  bedA, 
near  Fort  Laramio 
and  east  of  Kook 
Creek. 

Laramio  plains,  one 
hnndred  miles  west 
of  F'ort  Laramie. 

Coal-beds  of  Carbon 
and  Separation, 
Wyoming  Terri- 
tory. 

At  Separation  and 
surrounding;  oonn- 
try.  Probably  same 
at  Carbon,  Kock 
Creek,  Conpor 
Creek,  and  Creston. 

Carbon  Station 


Lifinite  beds  east  of 
Washakie  Station. 


West  of  Washakie, 

and   in   Bridger 

Pass. 
Coal-beds  east  of  Salt 

Wells. 
Coal-beds  o  f    Book 

SpriDfis,  and  east  of 

Rook  Springs  and 

Salt  Welle. 
Henry.' 8    Fork   of 

Green  River. 


On  St  Vraln's  Creek, 
east  of  mountains 
in  ("olorado. 

Marshall  Mine,  Colo- 
rado. 


Description  of  strata. 


ToUow,  msty  yel- 
low, msty  brown, 
and  drab'beds. 


Ralston  Creek,  near 
Golden  City,  and 
Golden  City. 

Golden  City.*. 


Beds  under  Denver, 
Colorado. 

At  exit  of  Sooth 
Platte  River  from 
monntains. 

Near  Colorado  Springs 

Hardscrabble  Creek, 
near  Cafion  Ci^y 
(Cafion  City  group). 

KearCo&onCity... 


An  immense  thickness 
of  sandstones  and 
clays,  extending 
from  Green  River 
beds  to  Cretaceous 
clays. 


Coal-beds  of  Raton 
Hills  (called  Raton 
Hills  group). 


Age. 


Lignite  (Tertiary) 


Lignite  (Tirtiary) 


.do 


, . . . do 

Lower  Eocene. 


Lower  Miocene 
Upper  Eocene  . 


Middle  Miocene. 
Middle  Miocene. 


Lower  Tertiary.. 

Eocene 

Lignite  Tertiary. 


Eocene 

Lignite  Tertiary. 


Eocene 


Lignite  Tertiary 


Tertiary 
Eocene  . 


Eocene  . 
Tertiarj- 


Eocene 

Lower  Eocene 


Tertiary 
...do... 


American    Lower 

Eocene. 
Tertiary 

American   Lower 

Eocene. 
Great    Lignite 

group. 


Anthoiity. 


Hayden 


.do 


.do 


.do 


Lcsqnerenx. 
...do 


do 
.do 


Hayden 

Lesquereux. 
Hayden 


.do 
do 

.do 


..do 


...do... 
LeConte 


Lesquereux 
Hayden 


Hayden. 
...do.. 


Lesquereux. 
Hayden 


Lcsqnerenx. 
Hay<1en 


Refereooe. 


Report  U.S.Geol  Snr- 
vey  of  Ter.,  1867- 
'68-'d9.  p.  79. 


Report  U.S.Geol.S^^ 

vey  of  Ter.,  IKO, 

p.  191. 
ReportU.S.Geol  8m^ 

vey,  1867,  '68,  O,  ^ 

190. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur- 
voy,  1870,p.l38. 


Report  IT.  S.  Geol.  Sur- 
vey, 1871,  a  306 

Report  U-S-GedS-T- 
vey,  1871,  pp.  410- 
417. 

Report  U.S.<3eolSar- 
vey,  1873,  Pl  366. 

American  Journal  of 
Sciences  and  Arts, 
vol.  vii.  June,  liHt 

Report  U.S.  Geol.  Sur- 
vey, 1870.1^74. 

Report  U.S. GcoLSur- 
vcy,  187!,p.306. 

Report  U.  S-.  GeoL  Sur- 
vey, 1870,  p.  74. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  le70,  p.  71. 
....Do. 


Lesquereux... 
...  do 


Report   U.  S.  GeoL 
Survey,  1870,  p.  5i 


Report  U.  S.  Geol- 
Survey,  1867-68 
-X9,  p.  127. 

...Do.,  p.l!M. 


Exploration  ofSmoky 

Hill  Railroad  ronte. 

1868,  p.  — . 
Report   U.  S.  Gwl- 

Survey,  187l,p  ** 
Report   U.  S.  Gc*»l. 

Survey,      1867-'«^ 

-'69,  p.  134. 
Report  U.  S.  Geol. 

Survey,  1871,  p.  *6- 
Report   U.  S.  GeoL 

Survey,   187«,  pp 

410-417. 
Report    i;.  S.  Geol 

Survey,      1867-63 

-'69.  p.  137. 
....Do.,  p.  138. 


Report  U.  S.  Ge«J. 
Survey.  1873,  p.**- 

Report  U.  S.  Gcd. 
Survey,  lH67-w 
-•69,  pp.  149  to  IM. 

Report  U.  S.  G«J- 

Surrev,  1878,  p  385* 
Report   U.  S.  Geol 

Snrvcv,      1»"-^ 
-'fi9,  pp.  150  to  ISO. 


PiATJLj    GEOLOGY — FORT   UNION   OR    GREAT   LIGNITIC   GROUP.      143 

Fort  Union  or  Or  eat  Lignite  group — Continued. 


locaUty. 


Raton  beds 


Apishpa  Creek.  Span* 
iah  P6aka,and  Trini- 
dad, Colorado. 

Saton  Pnas,  Piirj^a- 
tory  CafioD. 

Baton  Mountains  . . . 


Coal-beds  of  east 
ed(^  of  moQUtaius 
In  Cnlomdo. 

Fiflher'a  Peak,  Raton 
Monntains. 


Baton  Mountains 


Central  and    !Korth 

Colorado, 
liiznltes  of  Colorado 

Basin. 


Description  of  strata. 


Sonth  Park,northeast 
of  Pair  Play. 


Grand  Elver,  in  Mid- 
dle Park. 


MoantBross,  in  Mid- 
dle Park. 


Tronblfsome   Creek 
and  Willow  Creek, 
in  Middle  Park. 

TroDblesome  Creek 
and  Mount  Bross 
(Middle  Park). 

Middle  Park,  Mount 
Broas. 

Piaeer  Monntains, 
Routh  of  Santa  F6, 
K<«w  Mexico(  Placer 
Mountain  Grnnp). 

Liffnitio  beds  of  New 
Mexico  (at  leant  as 
far  Routh  as  Placer 
Mountain).  A  n  • 
thracite  coal. 

LiKnitH  beds  of  Xew 
Mexico  and  San 
Jnan. 


Sandatones  and  clays 
ovcrl  yi  n  g    Crata- 
ceons'  layers. 


Yellow  and  gray 
sandstones  and 
laminated  arena- 
ceons  clays. 


Age. 


Cretaceons. 


Tertiary, 


Eocene 

Lower  Eocene . . 

Lower  Tertiary. 

Eocene 


American    Lower 

Eocene. 
American    Lower 

Eocene. 
...do 


Cretaceous. 


Upper  Cretaceons 


Lignitic  Toitiary 


Authority. 


Lignitic  Tertiary 


Older  Tertiai7 


Lower  Tertiary 


American  Upper 
Eocene  or  Lower 
Miocene. 

Upper  Miocene... 


Lower  Tertiary 


American   Lower 
Eocene. 


Cretaceons. 


LeConto 


Hayden..«.. 

Lesqnerenz. 
do 


Hayden 

Lesquerenx... 

do 

do 

...do 


Cope 

J.  J.  Stevenson 


Havden . 


...do 


Reference. 


do 


.do 


Lesqoorenx.. 


....do... 
Hayden. 


Lesquerenx  . 


Newberry 


Report  Exploration 
Smoky  Hill  Rail- 
road  route,  1668,  p. 
66. 

...Do.,  p.  153. 


Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1871,  p.  306. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1872,  pp. 
41(M17. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1867-'68 
-'69,  p.  189. 

Supplement  to  Fifth 
Annual  Report  U.  S. 
Geol.  Survey,  1871. 

Report  U.  ^.  Gool. 
survey,  1873,  p.  366. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  18T3,  p.  366. 

American  Journal  of 
Sciences  and  Arts, 
vol.  rii,  June,  1874. 

Report  U.  S.  GeoL 
Survey,  1873,  pp. 
453, 454. 

Proceedings  of  So- 
ciety of  Nat.  Hint., 
city  of  New  York, 
2d  series.  No.  4, 
1p74,  pp.  93, 94. 

Also ''Geological  Re- 
lations of  the  Lig- 
nitic Groups,*'  read 
before  Amer.  Phil. 
Soc.,  June  18,  1875. 

U.  S.  Creot.  Survey 
Report  of  1867-68 
-69,  p.  179. 

Also  Report  U.  S. 
Geol.  Survey,  1873, 
p.  3d. 

R<»port  of  U.  S,  Geol. 
Survey   of    lH67-'68 
-'69,  p.  183. 

Also  Report  U.  & 
Geol.  Survev,  1873, 
p.  81. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1867-118 
-'69,    pp.   im,  184. 

Report  for  1873,  p.  81. 

Rejwrt  U.  S..  Geol. 
Survey,  1873,  p.  i?2. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1673,  p.  366. 

Do.,  p.  366. 


Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  ltf67-'68 
-'69,  p.  190. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey  1873,  p.  3C6. 

Also  Anier.  Jour,  of 
Scicuct  s  and  Arts, 
vol.  vii,  June,  1^74. 

American  Journal  of 
Science.*)  and  ATts, 
vol.  vii,  April,  1674, 
p.  90. 


Some  of  the  localities  iDcluded  iu  the  table  just  given  will  be  given 
in  some  of  the  tables  to  follow.  I  will  not  attempt  to  account  for  the 
discrepancies.    I  have  quoted  the  opinions  relative  to  the  age  of  the 


144 


GEOLOGICAL   SURVET   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 


varioos  beds,  as  they  are  given  in  the  reports  from  which  I  have  taken 
them. 

The  next  table  will  include  the  coal  strata  of  Bear  Biver,  Coalville, 
and  Evanston,  to  which  Dr.  Hajden  (Beport  (J.  S.  GeoL  Sarvey, 
ISer-'eS-'GO,  p.  192)  gave  the  name  of  Bear  Biver  group. 

Bear  River  group. 


Locality. 


Coalville,  Utah  Ter- 
ritory, and  Snlphor 
Creek. 

Jtmr  Hirer  City. 
EraDatoo,  and 
Coalville. 


Bear  River. 


Coalville  and  Weber 
Valley. 


Coalville,  Bear  Iliver. 
and  Solphnr  Creek. 


DeecriptioD  of  strata. 


SandBtones  and  clays 


Coalville    aod  Bear 

River. 
CoalviUe 


Evanston  coal 


CoalviUe  uid 
River. 


Bear 


Snlphor  Creek,  near 
£ear  Kiver  and 
Coalville. 


Upper  beds  on 
pnar  Creek. 


Sni- 


Coalville  and  Bear 
Rivor. 

CoaM>e<lfl  of  C  o  a  1  - 
villo,  Utah  Terri- 
tory. 

Evanston 

CoalviUe  and  Bear 
River. 


Evanaton 


Alternations  of  gray 
ami  yellowish  sand- 
stones and  sandy 
shales,  with  black, 
bluish,  and  reddish 
clays  and  beds  of 
coal. 

Thin  seams  and  lay- 
ers of  dark  carbon- 
accoas  s  h  a  1 o  s , 
with  harder  thin 
bands  of  various 
colored,  argillace- 
o  n  s ,  arenaceous, 
and  calc  a  r  e  o  n  s 
matter,  inclodin^ 
a  very  few  thin 
streaks  of  coal. 


Age. 


Cretaceous. 


Lower  Tertiary, 
possibly  parallel 
with  the  older 
beds  of  the  Great 
Lignitic  Gronp. 

Tertiary?  or  Cre- 
taceonst 

Upper  Cretaoeons 
(So.  5),  or  Tran- 
sitional from  Cre- 
taceous to  Terti- 
ary. 

Above  Cretaoeons, 
No.  5,  Upper  Cre- 
taceous. 

Some  foesils  Creta- 
ceous and  some 
Eoc  ne  Tertiary. 

Cretaneons 


Authority. 


Eneelmann  and 
Meek. 


Hayden 


Cretaceous 

Fossils  Cretaceous 


Eocene 


do . 

...do 

Meek 

. . .  .do 

...do 


Clarence  King 
Meek 


Lesqaerenx 


Cretaoeons. 


Cretaceous 

Lower  beds  Creta- 
ceous, upper  beds 
Lower  Loceue  f 


Lower  Eocene  or 
Upper  Creta- 
ceonsf 


Cretaceous. 


Probably  equiva- 
lent to  Evanston 
coal. 

Upper  Eocene 

Cretaceous 

American   Lower 

Eocene. 
American   Upper 

Eocene  or  Lower 

Miocene. 
Cretaceous 


Hayden. 


Meek  . 
do 


...do 


Bannister. . . 
Lesquereux 

...do 

Hayden 


Lesquereux 
....do 


Reference. 


Prooeedinfff  Acad- 
emv  Nat.  ScieDce^ 
PhtladA,  April, 
1860,  p.  130. 

Roport  of  U.  S. 
Geol.  Survey  for 
18n7-'0»-'O,  pp. 
191, 19S. 

Report   U.  S  GeoL 

Survey,    1870,    p 

167. 
Report  U.  S.   G««l. 

Survey,    1870,  pp. 

1^,  I6d. 


Report  U.  8.  GeoL 
Survey,  1870,  p. 
291. 

Do.,  S96-4»9. 


U.  S.  GeoL  Exptora- 
tion  of  Fortieth 
ParaUel,  voL  iii, 
1870,  pp.  464,465. 

Do.,  p.  458. 

Report  U.   S.  GeoL 

Survey,  1871,  p 

376. 
Report  U.  S.  GtoL 

Survey,  1871,p. 

306. 
Also,    Snpplemeat 

to    Fifth   Annual 

Report  U.  8.  GeoL 

Survey,  1871. 
Report  U.   &  GeoL 

Sur\*ey,  18T8,  p.  14- 
Do.,  p.  437. 
Do.,  p.  450. 


Do.,  p.  454. 


Do.,  p.  534. 
Do.,  p.  339. 


Cope. 


Do.,  pp.  410-417. 
Raport  U.  &  GeoL 
Survev,  1873,  p.  87. 
Do.,  p.  366. 


Do. 


Do.,  pp.  439-44S. 


n^^]  GEOLOGY — BEAR  RIVER  GROUP — BITTER  CREEK  SERIES.  145 

Bear  River  group-^Gontinued. 


Loeality. 

Descriptioaof  stratik 

Age. 

Authority. 

Reference. 

Sranston  cool 

Referred  provis* 
ioDnlly  to  Fort; 
Union  (Creta- 
ceous No.  6). 

Ilalf  Eocene  and 
half  Miocene. 

CoDe 

Do.,  p.  441. 
American      Jonmol 

Evanstoa 

Leaquerenx  . . 

• 

of   Scionoes    and 
Arte,     vol.     vii, 
Jane,  1874. 

It  seems  to  be  pretty  well  established  that  the  lower  portion  of  the 
coal-beds  at  Coalville  and  Bear  Biver  belong  to  the  upper  part  of  the 
Cretaceoas  formation.  In  this  place  it  is  proper  to  reter  to  the  Judith 
River  beds  which  Dr.  Hayden  (Report  for  1867-'68-'69,  p.  50)  placed 
below  the  Fort  Union  group.  Professor  Meek  (Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Sur- 
vey for  1862,  p.  460)  says,  "That  the  Judith  River  beds  may  be  Creta- 
ceous, I  am,  in  the  light  of  all  now  known  of  the  geology  of  this  great 
internal  region  of  the  continent,  rather  inclined  to  believe."  In  an 
article  on  some  fossils  from  near  the  eastern  base  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, Colorado  (Bulletin  U.  S.  Geol.  and  Geograph.  Survey,  second 
series.  No.  1,  pp.  40, 41 ),  he  refers  the  Judith  Biver  beds  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  Cretaceous.  He  says, "  Whether  they  may,''  '*  in  the  Upi)er  Missouri 
country,  be  distinct  enough  from  the  Fox  Hills  group  to  form  a  sixth 
8ab<livisiou  of  the  Cretaceous  series,  holding  a  position  just  above  the 
latter,  or  whether  they  ought  rather  to  be  regarded  as  merely  an  upper 
member  of  the  Fox  Hills  group,  may  admit  of  some  doubt  in  the  present 
state  of  our  knowledge;  though  I  strongly  incline  to  the  latter  opin- 
ion. It  is  true,  however,  that  they  might  really  be  properly  distinct,  as 
a  subdivision  of  the  Cretaceous,  from  the  Fox  Hills  group,  and  still  be 
so  intimately  related  to  the  latter  that  some  of  their  characteristic 
species  of  fossils  might  range  down  into  the  same  at  the  Colorado  locali- 
ties (just  as  some  of  the  Fox  Hills  types  also  occur  in  the  Fort  Pierre 
group  below,  at  many  localities),  without  necessarily  proving  that  these 
two  subdivisions  should  not  be  treated  as  distinct  rocks." 

Whether  or  not  the  coal  strata  at  Evanston  are  equivalent  to  the 
coal  strata  of  Coalville  cannot  yet  be  positively  stated.  The  considera- 
tion of  these  beds  belongs  pro|>erly  to  the  latter  part  of  the  preceding 
chapter,  but  as  their  age  was  for  some  time  a  matter  of  doubt,  I  have 
tbonght  it  best  to  take  them  up  here. 

In  the  next  table  I  present  the  beds  of  the  Bitter  Creek  series.  Dr. 
Hayden  has  considered  them  Eocene  or  Transitional.  Prof.  E.  D.  Cope 
called  them  Bitter  Creek  (Cretaceous),  (Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  1873, 
p.  435). 

Bitter  Creek  series. 


Locality. 


Bitter  Creek  VaUey 
HaUviUe. 


Hallville.  Black 

Bitttes  Station,  and 

Point  of  Rocka. 

HallTille  coal  mioea. , 

Medidne  Bow 


Deacription  of  strata. 


10  H 


Dark  clays,  sand- 
stones, slates,  and 
coal-beds. 


Ago. 


Lower  Eocene  or 
Transitional, 
from  Cretaceoas 
tu  Tertiary,  in 
part,  at  le:iat. 

Eoconu  or  Tran- 
sitional. 

Fossils  Eocene ... 
Lower  Miocene  . . . 


Antbority. 


Hayden — 

do 

Meek 

Lesquerenx 


Reference. 


Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Sarvey,  1870,  pp. 
75, 76. 


Do.,  pp.  IH 165. 


Do.,  p.  89& 

Report   U.  8.  Geol. 
SarveyJ871,pL304 


146 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 


Bitter  Creek  series — GootiDned. 


Locality. 

DoHcription  of  strata. 

Ago. 

Authority. 

Keforcnca. 

PoiDtof  Rocks 

Fossils    above    a 

Meek 

Do.,  p.  335. 

Supplement  to  Fifth 
Annual  Report 
1871,  V.  &  GeoL 
Survey. 

Report  U.  S.  Gcol. 
Surrey,  lo72,  pp. 
455-459. 

Do.,  p.  4GI. 

Do.,  p.  532. 

Do.,  pp.  410-417. 
Report    r.   S.  Oeol. 
Survey,  ISTJ,  p.  306^ 

Do. 

Point  of  Rocks,  Black 

• 

Soft,    light -yellow- 
ish, lead-gray,  and 
whitiah  sand- 
stones, with  McamR 
and  beds  of  vari- 
ous-colored clays, 
shale,  and  coaL 

co<il-bed,  Creta- 
ceous. 
Lower  Miocene  . . . 

Tertiary.... 

Lraquereux . . . 
Meek 

Bnttos,     Rock 
BpiingR,  and  Hall- 

Aside    from    the 
Dino»aurian 
the  organic  re- 
nin inn  favor  the 
couclnsion  that 
it  (Bitter  Creek 
series)    is    Ter- 
tiary. 

Same   see   as   at 

...do 

Point  of  Rocks  coal- 

'RA.nnlaiflrr 

beds. 
Black  Battes 

Hallvillot            1 
Lower  Rocene '  T.Ai«nni>rftM  _ 

Black    1  nttes,   Hall- 

American  Lower 

. ...do 

ville,  and  Rock 
Spring. 
Point  of  Rocks,  Rock 

Eocene. 
Middle  Mioeene.   , 

....do 

Creek,  and   Medi- 
cine Bow. 
Black    Bnttes.    and, 

Alternating  beda  of 
hard  and  soft  siind- 
stonoA,  with  argil- 
laceous  and    car- 
bonaceoos  strata. 

Cretaceous %.. 

American   Lower 
Eocene. 

• 

Cope 

Do.,  pp.  434. 435-439. 
American  Jonma]  of 

urcstward.    Rook 
Spring,    Point    of 
Bocks. 

Lo'^v'er     Lignite     of 
Black  BdIU«. 

Lesqnereux... 

, 

ScienccH  and  Arts, 
vol.  vii,  Juno.  Itfll. 

WaskaMe  group. 


Locality. 


Between  Creston  and 
Bitter  Creek. 

Between  La  Clede, 
Bari-clSDriiigs.  and 
at  Barrel  Springs. 


Above  coal-beds  near 
Black  Bnttes. 

Beds  above  coal-beds, 
west  of  Separation 
and  extending  to 
the  high  hills  of 
Bridger  Pass,  from 
the  Seminole  and 
Sweetwater  ranges. 

At  Separation,  and 
westward  from 
Separation  above 
coal-beds. 

Barrel  Springs 


Description  of  strata. 


Fresh-water  beds 
with  some  seams  of 
impure  lignite. 

Laminated    chalky 
clays ;  somber,  hanl, 
1  ndnrated,  rusty, 
arenaceous  clays. 

Indurated  arenace- 
ous clays. 


Age. 


Authority. 


Middle  Tertiary. 


Upper  part  may  be 
an  extension  of 
the  Bridger 
group  or  synchi-o- 
nous  with  it. 

Middle  Tertiary  .. 

Washakie  group.. 


Separation  to  Bitter 
Creek. 


Miocene 


Fossils  Miocene. 
Fossil     plants, 
Upper  Miocene. 
Fossil     plants, 
(Washakie  group,) 
Lower  Miocene. 
Upper  Eocene 


Hay  den. 


.do 

.do 
.do 


Tertiary 

Upper  Tertiary . . . 

Middle  Miocene  . . 


...do 

Meek 

Lc»qucrenx 

do 

....do 

Meek 

Bannister.. 

Lesquereux 


Reference. 


Report   U.  S.  Gwl. 

Survey,      lJiC7-'t»- 

'l.'J,  p.  *1V0. 
Report    U.  S.  Geol. 

Survey,  IdTO,  p.  73. 


Do.,  p.  71. 
Do.,  p.  138. 


Do ,  p.l64. 


Do.,  pp.  S96, 909. 
Report   U.  S.  Geoi. 
Survey,  1871,  p.  306. 
Do. 


Report  0.  S.  Ged. 

Survey,    1872,  pp. 

410-417. 
Do.,  p.  457. 
Do.,  p.  5S5. 

U.   S.  Geol.  SorrtJ 
Reports,  1673,  PL  306- 


muLl      GEOLOGY ^WASHAKIE   AND    GREEN   RIVER    GROUPS. 


147 


As  we  have  already  seen,  Cope  conaidera  the  Bitter  Creek  sericH  Cre- 
taceoas.  In  a  letter  to  me  be  says,  "  1.  have  never  seen  any  certain 
correlation  of  the  Bitter  Creek  with  the  other  lignite  beds,  so  I  call  it 
No.  6,  with  a  question,  although  it  may  be  a  No.  7."  Of  the  Washaide 
group  he  says,  *'  1  have  never  studied  the  Washakie  group,  and  do  not 
know  where  it  comes  in.''  Prof.F.  B.  Meek  (Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey, 
1872,  p.  457)  says,  *'  In  the  latter  (Washakie  group),  so  far  as  our  pres- 
ent knowledge  extends,  only  fresh- water  and  land  types  of  fossils  have 
yet  been  found,  and  we  have  always  regarded  it  as  being  of  Tertiary 
a^e.  Exactly  where  the  one  ends  and  the  other  begins  we  did  not  see." 
*'  Between  Black  Butte  and  Bitter  Creek  stations  (separated  by  a  distance 
of  only  six  miles  by  a  right  line  east  and  west)  we  observed  no  marked 
change  of  lithological  characters,  from  the  Bitter  Creek  series  to  the 
Washakie  group,  while  the  two  series  seemed  to  be  conformable  in  dip." 

Dr.  Hayden  (Report  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  1867-'68-'69,  p.  190) 
says,  "  From  Creston  to  Bitter  Creek  there  is  a  series  of  purely  fresh- 
water beds,  with  some  beds  of  impure  lignite,  with  vast  quantities 
of  fossils  belonging  to  the  genera  Unto,  Melania,  Vivipruj  Helix,  &c. 
This  group  I  regard  as  Middle  Tertiary,  and  the  strata  are  very  nearly 
horizontal.  I  have  regarded  these  beds  as  separated  from  the  Lower 
Tertifir^^  or  true  Lignite  group,  and  have  designated  them  by  the  name 
of  the  "Washakie  group."  The  Washakie  group,  therefore,  lies  above 
the  Bitter  Creek  series. 

Wahsatch  group. 


Locality. 

Description  of  stratA. 

Age. 

Authority. 

Reference. 

1 

Wevtof  Fort  Bridger . .  Vflripcrated    s  a  n  d  a 

Tertiary 

Hayden  

Report  U.  8.  Geol. 
Survey,  1867-'6d-C9, 

and     clays,    some 

shade  of  red  pre- 

p. 19L. 

dominating  ;     very 

little   calcareous 

matter. 

Went  of  Carter  Sta- 

Rod, indurated.  are- 

Beneath  the  Bridg- 

....do 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Sorvov,    1870,    pp. 

tion,   and    from      niiceoiis  clays,  with 

er     gronp,    and 

Bridj^er  Station  to  '    beds  of  graviab  aod 

probably    s  y  n  ■ 

147,  148. 

Atpen.                    1    rrddish-frniy  sand- 

chronous  with 

'    atone    altomatine. 

the  Green  River 

Pinkish  and  parp- 

group. 

linh  clays  aro  the 

dominant  features. 

Head  of  Echo  Canon .  Reddinh  and  purplisli 

Miocene 

. . ..do  ......... 

Do.,  p.  155. 

indurated    sands 

and  clava 

"om  Carter  Station  ,  Variegate<l  clays. 

Below     Bridger 

-••dp ^ 

Do.,  p.  168. 

to  the   middle  of,    sands,    and    aand- 

group. 

Echo  Ca&on.            1    atones. 

On  paleontological 
gronnds.  synchro- 

CODB ..••.••... 

Report  TT.  8.  Geol. 
Survey,  1873,  p.  441. 
Also,    Proceediuga 

nous  with  Green 

River  epoch  (Eo- 

Acad.    Nat.    Sci., 

cene). 

Phil.,  1878,  p.  279. 

Oreen  River  gr(yi(p. 


Locality. 


Boat  of  Rock  spring, 
and  in  Green  River 
Valley  (Green  Riv- 
er  shales). 

«e»r  Fort  Stam- 
haogh,  Sweetwater 
Vtlley,Black'sFork 
ofGroen  River,  Big 
Budy,  and  near 
Otanger  Station. 


Description  of  strata. 


Thinly  laminated 
chalky*  slates. 


Reddish  or  India- 
ocber  days,  with 
leaden  bands,  yel- 
low marls,  and 
rusty  drab  lime- 
stones. 


Age. 


Middle 
above 
group. 


Tertiary, 
Washakie 


Lower  Miocene. 


Authority. 


Hayden 


.do 


Reference. 


Report  U.  S  G'ol. 
Survey,  1867-'lte-'t9, 
pp.  190. 101. 

Report  U.  S.  GeoU 
Survey,  18*0,  pp. 
30,40. 


148 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEREITOBIES. 


Oreen  River  group — Continued. 


Locality. 


Lower  part  of  Bridff- 
er*s  Butte,  and  oth* 
er  localities  near 
Fort  Bridger. 

Ho  Dry*  8  Fork  of 
Green  River. 

Green  Ki  ver.  between 
Bonry'H  Fork  and 
Black's  Fork. 

Green  Biver  beds 


Gi%en  Biver 


East  of  Book  Spring. . 


Gi^^zzly  BntteSt  Hen- 
ry's Fork. 


Green  Biver  Basin. 
Green  Biver 


Description  of  strata. 


Limestones  and 
marls. 


Light,  ash-Golored 
Mds,  succeeded  by 
brilliant  colored 
strata. 


Shales,  marls,  and 
harder  calcareous 
strata. 


Age.* 


(Green  Biver  beds) 


Lower  Miocene.. 
Middle  Tertiary. 


(Older  than  Hsy- 
don  made  them). 
Eocene. 

Upper  Miocene 


Probably  eqaiva- 
lent  of  the  £ooeue 
Tertiary. 

Miocene 


Eocene. 


Lower  Miocene  or 
Eocene. 


Eocene 

Upper  Miocene. 

Upper  Miocene. 


Lower  Eocene. 


Authority. 


Hay  den. 


.do 

.do 


Newberry. . 
Lesqaerenx 


Lcidy 

Lesqaerenx 
Cope 


Marsh 


....do 

Lesqaerenx 

. ...do  ...... 


Comstock 


Beferenee. 


Do.,  pp.  55,  56. 

Do.,  pp.  58, 59. 
Do.,  pp.  69,  70. 

Do.,  p.  143. 


Supplement  to  Sth 
Annual  Report 
([871). 

Beport  U.  S.  Oeol 
Survey,  1871,  p  353. 

Beport   U.  S.  Geol. 

Survey,    187-2,   pp 

410-417. 
Beport  U.  S.  GeoL 

Survey,  1873,  p  436. 


American  Jonrnal 
Science  and  Arts, 
vol.  iv,  1872,p.S56. 

Do.,  p.  it99. 

Beport  U.  3.  (5eoL 
Survey,  1873,  p.  366. 

Amer.  Jour.  Science 
and  Arts,  voL  iii, 
June,  1874. 

Bept.  of  Beconnais- 
sanoe  of  Yellow- 
stone Biver  sod 
N.  W.  Wyoming, 
under  CapL  Jones, 
1675,  p.  1)23. 


The  Wahsatch  group  and  the  Green  River  group  occupy  two  distinct 
basins,  but  are  considered  synchronous  by  Dr.  Hayden  aud  Prof.  E.  D. 
Cope.  (See  tables  of  Green  Kiver  and  Wahsatch  groups).  I  shall  refer 
to  these  groups  in  another  portion  of  this  chapter. 

The  position  of  the  Wind  River  group,  given  in  the  next  table,  is  by 
no  means  certain.  It  may  be  equivalent  to  the  Green  River  formation, 
as  it  seems  to  be  above  the  Lignitic  group,  or  it  may  represent  the 
Bridger  group.  * 

Wind  Biver  group. 


LooaUty. 

Description  of  strata. 

Age. 

Authority. 

Beferenee. 

Wind  Biver  Valley 
and  west  of  Wind 
Biver  Mountains. 

Between  Wind  Biver 

Light  fsnky  and  ash- 
colored  sandstones, 
with  more  or  less 
argillaceous  layers. 

Yellowish  and  lij^ht. 
more  or  less  sandv 
marls,    with    pinlc 
bands,  alternations 
of  sandstones  and 
olays. 

(Beneath  White 
Biver  group). 

0) 

(t) 
Above   Lignitic 
group  and  under 
White  Biver 
group. 

Hayden 

....do 

....do 

Exploration  of  Yel- 
lowstone and  Mis- 
souri Bivers,  onder 
Capt  W.  F.  Ray- 
nolds.  1859--60. 
Geol.  Beport  F.  V. 
Hayden,  p.  89. 

Do.,  p.  79. 

Beport  U.  S.  GeoL 
Sarvey,l867-'68-*e», 
p.  57. 

and   DiK   Horn 
Mountains. 

t 

mutl  GEOLOGY — ^WIND   BIVEB   AND   BfilDGEB   GROUPS. 


149 


Wind  River  group — Continaed. 


Loedity. 

DescriptioD  ot  strata. 

Age. 

Authority. 

Reference. 

Sweet  Water  Valley 
aod    Wind    Kiver 

Brown    indorated 

(?) 

Hayden 

Report  U.  S.  GeoL 
Survey,  1870,  p.  'Si. 

sands,  with  seams 

(Wind     River 

Moontains. 

of  imparo  lignite  or 
curbonaceons  clay, 
with    layers    ol 
cosrse  sandstones. 

group). 

Between  Wind  River 

Marls  are  frequently 

Resembles  the 

Comstook 

Report  of  Geological 

and  Owl  Creek. 

variegated,   i.   e.. 

Bridger  rather 

ReconnaissaDCe  o  f 

bands  of  a  bright 
red  or  pinkish  color 

than    the   Green 

Yellowstone  River 

River  beds. 

and  l^orth western 

are  associated  with 

Wyoming,  under 
Captain  Jones,  1875, 

the  blue-greenish 

and   ]ightKX>lored 

pp.  1)28,  139. 

beds. 

Bridger  group. 


Locality. 


West  of  Bryan  and 
at  Church  Buttes. 


Capping  the  Green 
Kirer  beds  in  places 
between  Big  Bandy 
and  Black's  Fork  of 
Green  River. 

Between  Fort  Bridg- 
er and  tbe  Uintah 
Mountains. 

Bridger's  Butte,  near 
Fort  Bridger.  and 
divide  between 
Huiith's  Fork  and 
Henry's  Fork  ol 
Green  River. 

Between  Smith's  and 
Henry's  Forks  of 
Green  River  and  in 
Green  River  Valley. 


Cborcb  Buttea 


Echo  and 
Vall^a. 


Weber 


Near   South    Bitter 
Creek  at  La  C16(le. 


Henij's   Fork    and 
Mnddy  Creek. 


Description  of  strata. 


Fine  sands  md  sand- 
stones, mostly  in- 
durated, sometimes 
forming  compact 
beds,  but  usually 
weathering  into 
castellated  and 
ddlnc-like  forms, 
like  the  Bad  Lands 
of  White  River. 

Leaden-gray  indu- 
rated arenaceous 
clays. 


Somber-brown  indu- 
rated arenaceous 
days,  gray  and 
rusty-brown  sund- 
atones ;  leaden- 
brown  clays. 

Indorated  clays ;  in- 
tercalated with 
the  clays  afe  beds 
of  rusty -brown  and 
gra>  sandstoneA,all 
tending  to  a  con- 
cretionary struo- 
tnro. 

Brown  indurated 
sands  and  daya. 


Conglomerates . 


Dull*colore<l  indu- 
rated clays  and 
brownish,  dull-yel- 
low, ur  gray  arena- 
ceous layers,  with 
moro  or  less  ccmcre- 
tionarv  structure. 


Age. 


Upper  Tertiary  . . . 


Above  Green  River 
group. 


Miocene. 


Bridger  group 


Above  Lower  Mio- 
cene beds. 


Middle  Tertiary, 
probably  synchro- 
nous with  White 
River  bods. 

Fossils,  Miocene  . . 

Probably  parallel 
with    Bridger 

Soup    (Upper 
iocene). 
Upper  Miocene . . . 


Authority. 


Hayden 


I  bUO  ••«•«< 


.do 


.do  .. 


.do 


Eocene. 


Upper  Miocene . 
Upper  Eocene  . 


Reference. 


Report  of  n.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1867-'6ti'-^, 
p.  191. 


Report  XJ.   S.   GeoL 
Survey,  1870,  p.  40. 


Do.,  p.  4S. 
Do.,  pp.  55, 56. 


Do.,  pp.  58,  50. 


. ...do  ...... 

Meek 

Hayden 

....do 

Cope 

Lesquereux 
Comstook . . 


Do.,  pp.  144,  145b 


Do.,  pp.  908,  f299. 
Do.,  p.  ICri. 


Do.,  p.  75. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1873,  p.  437. 

Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey,  1871,  p.  300. 

Report  of  Reconnais- 
sance of  Yellow- 
stone River  and 
Northwesti<rn 
Wyoming,  under 
Captain  Jones,  1875, 
p.  127. 


150 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 


White  River  group. 


Locality. 


On  White  River,  an- 
(lor  Loupe  River 
beds,  and  on  tbe 
Niobrara  River, 
and  acrons  to  the 
Platte  River. 


On  White  Earth 
Oeek  and  White 
River. 


In  the  valley  of  the 
Chug- Water,  on 
Horse  Cnek,  and 
on  tho  North  Platto. 

Beds  beneath  Chej'- 
eiine. 

On  the  Chnff- Water 
and  Crow  Creek. 

Along  the  North,  and 
on  La  Bont«  and 
^^orseshue  Creeks. 

Fort  Fetterman 

100  miles  northwest 
of  Fort  Laramie. 


Plains  woBt  of  Chey- 
enne. 


Description  of  strata.. 


White  and  light-drab 
clays  with  some 
beds  of  sandstone, 
and  local  layers  of 
limestone,  and 
whitish  indurated 
clays. 


Variegated  beds, 
cream -colored,  red- 
dish-brown, and 
light-gray  sands 
and  marls. 

Light<colored  marls 
and  sands. 


Drab,  yellow,  and 
light-gray  sand- 
stones, marls,  and 
days. 


Age. 


Miocene. 


Authority. 


Hayden 


.do 


White  River  Ter- 
tiary. 


.do 
.do 

.do 


do 
.do 


Miocene. 


Miocene  (f) 


Miocene. 


.do 


..do 


.do 
.do 


.do 


.do 
.do 


Leidy.. 
Hayden 


Reference. 


Cope Do.,p.461 


GeoL  Report  of  Ex- 
ploration of  Yellow- 
stone and  MissoDri 
"Rivers,  by  Dr.  F.  V. 
Hayden.  nnder 
Capt  W.  F.  Rav- 
nolds,1859-'60j».29: 
a' so  Report  U.  S. 
Gool.  Survey,  1j»7- 
'6.<-'69,  J).  57. 

Exploration  of  Yel- 
lowstone and  Mis- 
souri Rivera,  ii.  134. 


Report  U.  S.  GeoL 
Survey,  i867-'6e-'69. 
p.  80. 

Do.,  p.  110. 

Report  of  U.  S.  Geob 
Survey,  ItfiO,  pj).  13, 

Do.,  pp.  19,30,2X 


Do.,  pp.  33,  S4. 
Do.,  p.  131. 

Report  U.  Sl  GeoL 
Sarve3%1671.p.353. 

Report  U.  S.  GeoL 
Survey,  1870,  pt  17. 


The  "Monument  Creek"  and  the  "Gallisteo  Sand"  groups  deserve 
mention  here.  The  latter  has  been  referred  to  the  Miocene  bv  Dr. 
Hayden  (Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  1867-'68-'69,  pp.  139,  107,  190.)  It 
consists  of  "  variegated  sands  and  sandstones,  and  light-reddish  brick- 
red,  purplish,  yellow-white,  brown,  and  drab,  with  irregular  layers  of 
dull  rusty-brown  concretionary  arenaceous  limestones."  It  will  be  noticed 
that  this  description  resembles  those  already  given  for  the  Green  Hiver 
and  Wahsatch  groups.    ^ 

In  the  report  of  U.  8.  Geol.  Survey,  1867-'68-'69,  p.  139, 140,  Dr.  Hay- 
den points  out  the  resemblance  ol'  the  Monument  Creek  group  to  the 
Gallisteo  Sand  group,  and  to  the  beds  between  Fort  Bridger  to  Weber 
Canon  (Wahsatch  group),  and  refers  it  to  Late  Miocene  or  Pliocene. 
He  makes  the  same  reference  in  the  report  for  1870,  p.  161,  In  the 
report  for  1873,  page  33,  he  refers  it  to  Miocene.  In  Bulletin  No.  3, 
Second  series,  he  refers  it  to  the  Lignitic  group,  but  in  Bulletin  No.  4,  p. 
219,  he  corrects  this  statement.  Prof.  E.  D.  Cope  (Report  U.  S.  Geol. 
Survey  1873,  p.  430)  says:  ''The  age  of  the  Monument  Creek  formation 
in  relation  to  the  other  Tertiaries  not  having  been  definitely  determined, 
I  sought  for  vertebrate  fossils.  The  most  characteristic  one  which  I 
procured  was  the  hind  leg  and  foot  ol'  an  Artiodactyle  of  the  Oredore 
type,  which  indicated  conclusively  that  the  formation  is  newer  than  the 
Eocene.  From  the  same  neighborhood  and  stratum,  as  I  have  every 
reason  for  believing,  the  fragment  of  the  Megaceratops  coloradoensis  was 
obtained.  This  fossil  is  equally  conclusive  against  the  Pliocene  age  of 
the  formation,  so  that  it  may  be  referred  to  the  Miocene,  until  further 
discoveries  enable  us  to  be  more  exact." 

The  columns  on  the  opposite  page  are  summarized  from  the  tables  that 
have  already  been  given : 


rSALB-J 


GEOLOGY — CRETACEOUS   AND   TERTIARY   STRATA. 


151 


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152       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  TH^  TERRIT0RIE8. 

It  will  be  seen,  on  referring  to  the  column  beaded  Lesquerenx,  that 
beds  of  the  Bitter  Greek  series  are  in  part  under  Miocene,  and  in  part 
under  Eocene.  The  reason  of  this  way  be  that  the  specimens  are  from 
diHerent  horizons,  or,  if  from  the  same  horizon,  it  would  seem  to  prove 
that  there  is  a  mingling  of  forms  in  the  flora  of  Eocene  and  Miocene 
formations.  It  is  probable  that  when  more  complete  collections  are 
made,  this  will  be  found  to  be  the  case.  That  the  coal-beds  of  these 
localities,  however,  belong  to  the  same  horizon  is  evidently  the  opinion 
of  Dr.  Hayden  and  Prof.  F.  B.  Meek,  who  have  studied  the  localities 
stratigraphically.    (See  references  in  tables). 

LIGNITIC  GROUP. 

West  of  the  continental  divide  the  coal-bearing  strata  are  not  con- 
fined to  the  Lignitic  group  (as  named  east  of  the  mountains).  As  noted 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  I  found  lignite' in  the  sandstones  of  the  Dakota 
group.  In  1873  Mr.  Marvine*  found  a  '^thin  seam  of  coaP^  ^^a  few 
hundred  feet  above  the  quartzitic  sandstones  of  No.  1,"  at  the  '^Hot 
Springs"  in  Middle  Park.  During  the  season  of  1874  Mr.  Marvine 
found  coal  in  a  horizon  above  fossils  of  No.  4  and  below  those  referable 
to  No.  5.  Dr.  Endlich,  in  his  district,  recognized  three  distinct  lignitic 
layers  in  different  horizons  of  the  Cretaceous  formation.  The  coal  of 
the  Elk  Mountains  is  probably  of  the  age  of  the  Fox  Hills  group.  I 
have  already  referred  to  the  possibility  of  the  upper  part  of  the  series 
there,  in  which  the  coal  is  found,  being  a  part  of  the  Lignitic  group,  but, 
until  fossils  are  found,  I  refer  it  to  Upper  Cretaceous. 

Professor  Newberry  t  found  lignite  in  Lower  Cretaceous  and  in  Jurassic 
strata  in  Northeastern  Arizona.  In  Minnesota,  also,  coal  has  been  found 
in  Lower  Cretaceous  rocks. 

The  reason  of  the  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  age  of  the  disputed 
beds  called  lignitic  seems  to  be  that  there  are  two  sets  of  lignite-bearing 
beds  close  together,  one  belonging  to  the  horizon  of  the  Fox  Hills  be<ls 
of  the  Cretaceous  or  possibly  a  little  above  it,  and  the  other  belonging 
to  the  horizon  of  the  Fort  Union  group  (Lower  Eocene).  As  Prof.  G. 
M.  Dawson  I  says,  '*  An  observer  beginning  his  btudy  of  the  beds  ou 
their  eastern  margin,  and  proceeding  westward,  as  Dr.  Hayden  has 
done,  would  be  completely  justified  in  placing  the  whole  series,  at  least 
down  to  the  top  of  Cretaceous  No.  5,  in  the  Tertiary;  while  a  geologist 
familiar  in  the  first  instance  with  the  fossils  of  the  underlying  Cretaceous 
formations,  and  following  the  lignite  strata  eastward  from  their  appear- 
ance in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  would  in  all  probability  include  the  whole 
series  in  the  upward  extension  of  the  Cretaceous,  though  doubts  might 
begin  to  assail  him  before  he  reached  the  upper  or  most  eastern  beds.'' 

In  many  places  the  coal  of  the  upper  part  of  the  Cretaceous  appears 
to  be  absent.  When  present  the  sandstones  have  a  transitional  char- 
acter, but  this  is  also  noticed  where  coal  is  found  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  Cretaceous  formation,  and  in  the  Jurassic,  just  beneath.  Professor 
Cope  refers  the  lignite-beds  to  the  Cretaceous  formation  from  the  dis- 
covery of  the  reptilian  fauna  in  them.  He  has  described  a  Dinosaurian 
reptile  from  the  Bitter  Creek  series,§  and  also  from  the  Fort  Unioo 
group  in  Colorado.||    Professor  Meek^]  says,  ^^  Aside  from  the  Dino- 

*  Report  of  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey, 1873,  page  156. 
t  Colorado  Exploring  Expedition,  Geological  Report,  pp.  83,  85. 
t  Geological  Report  on  the  Region  in  the  Vicinity  of  the  Forty-ninth  Parallel,  p.  208. 
i  Proceedings  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  1872,  p.  482. 
II  Report  United  States  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories,  1873,  p.  444. 
H  Report  United  States  Geological  Survey,  1872,  p.  461. 


WAUL]  GEOLO&Y — ^LIONITIC   GROUP.  153 

tanrianj  tbe  organic  remaiDS  favor  the  conclusion  that  it  (Bitter  Creek 
series)  is  Tertiary."  Professor  Lesquereux,  from  the  study  of  the  tiora 
as  we  have  already  seen,  refers  tbe  beds  to  the  Eocene  period.  Cope, 
iu  his  conclusion,  (Report  United  States  Geological  Survey,  1873,  p.  447), 
says  there  is,  then,  no  alternative  but  to  accept  tbe  result  tliat  a  Tertiary 
flora  was  contemporaneous  with  a  CretDceous  fauna,  establishing  an 
QDinterrupted  succession  of  lite  across  what  is  generally  regarded  as 
one  of  the  greatest  breaks  of  geologic  time. 

I  insert  here  a  letter  from  Prof.  Theodore  Gill,  on  the  value  of  the 
I>ino8aurian  remains,  as  proof  of  the  Cretaceous  age  of  the  strata  in 
which  they  are  found: 

Smithsonian  Institution, 

Washington^  January  9, 1876. 

Dear  Sir  :  Tour  letter,  requesting  a  copy  of  my  commnnication  to  'the  meeting  of 
the  National  Academy  of  Sciences  respecting  the  values  of  fossils  as  indices  of  forma- 
tions, has  daly  come  to  hand. 

My  remarks  were  not  published  otherwise  than  in  brief  newspaper  reports.  They 
were  elicited  by  the  controversy  then  prevailing  respecting  the  age  of  the  lignite-beds 
in  which  the  Dinosaurian  remains,  to  which  you  allude,  were  found.  The  substance  of 
my  criticisms  was  that  we  should  not  be  too  much  influenced  in  our  views  as  to  the 
age  of  any  gronp  by  one  or  two  inclnding  fossils;  and  I  brought  up  a  number  of  cases 
to  show  how  mistaken  we  should  be  if  we  allowed  ourselves  to  be  too  much  influenced 
by  what  was  known  of  tbe  paleontology  of  any  limited  country.  Among  other  iu< 
8tau<res,  I  especially  alluded  to  the  fact  that  for  a  Jong  time  the  flsh,  genus  Ceratodus, 
was  regarded  an  indication  of  a  not  later  than  Triassic  age  of  any  including  forma- 
tion ;  and  showed  that  while  such  is  the  case  for  the  northern  hemisphere,  so  far  as 
yet  has  been  observed,  we  still  have  living  Ceratodi  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  not 
long  ago  discovered.  I  proceeded  then  to  show  the  close  relation  between  tbe  species 
of  this  gronp,  which  lived  in  Triassic  Europe,  and  the  species  which  live  in  modern 
Australia.  I  further  indicated  that  the  remains  of  J  gat  haumaSj  found  in  the  lignite- 
beds,  were  not  sufficiently  characteristic  to  enable  us  to  determine  the  exact  relation- 
ship of  the  genus,  and  that  it  was  apparently  not,  at  li-ast  nearly,  allied  to  any  of  the 
previously  recognized  forms  of  the  order.  The  conolnsion  was  drawn  that  inasmuch 
as  the  same  typical  structure  could  peraist  and  had  persisted,  with  shifting  geographi- 
cal relations,  through  such  lon^:  ages  as  had  Ceraiodus^  that  in  the  case  of  the  Dinwauri- 
anSf  where  the  affinities  were  less  intimate,  there  could  be  no  a  priori  reason  why  they 
might  not  have  had  a  similar  history.  It  was  in  fact  assuming  the  premises  in  dispute 
to  assert  that  because  the  remains  of  the  Dinosaurian  were  found  in  a  given  horizon 
they  most  necessarily  indicate  Mesozoio  age,  notwithstanding  the  other  associated  fos- 
sils. I  finally  urged  that  in  this  case,  where  the  evidence  was  conflicting,  we  would 
have  to  wait  for  further  proof  froni  other  quarters,  and  especially  for  the  tracing  of 
deflnite  horizons  toward,  and  co-ordination  with,  those  above  and  below  the  beds  in 
dispute. 

J  adduced  a  number  of  other  facts  bearing  on  the  subject ;  but  this  will  be  sufficient 
to  show  the  drift  of  my  argument  and  the  evidence  of  the  facts  set  forth. 

Hoping  that  this  epitome  will  answer  your  purpose,  I  remain,  yours  trnlv, 

THEO.  GILLm 

Dr.  A.  C.  Pbalb. 

Gope  also  says,*  ^<  The  appearance  of  mammalia  and  sudden  disap- 
pearance of  the  large  Mesozoic  types  of  reptiles  may  be  regarded  as 
evidence  ofmiffratian^  and  not  of  creation.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that 
tbe  smaller  type^  of  lizards  and  tortoises  continue,  like  the  crocodiles, 
from  Mesozoic  to  Tertiary  time  without  extraordinary  modification  of 
structure.  It  is  the  Dinosauria  which  disappeared  from  the  land,  driven 
oat  and  killed  by  the  more  active  and  intelligent  mammal:  herbivorous 
reptiles  like  Agatkaumus  and  Cionodon  would  have  little  chance  of  suc- 
cessful competition  with  beasts  like  the  well-armed  Bathmodon  and 
MetalophodonJ^  If  the  smaller  types  persisted,  why  not  the  larger! 
The  only  reason  he  gives  is  that  they  would  have  little  chance  of  suc- 
cessful competition  with  the  well-armed  mammals.    Why  should  this  not 

'Report  United  States  Geological  Survey,  1873,  p.  442. 


154       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEEEITORIES. 

apply  also  tx)  the  smaller  f  He  says  also  tbat  paleontology  confirms 
Haydeu's  conclusiou  that  tbere  is  no  evidence  of  any  catastrophe  suffi- 
cient to  account  for  any  sudden  and  complete  destruction  of  life.  The 
change  from  marine  waters  to  fresh  water  accounts  for  the  destrnction 
of  the  marine  invertebrate  life,  but,  as  Hay  den*  says,  "  the  vertebrates 
of  the  Lignitic  period  having  great  powers  of  locomotion,  and  being  able 
to  live  on  land  as  well  as  in  the  lakes  and  marshes  of  that  time,  and  as  we 
have  shown  that  there  was  at  no  time  any  important  catastrophe  or  phys- 
ical changes  sufficient  to  aifect  them,  could  well  have  prolonged  theirexist- 
ence  far  up  into  the  Lignitic  group,  carrying  with  them  as  an  inheritance 
their  Cretaceous  characters."  Nooneformoflifeshouldbetak^'Qasaba^is 
of  classification.  Cope's  comparative  list  of  vertebrate  species,!  under 
Colorado  and  Dakota,  includes  two  species  of  Plastomenus^  a  Teitiary 
genus,  although  in  a  foot-note  he  says  he  so  refers  them  provisionally. 
The  fauna,  therefore,  even  according  to  his  own  list,  is  not  exclusively 
Cretaceous.  Writing  to  Prof.  G.  M.  Dawson  on  some  remains  found  in 
the  lower  portion  of  the  Lignitic  formation  on  the  forty-ninth  parallel, 
he  says  :  %  "  Tbis  is  a  characteristic  collection  of  the  reptiles  of  the  Fort 
Union  Cretaceous,  but  with  increased  admixture  of  Eocene  forms.  Plas- 
tomenus  is  an  Eocene  genus,  but  the  reference  of  the  new  species  to  it  is 
not  tinal.  But  you  send  two  Eocene  gar  scales  which  have  every  ap- 
pearance of  belonging  to  the  same  formation.  Will  you  re-examine  your 
notes  to  inform  me  whether  they  really  belong  to  the  same  horizon  as 
the  others  f "  Dawson  8a>  s  :§  *'  The  gar  scales  referred  by  Professor  Co;>e 
to  the  genus  Clastes^  were  obtained  at  the  very  base  of  the  Lignitic 
formation  and  below  the  lowest  lignite-bed."  "  Dinosaurian  bones  oc- 
curred within  a  ft  w  feet  of  them." 

We  have  already  seen  that  thecoal-bearingstrata  at  Coalville  and  Bear 
River  are  undoubtedly  Cretaceous.  The  only  leason  to  be  given  for  in- 
cluding the  different  groups  in  one  formation  is  the  fact  of  the  presence 
of  coal;  and  we  might,  then, include  all  coal-bearing  strata,  whether 
Carboniferous,  Triassic,  Jurassic,  Cretaceous,  or  Tertiary,  in  the  same.  In 
this  case  the  lignitic  strata  are  very  close  together ;  and  in  fact  one  im- 
mediately succeeds  the  other.  This  is  also  the  case  at  the  base  of  the 
Cretaceous  in  some  places.  Professor  Newberry,||  referring  to  a  bed  of 
lignite  of  Jurassic  age  in  Northeastern  Arizona,  says:  ^^The  sandstone, 
shales,  and  limestone  lying  above,  also  include  many  beds  of  lignite 
closely  resembling  this,  and  on  lithological  grounds  would  appropriately 
be  grouped  with  it.  In  fact  they  have  been  considered  Jurassic,  and  the 
only  Jurassic  rocks  in  this  region,  by  the  geologist  Marcou,  who  claims 
to  have  discovered  the  representative  of  this  formation  in  New  Mexico. 
Unfortunately,  however,  for  that  classification,  immediately  over  the 
thin  stratum  of  yellow  sandstone  which  overlies  the  coal,  are  beds  of  clay 
shale,  with  bands  of  limestone  in  which  are  unmistakable  Cretaceous 
fossils."  Plants  of  the  lignite  above  were  dicotyledonous,  while  those 
found  below  ^^  are  closely  allied  to  some  of  those  most  characteristic  of 
the  Jura  and  Upper  Trias  of  Europe.'*  51  The  base  of  the  Cretaceous 
formation  is  therefore  seen  to  resemble  the  base  of  the  Tertiary.  In 
Eastern  Colorado  the  upper  part  of  the  Cretaceous  is  destitute  of  coal. 
In  fact  the  Upper  Fox  Hills  group  is  wanting  in  many  localities,  and 

*  Notes  on  the  Liguitic  groap  of  Eastern  Colorado  and  portions  of  Wyoming,  Bulle- 
tin No.  5«  second  series.  United  States  Geological  Survey  of  Territories,  p.  411. 
t  Report  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey  of  Terr.,  1873,  p.  433. 
I  Geol.  Report  Forty-ninth  Parallel,  p.  200. 
$  Ibid. 

ji  Ives's  Colorado  Expedition,  Geological  Report,  p.  83. 
in  Ives's  Colorado  Expedition,  Geological  Report,  pp.  83,  85. 


MAUL]  GEOLdbY — LIGNITIC    GROUP.  155 

sometiiues  the  Lignitic  jsrroap  rests  on  No.  4  or  No.  3  Cretaceous.*  I 
have  already  (page  145)  referred  to  the  equivaleuce  of  tbe  Judith  liiver 
bed.s  aud  some  strata  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  Kooky  Mountains,  west 
of  Greeley  and  Evans,  Colo.  The  fossils  upon  which  Professor  Meek 
predicated  this /equivalence  "came  from  the  very  upper  beds  of  well- 
defiued  marine  Cretaceous,  and  below  the  horizon  of  all  the  coal-bearing 
strata  of  the  Colorado  region."  t 

In  the  report  of  United  States  Geological  Survey  for  1872,  p.  459,  Pro- 
fessor Meek  speaksof  the  resemblanceof  some  of  the  fossils  from  the  Black 
Butte  and  Point  of  Bocks  localities,  to  some  species  found  in  the  brack- 
ish-water beds  at  the  mouth  of  the  Judith  Eiver.  They  would  seem,  • 
therefore,  to  be  equivalent  to  those  seen  east  of  the  mountains  west  of 
Greeley.  He  says  they  are  distinct  from  any  found  at  Coalville  or  Bear 
Biyer.  In  speaking  of  Black  Butte  it  must  be  remembered  that  there 
18  also  a  Black  Butte  station  at  which  the  beds  are  probably  not  of  the 
same  horizon.  Point  of  Kocks,  Hallville,  and  Bock  Spring  are  not  all 
of  the  same  horizon.  In  going  from  Table  Bock  to  Salt  Wells  (see  re- 
port of  U.  M.  Bannister,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  1872,  p.  524),  we  go  down 
through  a  iresh-water  series  to  brackish-water-  beds  and  finally  to  ma- 
rine Cretaceous  at  Salt  Wells,  which  is  in  an  anticlinal.  Speaking  of 
the  coal  horizon  of  Point  of  Bocks,  Bannister  says:}  ^'It  seems  almost 
too  low  in  geological  position  to  be  referred  to  the  horizon  of  the  Hall- 
ville beds,  although  it  may  occupy  the  same."  Meek,  in  the  report 
for  1872,  p.  458,  refers  them  to  the  same  horizon,  although  in  tbe  re- 
port for  1871  he  refers  Point  of  Bocks  to  the  Cretaceous  and  Hallville 
to  the  Eocene,  from  the  affinities  of  the  fossils. 

Until  the  stratigraphy  of  the  region  is  thoroughly  inYestigate<l  there 
mast  remain  some  little  doubt.  Professor  Meek,  in  his  table  of  fossils 
pf-the  Bitter  Creek  series,  §  evidently  considers  the  Point  of  Bocks 
locality  at  the  lower  part  of  the  series.  Professor  Meek  ||  has  identified 
some  fossils  from  two  hundred  miles  east  of  Greeley,  Colo.,  as  the  same 
that  are  found  over  one  of  the  coal-beds  at  Hallville,  Wyo.,  and  at 
Black  Butte  Station,  Utah.  He  says:  '^That  the  formation  from  which 
these  fossils  came,  however,  is  the  same  as  the  Bitter  Creek  series  of 
Wyoming,  including  the  Black  Butte  beds,  the  Hallville  coal-mines, 
Point  of  Bocks,  and  Bock  Spring  coal-mines,  &c.,  I  have  scarcely  a 
shadow  of  doubt." 

It  remains  now  to  state  the  following  conclusions: 

1.  The  lignite-bearing  beds  east  of  the  mountains  in  Colorado  are 
the  equivalent  of  the  Port  Union  group  of  the  Upper  Missouri,  and  are 
Eoceue-Tertiary ;  also,  that  the  lower  part  of  the  group,  at  least  at  the 
locality  two  hundred  miles  east  of  the  mountains,  is  the  equivalent  of 
a  part  of  tbe  lignitic  strata  of  Wyoming. 

2.  The  Judith  Biver  beds  hav«  their  equivalent  along  the  eastern 
edge  of  the  mountains  below  the  Lignite  or  Fort  Union  group,  aud 
also  in  Wyoming,  and  are  Cretaceous,  although  of  a  higher  horizon  than 
the  coal-bearing  strata  of  Coalville  and  Bear  Biver,  Utah.  They  form 
either  the  upper  part  of  the  Fox  Hills  group  (No.  6)  or  a  group  to  be 
called  No.  6. 

3.  That  the  upper  part  of  the  Fox  Hills  group  is  wanting  in  many 
parts  of  Eastern  Colorado,  and  when  present  seems  to  be  thin  and  des- 
titute of  coal. 

*  Hayden  Bulletin  No.  5,  2d  series,  U.  S.  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories,  p.  404. 

t  Bulletin  No.  1,  2d  series,  U.  S.  Oeolof^ical  Survey,  p.  40.  \  | 

t  Report  U.  8.  Qeological  Survey,  p.  532. 

fU.  S.  Geological  Survey,  p.  477. 

IBuUetin  Nu.  1,  2d  series,  p.  42. 


15^ 


GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OP   THE   TERRITORIES. 
TERTIARY  BETWEEN   GRAND   AND   GUNNISON   RIVERS. 


The  only  portion  of  the  district  in  which  Tertiary  rocks  are  seen  is 
in  the  region  between  its  two  main  streams,  i  have  no  absolate  proof 
that  the  Lignitic  group  is  present.  At  all  the  localities  I  visited,  the 
intermediate  beds  from  the  upper  part  of  the  Fox  Hills  beds  to  the 
red  sandstone  bed  that  I  took  as  the  base  of  the  Green  River  and 
Bridger  series  were  covered.  The  Lignitic  group  may  include  a  portion 
of  the  beds  above  and  a  part  beneath,  it  is  impossible  to  define  any 
line  of  separation.  Although  I  could  see  no  unconformability  between 
the  Cretaceous  and  overlying  Tertiaries,  it  is  probable  that  in  other 
places  evidences  will  be  found,  especially  on  the  edges  of  the  Tertiary 
basin.  In  a  conglomeritic  sandstone  on  Plateau  Greek  I  found  an 
inner  convolution  of  a  8caphite»  It  was  a  pebble,  and  proves  that  the 
layer  in  which  it  ^¥as  found,  is  of  Post-Cretaceous  age,  its  materials  com- 
ing from  the  disintegration  of  Cretaceous  rock  which  were  above  water- 
level  when  the  stratum  was  deposited. 

GREEN  RIVER  AND  BRIDGER  GROUPS. 

I  shall  use  the  name  Oreen  Kiver  group  to  include  also  the  Wahsatch 
group  of  Hayden.  Cope  restricts  the  name  to  the  Green  Eiver  shales. 
Whether  We  call  them  Eocene  or  Miocene  depends  upon  the  view  we 
take  of  the  beds  below.  The  vertebrate  palentologists  consider  them 
Eoaene,  while  all  who  hold  to  the  Tertiary  age  of  the  Lignitic  group 
place  them  in  the  Miocene. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  the  greater  portion  of  the  Tertiary  beds 
exposed  in  the  district  is  referable  to  the  Green  Elver  and  Bridger 
groups.  These  strata  are  seen  between  the  Grand  and  Gunnison  riveis, 
west  of  Roaring  Fork,  and  are  almost  horizontal,  dipping  slightly  to  the 
eastward  beneath  the  basaltic-capped  plateaus,  which  are  fully  described 
in  other  portions  of  the  report.    The  area  is  shown  on  map  E. 

The  characters  of  the  included  rocks  will  be  given  as  we  proceed. 
The  best  exposures  are  seen  on  Plateau  Creek,  a  branch  of  the  Grand 
Kiver,  which  joins  it  some  distance  above  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison, 
after  cutting  deeply  into  the  strata.  The  following  section  will  give  the 
best  idea  of  the  succession  of  the  strata  on  Plateau  Creek. 

No.  19. — Section  of  Tertiary  Beds. — Plateau  Creek. 

TblckneM 
BaM.  Ft  la 

1.  Red  sandstone 

2.  Yellow  and  white  sandstones 

3.  Red  sandstone,  30  feet 

4.  Varief;atcd  red,  yellow,  and  bluish  marlSi  sandstones,  and  clays. 

5.  Bluish  and  black  argillaceous  beds « 

6.  Yellow  sandstone 

7.  Black  argillaceous  beds 

8.  Brownish  red  sandstone ^2,000    0 

9.  Soft  greenish  argillaceous  shales 

10.  Green  sandstone  shales 

11.  Black  argillaceous  shales 

12.  Massive  sandstones  in  pinkish-white   and  yellowish-gray  layers, 

with  ir.terlaminated  greenish  shales.    Some  of  the  layers  are  ^250 
conglomeritic 

13.  Dark  greenish  sbaly  sandstone 

14.  Series  of  soft  variegated  beds,  yellow,  reddish,  and  black,  much  like  those 

given  iu  lower  part  of  this  section.  They  are  generally  concealed,  but 
where  exposed  the  dSbris,  from  the  sofrness  of  the  strata,  makes  it 
almost  impossible  to  get  the  section  in  detail.    Thickness  about 740-  Q 


>25( 


PUUL)  GEOLOGY — SECTION   OP   TERTIARY   STRATA.  157 

Thicknees. 
Base.  Ft.  lu. 

15.  Space  probably  filled  with  soft  yellowish  sandstones  and  interlaminated 

red  and  green  shales  and  marls,  a  continuation  upward  of  No.  14 170  0 

16.  Soft.  f2;rayi8h-wbite  sandstone 46  0 

17.  Red  and  greenish  shales ..»  23  0 

lb.  Gray  sandstone. 3  0 

19.  Greeuish-gray  sandstone B    3 

20.  Red  shales,  passing  up  into  green 3    6 

21.  Yellow  sandstone,  covered  near  the  top,  having  in  all  probability  interlami- 

nated shales 75    0 

22.  Yellow  sandstone 48    0 

23.  Red  and  greenish-gray  shales,  probably  calcareous,  especially  in  the  red 

layers.  At  the  top  the  layers  weather  into  rounded  masses  looking  like 
concretions ;  the  lower  beds  are  covered  with  dSbris,  The  red  layers  are 
from  one  foot  to  2  feet  in  thickness,  while  the  green  are  from  IH  inches 
to  2^  feet.  They  are  rather  irregular,  however,  the  colors  fading  out  in 
places 45    0 

24.  Massive,  coarse-grained  vellow  sandstone,  with  angular  fracture  breaking 

into  large  square  blocks 90    0 

25.  Greenish  argillaceous  and  sandy  shales  in  laminte  of  an  inch  or  less  thick- 

ness   22  0 

26.  Massive  yellow  sandstone  like  that  of  No.  24  ..^ 11  0 

27.  Shales  like  those  of  No.  25 24  0 

28.  White,  red,  and  yellow  sandy  argillaceous  and  gypsiferous  beds 38  4 

29.  Yellow  sandstone  resembling  that  of  No.  24  and  No.  26,  except  that  it  is 

not  quite  so  massive,  and  is  gypsiferous 5    0 

30.  Yellow  sandstone,  couglomeritic  at  base,  then  shaly,  and  finally  massive..       14    0 

31.  Argillaceous  and  sandy  shales,  greenish,  and  in  fine  laminte  below,  becoming 

reddish  above 3    0 

32.  Massive  yellow  sandstone 6    0 

33.  Micaceous  sandstones  and  shales,  with  a  band  of  massive  sandstone,  20  feet 

thick,  in  the  center.  The  shaly  layers  are  fossiliferous,  containing  frag- 
ments of  bones 100    0 

34.  Red  and  greenish  sandstone,  weathering  into  rounded  masses 10    0 

35.  Green  and  red  sandstone  shales  with  intermediate  bauds  of  sandstone 46    0 

36.  Red  and  yellow  mottled,  rather  massive,  sandstone,  weathering  in  rounded 

masses 5  0 

37.  Hard  dark-greenish  sandstone ?  oq  q 

38.  Red  irregular  sandstone ) 

39.  Soft  shaly  sandstones  with  fragments  of  hones 13  2 

40.  Massive  sandstones 9  10 

41.  Shaly  sandstones  with  fragments  of  &one« 57  0 

42.  Yellow  sandstones  with  bones  imbedded 9  0 

43.  Yellow  sandstones,  somewhat  shaly  below  but  becoming  more  massive 

toward  the  top,  especially  in  the  upper  five  feet 34    6 

44.  Argillaceous  and  sandy  shales  with  fragments  of  bones 3    0 

45.  Greenish  and  reddish  sandstones,  somewhat  argillaceous,  weathering  in 

bowlder-like  masses 12  0 

46.  Massive  sandstones 12  0 

47.  Greenish  sandstone,  like  No.  45 10  0 

48.  Miissi ve  yellow  sandstone 50  0 

49.  Greenish  and  yellow  shaly  sandstones,  with  fragments  of  hones 150  0 

50.  Massive  yellow  sandstones,  with  imbedded  bones,  especially  abundant  in 

thelower  part 10    0 

51.  Coarse,  soft,  gray,  shaly  sandstones 50    0 

56.  Massive  yellow  sandstone 6    0 

53.  Greenish-gray  sandstones,  mostly  laminated,  some  of  the  layers  having 

mud-markson  thesurfaces 100    0 

54.  Coarse  yellow  sandstones  in  massive  layers }      75    0 

55.  Soft  gray  sandstones  with  numerous  fragments  of  hones > 

56.  Soft  and  hard  gray  sandstones  with  interlaminated  shales,  calcareous  and 

argillaceous,  reaching  from  the  top  of  layer  No.  55  to  the  base  of  the 

whit-e  bloflfs  below  station  50.    The  total  thickness  is  about 1, 600    0 

67.  Alternations  of  dark-gray  indurated  clay  beds,  weathering  white,  and  are- 
naceous layers  reaching  to  the  summit  of  station  No.  50.  Many  of  these 
layers  are  probably  calcareous.  Gypsum  does  not  seem  to  be  as  abun- 
dant as  In  the  lower  layers  of  the  section.     I  did  not  have  time  to  make 

a  detailed  section.    The  total  thickness  is  about 1,000    0 

Top.  

Total  thioknesB .6,767    7 


158 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 


This  section  does  not  give  the  total  thickness  of  the  beds,  as  it  only 
reaches  to  the  summit  of  station  50.  The  summit  of  the  plateaa 
beneath  station  48  has  about  800  or  900  feet  more  of  beds  similar  to 
those  given  in  the  section  above,  under  Ko.  57.  Even  this  thickness, 
about  7,670  feet  in  all,  may  not  represent  the  entire  original  thickness, 
for  we  cannot  at  presents  tell  the  exact  amount  of  erosion  preceding  the 
pouring  out  of  the  basaltic  covering  of  the  two  plateaus. 

The  following  section  is  summarized  from  Professor  Cope's  report 
in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  for  1873, 
pp.  436, 437. 

Wahsatch  formation '{Oreen  River  group). 

Thiokneis 
in  feet 

1.  Asb-colored  banks,  ^ith  bones  of  a  mammal  allied  to  tbe  Bridger  Hyapsodm^ 
or  Hyracotherium  of  the  Eocene  of  Europe  and  a  number  of  Palvdina-Mke 
shells,  followed  by  light  ash-colored  beds  exposed  in  banks,  with  bones  of 
Green  River  vertebrata.     Near  the  top  is  a  thin  bed  of  lignite 140 

3.  White  bluffs,  terminating  in  a  high  escarpment i 

3.  Thin  bed  of  buff  clay  and  sand-rock,  with  numerous  shells  and  scattered  >         100 

teeth  and  scales  of  fishes .' i S 

4.  White  bluffs..... 100 

5.  Brilliantly  colored  strata  extending  in  horizontal  bands.    Ihey  are  brilliant 

cherry  red,  white,  true  purple,  with  a  bloom  shade,  yellow,  and  pea-green. 
The  lower  portions  are  bright  red  and  contain  remains  of  Emys  euthnetuSj 
Cope,  and  some  borings  of  a  worm 400-f>00 

6.  Muddy-yellow  clays  and  slate-rocks 200 

7.  White  or  ashen  beds,  with  decayed  remains  of  mammals  and  turtles,  also 

buff  sandstones 50 

Bridger  group, 

8.  Mammoth  buttes ;  sediments  with  numerous  mammalian  remains 1,  GOO 

Total  thickness 2,090 

The  resemblance  of  the  beds  I  haye  given  in  section  No.  19  will  be 
seen  at  a  glance.  Tbe  following  table  of  comparison  will  give  tbe 
relatioDS  of  the  two  sections : 


SectioD  No.  19,  A.  C.  Peale. 


Layers  Nos.  1  to  55,iDcIaaive 

La^^'ers  Nos.  55  to  57  inclusive,  with  tho  900 
feet  of  additional  beds  not  given  in  tho 
section 

Total 


Thick- 
ness. 


4,170 


3,500 


7,070 


Prof.  £  D.  Cope*s  section. 


Thick, 
oesa. 


WahMatoh  formation,  (Nos.  1  to  7,  inclasivis)      1, 090 


Bridger  group,  (So.  8) 


Total. 


1,000 


S.090 


It  will  be  noticed  that  the  thickness  on  Plateau  Greek  is  mach  greater 
than  that  given  in  Professor  Cope's  section.  Comparing  section  Na 
19  with  the  descriptions  given  in  the  tables  (page)  we  see  the  similar- 
ity in  composition  of  the  strata.  The  fossils  obtained  could  not  be  iMW- 
itively  identified  as  to  whether  they  were  from  the  Green  Itiver  or 
Bridger  groups. 

The  bones  from  the  layers,  Nos.  33,  39,  41,  44,  49,  50  and  55,  of  the 
section  No.  19  were  submitted  to  Prof.  E.  D.  Cope  for  examination.  He 
says  they  are  "  undoubtedly  Eocene  (Bridger  or  Green  River).  I  find 
species ofrejitiles and  fishes;  the  former  CrocodilvSy  Emys,  and  Trionyx; 
the  latter  PappichthyaJ' 


miB.]  GEOLOGY— GREEN  BIVEE   BEDS.  159 

Tlie  beds  given  in  the  lower  part  of  the  section  are  probably  of  the 
same  horizon  as  the  Green  Eiver  groap,  as  I  have  shown  in  the  table, 
while  those  above  represent  the  Bridger  group.  It  is  impossible  at 
present  to  tell  any  more  definitely  the  line  that  separates  them. 

The  following  is  the  description  given  by  Dr.  Hayden*  of  the  Green 
River  gronp,  as  exposed  in  the  valley  of  Green  Biver :  *'  The  lauiiuated 
caleareons  shales  gradually  pass  down  into  yellow  gray  and  brown  in- 
durated clays,  sands,  and  sandstones,  until  the  well-defined  coal-strata 
are  exposed  without  the  least  appearance  of  discordancy."  In  other 
portions  of  the  report  for  1870,  he  gives  descriptions  of  the  Green  liiver 
group,  and  speaks  of  their  being  worn  into  towers  and  other  picturesque 
forms.  Prof.  Theo.  B.  Comstockf  gives  the  following  description: 
<'The  Green  River  beds  are  mainly  composed  of  a  series  of  shales,  marls, 
and  harder  calcareous  strata."  *'  The  texture  of  the  different  beds  is 
quite  variable,  but  in  general  the  streams  which  have  cut  their  chan- 
nels through  them  are  walled  by  nearly  vertical  cliffs,  and  the  buttes 
and  benches  for  the  most  part  have  quite  precipitous  sides.  Numerous 
joints  occur  in  many  of  the  strata,  particularly  in  the  more  compact 
kinds,  and  fine  examples  of  concretionary  structure  or  weathering  are 
not  rare.  The  tendency  of  the  thick  beds  of  marly  sandstone  on  the 
banks  of  Green  River,  at  the  crossing,  to  weather  spheroidally  is  very 
noticeable,  and  this  is  repeated  in  various  degrees  in  the  argillaceous  and 
calcareous  rocks  as  well."  In  regard  to  the  Bridger  group  he  says,|  <*The 
beds  of  the  Bridger  group,  as  a  whole,  are  readily  distinguishable  from 
those  of  the  Green  River  group,  being  mainly  composed  of  dull-colored 
indurated  clays  and  arenaceous  layers  of  considerable  thickness,  the 
latter  usually  brownish,  or  dull  yellow  or  gray,  often  with  more  or  less  of  a 
concretionary  structure."  Dr.  Hayden  (see  Report  of  1870)  gives  the 
same  general  description.  I  have  quoted  these  descriptions  to  show  the 
resemblance  of  the  strata  given  in  the  section  made  on  Plateau  Creek  to 
the  strata  found  farther  north.  A  comparison  shows  the  same  general 
characters,  even  to  the  spheroidal  weathering  of  some  of  the  layers. 
Although  the  beds  included  under  layer  No.  57  of  the  section  correspond 
to  the  description  quoted  above  of  the  Bridger  group,  their  identity  is 
by  no  means  certain.  Another  season  I  hope  to  obtain  more  evidence 
on  the  question.  These  beds  form  the  cliffs  immediately  beneath  the 
plateau  of  station  48,  and  are  prominent  from  a  great  distance,  on 
account  of  their  white  color.  They  also  outcrop  in  the  cliff's  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Grand  opposite  the  plateau  and  extend  far  to  the  north- 
ward. They  are  also  seen  far  to  the  westward  and  southwestward,  be- 
tween the  Colorado  and  Little  Colorado  or  Chiquito  Rivers.  In  this 
region  they  are  thus  referred  to  by  Professor  Newberry  :§  "  Some  miles 
north  of  camp  96  {situated  about  latitude  30^,  longitude  110^  45')  a  mesa 
wall  rises  to  a  height  which  we  estimated  at  something  like  twelve 
hundred  feet.  It  occupies  30^  of  the  horizon  in  that  direction,  and  shows 
bold,  nearly  perpendicular  faces  both  in  profile  and  in  front.  These  are 
imre  white  in  color  and  reflect  the  sunlight  like  sun."  '^  Rising,  as  it  does, 
80  distinctly  irom  the  mesa  of  Lower  Cretaceous,  but  two  formations  are 
left  in  the  series  of  which  it  could  be  composed,  Upi>er  Cretaceons  and 
Tertiary."  These  bluffs  are  probably  a  portion  of  the  same  strata  that 
form  the  bluffs  on  the  Grand  and  beneath  the  plateau  of  station  48. 
Professor  Newberry  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to  examine  them,  but 

•  Report  U.  8.  Geol.  Survey,  1870,  paffe  71. 

t  Report  upon  Reconnaissance  of  Northwestern  Wyominf^,  1873,  pages  123, 124. 
t  Report  upon  Reeonnaissance  of  Northwestern  Wyoming,  1873,  page  127. 
t  Ives's  Colorado  Exploring  Expedition,  Geological  Report,  page  S7. 


160       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

considered  tbem  to  be  of  Upper  Cretaoeoas  rather  than  Tertiary  age. 
He  says,  ^^  There  are  some  reasons,  however,  why  we  shoald  sospeet 
this  white  mesa  to  be  Upper  Oretaceoas  rather  than  Tertiary,  and  these 
are,  first,  that  all  the  Tertiary  rocks  of  the  Bocky  Mountain  country,  as 
far  as  they  have  been  examined,  are  of  fresh-water  or  estuary  ori^n, 
have  been  usually  deposited  in  basins  of  less  extent  and  depth  than 
would  be  indicated  by  this  great  plateau,  which  has  evidently  been 
greatly  reduced  in  dimensions  by  the  erosion  it  has  suffered  ;  second, 
tlie  materials  composing  the  Tertiary  strata  found  on  the  great  cental 
plateau  are  generally  soft,  and  yield  readily  to  the  action  of  the  elements, 
presenting  rounded  and  unbroken  outlines  or  pinnacles  and  deeply  chan- 
ueled  surfaces,  the  results  of  erosion.  On  the  contrary,  the  Upt^er  Cre- 
taceous strata,  as  they  appear  in  several  points  on  our  route,  holding 
pre<*i8ely  the  relative  position  of  the  white  mesa  to  the  Lower  Creta- 
ceous sandstones,  consist  of  a  series  of  shales  and  limestones  which, 
though  dark  internally,  weather  to  an  almost  chalky  whiteness,  and  yet 
are  as  resistant  to  atmospheric  erosion  as  any  other  sedimentary  rocks. 
Judging  from  the  view  we  had  of  it,  we  regarded  the  white  mesa  as 
continuous  with  the  white  mesa  bordering  the  Colorado,  which  bas 
about  the  same  altitude.  If  so,  the  strata  composing  it  must  occupy  a 
very  large  area  north  and  west  of  our  camp  96,  one  almost  too  large  to 
accord  with  the  supi>08ition  that  it  is  of  Tertiary  age." 

My  reasons  for  referring  the  strata  of  section  No.  19  to  the  Tertiary 
are,  first,  the  finding  of  vertebrate  organic  remains  identified  by  Profes- 
sor Cope  as  of  Eocene  age ;  and,  second,  the  lichological  identity  to  the 
beds  farther  north,  in  which  Marsh,  Cope,  and  Leidy  have  found  so 
many  vertebrate  remains  identified  by  them  as  of  Eocene  age. 

As  already  noticed  in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  strata  included  in 
the  Upper  Cretaceous  weather  very  white,  although  they  do  not  show 
so  prominently  as  the  upper  portion  of  those  given  in  section  No.  19. 
It  is  impossible  at  present  to  define  the  exact  limits  of  the  basin  in 
which  these  layers  were  deposited.  As  mentioned  in  preceding  parts  of 
this  report,  the  Sawatch  range  was  probably  partially  above  water  in 
Cretaceous  and  Pre-Cretaceous  times.  It  probably  formed  a  part  of 
the  eastern  shore  of  the  ancient  lake,  although  all  traces  of  the  beds 
along  its  western  flanks  have  been  entirely  removed.  To  the  northward 
it  was  probably  connected  with  the  Green  River  Basin.  Prof.  T.  B. 
Comstock,*  speaking  of  the  Green  Kiver  group,  says,  "  There  are  indi- 
cations that  its  eastern  boundary  was  outside  of  the  present  limits  of 
the  Green  River  Basin,  and  there  is  no  room  for  doubt  that  the  Uintah 
Mountains  and  the  Wasatch  chain,  then  as  now,  towered  above  its  sur- 
face. Northward  it  is  equally  clear  that  the  Wind  River  range  formed 
the  shore  of  the  great  lake,  with  probably  more  or  less  of  gently  sloping 
border,  during  a  portion  of  the  era  of  Lower  Eocene  deposition."  Be- 
fore we  can  decide  definitely  as  to  the  connection  of  the  strata  of  the 
Green  River  Basin  with  those  noted  between  the  Grand  and  Gunnison 
Rivers,  the  country  north  of  the  Grand  will  have  to  be  examined. 
What  the  sontherii  and  southwestern  limits  of  the  lake  were,  it  is  im- 
possible to  say  at  present.  Enough  has  been  said  to  prove  its  vast 
extent  in  that  direction.  The  investigations  of  the  next  season's  work 
will  probably  throw  considerable  light  ui>on  the  sulyect. 

Professor  Marsh  discovered  evidence  of  a  basin  south  of  the  Uintah 
Mountains,  aboUt  the  mouth  of  the  White  River.  This  is  probably  the 
direct  extension  of  the  basin  1  have  described.    Professor  Marsh  thinks 

*  Report  upon  the  recoDDaiesaDCO  of  Northwestern  Wyoming,  p.  123. 


KAULl  OEOLOeY — ^POST-TEETIABY  AND  RECENT.  161 

that  although  syBcfaronotis  with  the  Green  River  Basin,  that  the  lakea 
were  conneeted  only  as  oar  great  lakes  are  at  the  present  day,  by  uav- 
row  straits. 

POST-TEBTIABY  AND  BEGENT. 

OUiciaL 

In  the  Sawntch  range,  as  was  fnlly  detailed  in  the  reports  for  1873^ 
there  is  abundant  evidence  of  glacial  action.  The  moraines  in  tbf 
eaiions  at  the  head  of  Eagle  River  have  been  already  described.  It  is 
impossible,  with  the  present  limited  amonnt  of  datia,  to  define  whM 
were  the  limits  of  the  glaciers.  It  is  probable  they  were  more  widely 
distributed  than  has  been  generally  supposed.  It  is  possible  that  a 
Racier  once  covered  the  plateau  of  station  48,  and  the  one  to  the  south. 
The  erosion  on  these  plateaus  could  scarcely  have  been  effected  by  any 
ether  agency.  There  are  several  lakes  on  the  surfkce  which  may  have 
had  their  origin  in  glacial  action. 

Farther  north  Mr.  Marvine  found  evidences  of  gladation  on  similar 
plateaus,  capped  with  basaltic  lava.  They  were,  he  thinks,  at  a  higher 
level,  and  when  ho  descended,  the  traces  ceased.  The  Roches^Moa* 
tODn^4)8  forms  were  very  prominent. 

Terraces  J  etc. 

Eagle  Biver, — ^In  the  valley  of  the  Eagle,  above  the  second  cafion,  ex* 
tending  almost  to  the  mouth  of  the  Piney,  are  terraces  cut  in  drift. 
Whether  this  drift  is  stratified  or  unstratified  I  am  unable  to  say.  It 
is,  I  think,  in  part  at  least,  of  glacial  origin.  The  terraces  here  are 
about  100  feet  high.  Below  the  canon  there  are  beautiful  terraces,  as 
shown  in  section  D,  Plate  III.  These  are  comparatively  recent.  The 
soft  character  of  the  strata  in  the  valley  renders  them  easily  eroded, 
and  even  at  the  present  time  an  immense  amount  of  material  is  carried 
down  the  nver  every  spring.  Alluvial  material  occurs  at  various  points 
along  the  course  of  the  river,  especially  above  the  second  caiion,  where 
the  river  has  some  lake- like  expansions  surrounded  by  beautiful 
meadows. 

Grand  River, — A  great  portion  of  the  Orand  River  is  a  caHon,  but 
below  the  mouth  of  Roaring  Fork,  especially  near  the  plateau  of  station 
48,  there  are  terraces.  We  did  not  have  time  to  visit  this  part  of  the 
river,  and  simply  noted  them  from  a  distance.  The  alluvial  bottoms 
are  very  limited  in  extent. 

OiinHison  Biver. — ^The  valleys  of  the  Gunnison,  its  North  Fork,  and 
their  tributaries  are  terraced  in  a  beautiful  manner.  All  the  drift  is 
probably  of  local  origin.  The  terraces  are  cut  mainly  in  the  soft  shales 
of  Upper  Cretaceous  age,  which  have  been  treated  of  in  the  previous 
ehapter.  There  are  scattered  patches  of  alluvial  material.  These  areas 
have  already  been  described,  and  description  here  would  be  a  repetition. 

Eroeian. 

■ 

The  valleys  of  nearly  all  the  streams  in  the  district  are  simply  erosive, 
although  a  number  were  i)erhaps  determined  in  the^r  present  course  by 
breaks  in  the  strata,  the  result  of  folding.  It  would  be  impossible  even  to 
estimate  the  enormous  amount  of  erosion  to  which  the  strata  west  of  the 
continental  divide,  in  our  district,  have  been  subjected  since  the  begin- 
ning of  Tertiary  time.  The  amount  of  erosion  during  the  Tertiary  time 
was  enormous.  It  was  sufficient  to  form  beds  thousands  of  feet  in  thick- 
11  H 


162       GEOLOGICAL  SURVET  OF  THE  TEBRITOKIB& 

iiess.  In  section  No.  19  of  Tertiary  strata  we  have  seen  that  there  are 
over  7,000  feet  of  beds.  A  large  part  of  their  ingredients  was  doabtless 
derived  from  the  Sawatch  range.  Over  the  mass  of  the  Elk  Moantains, 
the  Cretaceous,  with  underlying  strata,  have  been  removed,  to  a  great 
extent,  leaving  only  on  the  edges  remnants  of  the  Cretaceons.  On  the 
western  flank  of  the  Sawatch  we  see  no  Cretaceous.  This  will  give  ns 
some  idea  of  the  enormons  denudation  that  has  been  e£fected.  A  large 
portion  of  this  denudation  was  doubtless  the  result  of  glacial  action. 

The  erosion  going  on  at  the  present  time  is  by  no  means  inconsider- 
able in  amount.  The  high  water  dnring  the  spring  months  carries 
down  a  vast  qaantity  of  material.  Dunng  the  rainy  seasons  the  rain 
comes  in  frequent  showers,  which,  although  of  short  duration,  are  very 
violent,  and  wash  down  immense  quantities  of  material,  cutting  deep 
gullies  into  the  blnffs.  The  softness  of  the  beds  on  Eagle  River,  on 
Grand  Biver  below  Ebaring  Fork,  and  on  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gun- 
nison, renders  them  very  susceptible  to  aqueous  influences.  In  the 
mountains,  the  alternate  freezing  and  thawing  of  the  snow-banks,  in  the 
spring  and  summer,  has  considerable  influence  on  the  erosion.  The 
alteration  in  the  level  of  the  streams  is  often  very  perceptible. 

Another  agent  of  erosion  has  been  pointed  out  by  G.  K.  Gilbert,  in  a 
paper  read  before  the  American  Association  tor  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  in  1874,  viz,  that  caused  by  the  action  of  sand  carried  down 
the  streams  on  the  rocks  through  which  they  flow.  The  erosion  effected 
in  this  way  is  very  considerable,  especially  where  the  beds  of  the  streams 
are  in  solid  rock.  Our  district  was  so  broken  by  hills  that  the  action 
of  wind  in  eroding  the  strata  is  not  so  noticeable  as  in  more  level  coun- 
tries. 


PI 

I 


CHAPTER    VIIL 


EBUPnVE  BOCKS— TBAGHTTES—TBAGHOBHBITES--BASALT. 


I  separate  the  volcanic  areas  of  the  district  into  three  divisioDS, 
according  to  the  cliaracter  of  the  rocks  coveriug  them:  flrst,  the  porphy- 
ritic  trachyte  forming  the  group  of  mountains  marking  the  western  or 
fiOQthwesteru  termination  of  the  Elk  Mountains  in  the  southeastern 
portion  of  the  district;  second,  the  trachytic  areas  (mostly  rhyolitio 
underlaid  by  breccia)  which  form  a  large  part  of  the  southern  portion ; 
third,  the  basaltic  areas  that  prevail  in  the  northern  part. 

Tbe  rocks  of  the  second  division  correspond  to  the  ^'Trachorheites'' 
of  Dr.  Endlich,  and  in  fact  are  the  northern  and  western  extension  of 
tbose  rocks  described  by  him  in  the  report  for  1873  under  section  c* 

With  the  exception  of  the  first  division,  the  volcanic  rocks  form  the 
tops  of  phkteaus  which  have  be«n  much  modified  by  erosion.  These 
plateaus  are  generally  covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass  and 
scattered  groves  of  cottonwoods. 

Tbe  volcanic  rocks  of  the  first  division  form  beautiful  isolated  mount- 
ain masses,  surrounded  with  sandstones  of  Cretaceous  age. 

The  rocks  of  the  third  division  are  probably  of  most  recent  age, 
although  it  is  difficult  to  say  definitely  that  they  are  more  modern  than 
tbe  rhyolitic  rocks  in  the  southern  part  of  the  district.  The  latter  pre- 
vail largely  in  the  district  assigned  to  Dr.  Endlich,  and  he  probably 
Kcnred  more  evidence  as.  to  their  age  than  I  was  able  to. 

POBPHYBITIO  TBAOHYTES. 

Although  the  rocks  that  I  shall  describe  under  this  head  differ  con- 
Nderably  from  each  other,  they  have  the  same  general  constitution. 
Tbey  contain  the  same  minerals,  and  are  generally  of  lightgra>  colors, 
lirith  crystals  of  feldspar  porphyritically  imbedded  in  the  mass  with 
borublende  and  occasionally  mica.  They  resemble  the  rocks  found 
throughout  the  Elk  Mountains  in  1873,  especially  those  found  at  Gothlo 
Mouutaiu  and  the  various  dikes  found  penetrating  the  sedimentary 
formations.  iSome  of  the  more  compact  varieties  have  a  granitic  appear- 
ance, reminding  one  of  the  rocks  forming  the  central  masses  in  the  main 
mass  of  the  Elk  Mountains. 

The  physical  featuresof  the  country  in  which  these  mountains  are  have 
been  fully  described  in  previous  portions  of  the  report,  and  I  therefbre 
Bimply  refer  to  them  here. 

The  isolated  character  of  the  i>eak8  is  well  shown  in  Plate  XI.  a,  b, 
and  e  represent  some  of  the  trachytic  peaks,  which  stand  like  huge 
monuments  in  the  midst  of  the  Cretaceous  sandstones  which  are  seen 
outcropping  in  the  bluff  in  the  foreground  of  the  picture.  At  d  and  e 
h  shown  a  dike  of  trachyte,  which  once  formed  one  continuous  masa. 

*  Bepon  U.  8.  GKiol.  Survey  1873,  page  343. 

163 


164  GEOLOGICAL   SURYET  OF  THE  TEBKITOBIES. 

It  is  scarcely  to  be  doubted  that  all  these  mountains  are  eraptive  in 
their  origin.  The  evidence  pointing  to  this  fact  will  be  referred  to  as 
we  proceed.  The  sandstones  surrounding  them  seem  to  have  been  but 
little  disturbed  by  the  thrusting-up  of  these  masses.  It  is  difficult  to 
get  at  the  line  of  junction  between  the  trachyte  and  the  sandstone,  as 
the  slopes  on  the  mountains  are  very  steep  and  the  bases  are  entirely 
concealed  by  the  mass  of  dibris  washed  down.  It  is  probable,  how- 
ever, that  the  ends  of  the  sandstones  would  be  found  slightly  tipped  up. 
On  Anthracite  Greek,  on  the  north  edge  of  Mount  Marcellina,  the  sand- 
stones are  tipped  up  and  penetrated  with  dikes,  as  shown  in  Plate 
XII.  On  the  northern  side  of  the  area,  marked  A,  on  the  map  G,  the 
sandstones  are  tipped  up,  dipping  to  the  northward  at  an  angle  of  20^ 
to  250.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  these  western  terminations  of  the  Elk 
Mountains  should  all  be  trachytic,  while  in  the  main  mass  of  the  Elk 
Mountains  the  granitic  character  should  predominate.  In  the  dikes, 
however,  the  rock  was  always  trachyte.  Proceeding  westward,  also, 
trachyte  became  more  abundant.  In  the  region  I  have  under  con- 
sideration at  present  the  varieties  of  rock  that  most  resembled  granite 
were  found  in  the  eastern  portion.  The  dikes  always  gave  the  best 
typical  specimens  of  trachyte.  Some  of  the  sj^ecimens  are  rhyolitic 
I  only  refer  to  these  facts  to  show  the  analogy  between  the  trachytes 
and  the  eruptive  granite  of  the  Elk  Mountains.  Until  these  rocks  are 
all  subjected  to  a  dose  microscopic  and  chemical  analysis  and  the  region 
in  which  they  are  found  examined  in  detail,  all  opinions  must,  to  a  cer- 
tain extent,  be  conjectural.  The  Elk  Mountain  region  presents  one  of 
the  moat  interesting  fields  of  study,  and  one  which  will  yield  more 
material  for  the  study  of  eruptive  granites  than  any  other  on  our  conti- 
nent. 

I  will  take  up  these  areas  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  lettered  on 
the  accompanying  map  (G),  which  gives  a  much  better  idea  of  the  out- 
line of  each  than  could  be  given  in  words. 

The  eastern  groups  are  those  which,  in  Lieutenant  Buffner's  report,* 
are  called  the  Philosophers'  Monuments. 

A. — In  ascending  Ohio  Greek,  the  hill  on  which  station  30  is  located 
forms  a  prominent  feature  of  the  landscape.  It  is  sugar-loaf  in  form, 
and  rises  over  three  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  valley  of  Ohio 
Greek.  Its  slopes  are  steep,  and  at  the  base  is  an  accumulation  of  rocks 
that  have  been  washed  down  its  sides.  The  rock  is  a  porphyritic 
trachyte.  There  is  a  rather  compact  matrix,  inclosing  white  crystals 
of  feldspar,  free  quartz,  and  small  crystals  of  black  mica.  The  mass 
north  of  station  30  is  broad-topped,  and  composed  of  the  same  kind  of 
rock.  East  of  station  30  is  another  mass,  not  shown  on  the  map.  It 
was  not  visited,  but  is  probably  similar  to  that  of  station  30.  The  west- 
ern part  of  the  area,  marked  A'  on  the  map,  is  a  ridge,  with  numerous 
sharp  points.  The  pass  from  Ohio  Greek  to  the  head  of  Anthracite  Greek, 
is  at  the  eastern  end  of  this  ridge,  at  the  point  b  on  the  map.  This  pass 
is  1,800  feet  below  the  summits  of  the  ridge.  I  am  in  doubt  whether  or 
not  this  area  is  separated  from  the  mass  of  station  30,  marked  A.  I  have 
provisionally  connected  them  on  the  map.  At  the  western  end  I  am  also 
I  doubtful,  as  I  have  never  been  on  the  saddle  that  separates  it  from  the 
'area  E.  This  saddle  seems  to  be  comparatively  low,  as  seen  from  the 
surrounding  country,  and  I  think  it  probable  that  the  Gretaceous  sand- 
stones connect  across  it.  The  dotted  lines  indicate  the  doubtful  part. 
On  the  north  side  there  are  Gretaceous  sandstones  dipping  to  the  north, 

*  Report  of  a  KeooauiasNioe  in  the  Ute  Country,  page  40. 


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rziLB.]  GEOLOGY — PORPHYRITIC   TRACHYTES.  165 

at  an  angle  of  20^  to  25<^.  It  is  in  these  sandstones  that  the  anthracite 
eoal  occnrs,  at  the  point  marked  m  on  the  map.  On  the  southern  side 
there  are  also  sandstones,  bnt,  as  far  as  I  observed,  they  are  horizon- 
Ul.  Towards  the  west  end  of  the  ridge,  resting  on  these  sandstones,  is 
a  mass  of  breccia,  which  seems  to  abut  against  the  trachyte.  The  line 
on  the  map  indicates  this  breccia.  A  specimen  of  trachyte  from  the 
eastern  end  of  the  ridge  has  a  rhyolitic  appearance.  It  is  light-gray  in 
color  and  coutaiuH  a  great  deal  of  fiee  quartz.  The  matrix  is  rather 
coarse,  and  contains  large  crystals  of  glassy  feldspar  and  small  besag- 
onal  crystals  of  a  brownish-black  mica  and  a  few  small  needles  of  horu** 
blende. 

Above  the  coal-bed  mentioned  as  occcnrring  on  the  north  side  of  this 
area  there  is  a  layer  of  trachyte  in  the  shales  and  sandstones.  It 
resembles  the  rock  just  described  in  appearance  and  construction,  being 
perhaps'a  little  rougher  and  having  the  hornblende  in  greater  quantity. 
The  crystals  of  feldspar  are  not  so  large.  The  free  quartz  has  the 
appearance  of  pebbles,  the  edgea  being  rounded,  probably  the  result  of 
heat. 

B. — Station  32  is  the  mountain  named  Mount  Bichard  Owen  by  Lieu* 
tenant  Bnffner.*  He  says,  ^^  Mount  Richard  Owen  has  two  peaks,  the 
Dortberu  of  which  is  the  higher,  of  dusty-red  rock,  probably  ferruginous 
qaartz,  or  perhaps  trachyte."  The  mass  of  which  station  32  is  only  a 
portion,  is  composed  of  Cretaceous  shales  and  sandstones  intersected 
and  metamorphosed  by  numerous  dikes,  of  which  the  principal  ones  are 
shown  on  the  map.  To  accurately  define  all  the  dikes  in  this  region 
vill  reqnire  a  very  close  and  detailed  survey.  Station  32  seems  to  be 
a  center  for  them.  In  the  ridge  southeast  of  the  station  there  is  a  layer 
of  trachyte  between  layers  of  sandstone.  The  section  in  which  this 
occura  was  given  in  a  preceding  chapter.  This  rock  is  rather  moro 
compact  and  finer  textured  than  the  trachytes  I  have  hitherto  described. 
Tbe  porphyritie  character  is  not  so  decided.  It  is  of  a  light  greenish 
color,  and  Wms  to  be  slightly  arenaceous,  as  though  it  had  taken  from 
tbe  surrounding  rocks  a  portion  of  its  sandy  material.  It  is  perfectly 
cooformable  with  the  sedimentary  rocks,  and,  under  other  circumstances, 
might  be  taken  for  a  contemporaneous  flow.  It  presents  a  square,  mass- 
ive  edge  on  the  bluff,  as  shown  at  C  in  Plate  X.  The  dike,  marked  a  b 
on  the  map,  is  also  shown  on  this  ridge  cutting  across  it alm^ost  at  right 
angles  to  its  strike.  It  is  about  300  feet  in  width  on  the  ridge  and 
iaeliues  slightly  to  the  northeast.  At  right  angles  to  it  is  a  narrow 
seam  of  quartz,  inclining  west  at  an  angle  of  85^.  This  seam  could  be 
distinctly  traced  for  several  miles  on  the  ridge.  I  was  unable  to  trace 
the  eastern  extension  of  this  dike  to  its  extreme  limit.  The  rock  of  this 
(like  is  a  greenish-gray  trachyte,  rough  in  texture  and  containing  a 
large  number  of  feldspathic  crystals. 

Crossiug  the  same  ridge  a  little  farther  north  is  another  dike,  the  one 
marked  efou  tbe  map.  Plate  Xlil  shows  the  appearance  of  this  dike 
»8  seen  on  the  face  of  the  bluff,  aaa  representing  different  portions  of 
it  intersecting  the  sandstones  bbhb.  The  rock  in  this  dike  differs 
greatly  from  the  others.  It  has  a  very  compact,  fine-textured,  dark- 
greenish  matrix,  in  which  are  a  few  small  crystals  of  feldspar. 
They  are  more  conspicuous  on  the  weathered  surfaces.  Besides  the 
feldspar  there  are  particles  of  free  quartz.  The  specific  gravity  of  this 
lock  is  greater  than  that  of  those  from  the  other  dikes.  The  dike  c  d 
of  the  map  forms  a  very  prominent  ridge  leading  down  fhm  station  32 

^ |-ri¥ii  I  1-  I  --r--MB- 1 — ■-  -     —    -       n  -    n  T 

*  Beport  of  KeconiialManco  in  the  Ute  Conntry,  page  40. 


166       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITOBIES. 

to  AntLracite  Greek.  Its  bardDess  has  preserved  it  while  tbe  sorroaod- 
iDg  rocks  have  been  removed.  Its  summit  presents  a  ragged  edge,  spire- 
like processes  rising  from  it.  The  rock  is  very  mach  like  that  of  Meant 
Marcellina,  and  that  of  areas  described  under  A  and  A'.  The  dike  g  h 
has  a  course  almost  at  right  angles  to  tbe  one  described.  1  was  unable 
to  visit  it,  but  am  inclined  to  think  it  a  continuation  of  the  one  marked 
a  b.  Other  dikes  in  this  region  are  shown,  but  were  not  visited.  They 
by  no  means  represent  all  the  dikes  that  are  to  be  found,  but  merely  tbe 
principal  ones.  The  mass  of  mountains  north  and  east  of  station  32 
contains  many  more  that  we  were  unable  to  define. 

C — ^The  center  of  this  area  is  Mount  Marcellina,  a  steep  mountain,  the 
general  shape  of  which  is  sugar  loaf.  It  is  shown  at  a  in  Plate  XL 
This  is  probably  the  mountain  to  which  Lieutenant  Kuffner  gave  the 
name  of  Mount  Huxley,*  as  it  answers  the  description.  On  the  map 
accompanying  his  report,  however.  Mount  Huxley  is  marked  as  being  od 
the  opposite  side  of  the  creek.  It  being,  therefore,  somewhat  doubtful, 
we  have  used  the  name  Marcellina  applied  to  it  by  prospectors  that  we 
met  in  this  region.  The  slopes  are  very  steep,  and  the  base  surrounded 
by  a  mass  of  dShrU.  The  sides  are  weathered  into  conical,  spire-like 
forms  which  stand  out  in  bold  "relief,  especially  on  the  western  and 
southern  sides.  It  is  11,324  feet  above  sea-level,  and  about  3,000  feet 
above  the  top  of  the  sandstones  that  form  the  surface  between  it  and 
the  area  marked  D  on  the  map.  It  is  over  4,500  feet  above  the  level  of 
Anthracite  Greek,  on  the  northwest  side.  The  trachyte  of  Marcellina  is 
very  fine-grained,  resembling  closely  the  eruptive  granites  of  the  Elk 
Mountains.  On  the  northwest  side  of  the  mountain  the  Cretaceous 
layers  are  tipped  up,  dipping  to  the  northwest  15c>  to  2(P.  This  is  the 
only  point  at  which  any  disturbance  of  the  strata  around  the  mountaiD 
could  be  seen.  Here  also  they  are  penetrated  by  dikes  of  the  same 
material  of  which  the  main  mass  is  composed.  It  was  perhaps  more 
porphyritic.  Plate  XII  represents  three  of  these  dikes  on  the  south- 
west side  of  the  creek.  On  the  opposite  side  there  is  a  much  larger 
mass  of  this  rock  resting  on  the  sandstones.  I  think  it  probable  that 
t'ae  trachyte  extends  from  Marcellina  to  the  north  side  of  Anthracite 
Creek.  Whether  it  extends  to  the  westward  connecting  with  C  I  am 
not  so  certain.  I  have  indicated  the  intermediate  portion  by  dotted 
lines.  We  did  not  have  time  to  follow  Anthracite  Creek  throughout 
its  entire  length. 

D. — ^This  area  is  the  second  in  size,  and  comprehends  25  or  30  square 
miles.  It  consists  of  a  number  of  sharp  peaks  connected  by  sharp 
ridges  bounding  amphitheaters  in  which  rise  streams  tributary  to  Kock 
Creek  on  the  north  and  east,  and  on  the  south  and  west  flowing  to  tbe 
iN'orth  Fork  of  tbe  Gunnison.  The  western  side  of  this  mass  is  very 
steep,  the  angle  of  the  slope  being  about  50o.  The  summits  are  from 
2,000  to  2,500  feet  above  the  general  level  surrounding  the  mass.  This 
western  side  is  not  broken  up  by  gullies,  it  preserves  a  uniform  wall- 
like surface  for  nearly  three  miles.  Tbe  amphitheaters  thait  we  have 
referred  to  are  found  on  the  sontbern  and  eastern  sides,  the  majority  of 
the  drainage  being  into  liock  Creek.  The  eastern  side  is  ther^ore  most 
irregular  and  shows  most  markedly  the  effects  of  erosion.  Hock  Creek, 
opposite  station  33,  before  it  bends  to  the  northward  is  5,000  feet  below 
the  summits  of  the  peaks.  The  rock  of  station  33  is  similar  to  that  of 
Marcellina,  the  only  difterence  being  that  the  component  parts  in  the 
former  are  much  coarser. 

At  D'  and  D'^  there  are  two  areas  whose  limits  I  am  unable  to  define 

^  Report  of  BeoooDaissanoe  in  Ute  Coantry,  p.  41. 


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MAI* J  GEOLOGY — ^^ORPHYRITIC   TRACHYTES.  167 

with  exactness.  Between  D  and  D^  there  are  Cretaceons  rocks.  Treas- 
ury Mouutaiu  forms  the  center  of  the  second  area.  The  Cretaceous 
rocks  in  this  region  have  been  lifted  up  and  so  broken,  that  the  lines 
of  ontcrop  cannot  be  distinctly  seen  from  a  distance.  For  more  detailed 
information  in  regard  .to  the  rocks  here,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Mr. 
HoImes^s  report. 

E. — Only  the  western  end  of  this  area  was  visited.  A  view  of  it  is 
Been  in  Plate  XI,  at  b  and  c.  The  area  E'  is  seen  at  d,  and  E"  at  e.  The 
two  latter  are  evidently  parts  of  the  same  dike;  a  branch  of  the  creek 
separates  them.  At  E^^  the  trachytlc  simply  caps  the  ridge,  forming 
a  small  isolated  patch.  This  dike  was  once  evidently  connected  with 
the  trachyte  east  of  station  34  (the  area  F).  The  dike  d  in  the  illi^s- 
tration  is  evidently  connected  with  the  mass  b.  Th6  rock  from  the 
dike  dififers  slightly  from  that  already  described,  the  mica  not  being  so 
predominant.  It  also  contains  more  hornblende.  It  is  of  a  verj"  light 
gray  color,  very  compact  and  fine-grained. 

F. — ^This  is  the  most  irregular,  and  by  far  the  largest  of  the  trachy  tic 
areas.  It  includes  50  or  GO  square  miles.  Our  most  eastern  station  in 
this  area  was  station  34.  In  ascending  the  ridge  towards  the  station, 
there  was  noticed  an  indistinct  lamination  in  the  trachyte;  some  of  the 
beds  have  calcite.  There  seems  to  be  an  alternation  of  hard  and  sof& 
layers,  rocks  from  the  latter  weathering  with  ronnded  edges.  The  trachyte 
is  more  vesicular  than  any  yet  described;  the  crystals  of  feldspar 
are  clearer  and  have  more  of  a  glassy  appearance.  The  rock  is  gener- 
ally of  a  dull-gray  color.  The  weathering  of  the  mass,  of  which  station 
34  is  the  center,  is  very  different  from  that  of  Marcellina,  and  of  the 
ndge  forming  the  area  E.  The  mountains  here  are  more  massive,  and 
the  creeks  draining  them  head  in  amphitheaters,  separated  from  each 
other  by  long  sloping  spurs  which  have  very  steep  ends.  To  the  north- 
east they  descend  to  the  top  of  a  mesa  of  sandstones.  This  mesa  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  creek  is  shown  in  the  forgeround  of  the  picture 
io  Plate  XL 

On  the  east  the  descent  to  the  level  of  the  creek  is  very  steep.  There 
are  remnants  of  Cretaceous  shales,  with  coal  still  resting  against  the 
eDds  of  the  S])nrs« 

The  arm  that  extends  to  the  southward,  west  of  station  36,  rests 
against  a  mass  of  breccia,  which  will  be  described  with  the  next  division, 
of  the  eruptive  rocks.  The  northern  edge  of  this  breccia  is  indicated 
by  a  dotted  line.  In  this  southern  area  there  are  four  or  five  prominent 
}>eak8,  none  of  which  we  visited. 

Between  the  southern  arm  and  the  southern  prolongation  of  the 
western  arm  around  station  37  is  an  irregular  area  of  Cretaceous,  which 
has  been  fully  described  in  a  previous  chapter.  The  eruption  of  the 
trachyte  seems  to  have  caught  these  rocks  and  tipped  them  up  in  all 
directions.    They  seem  also  to  have  been  much  metamorphosed. 

In  the  western  arm,  stations  38  and  39,  are  the  principal  peaks.  In 
the  arm  connecting  this  part  of  the  area  with  that  to  the  eastward  there 
are  several  peaks  equally  high.  Station  38,  as  viewed  from  the  west, 
is  a  sharp,  conical  peak,  rising  very  steeply  for  1,800  or  2,000  feet,  and 
from  that  point  sloping  gradually  towards  Smith's  Fork.  Fig.  1,  Plate 
VII,  gives  a  section  from  the  station  westward.  Station  39  is  also  sharp, 
and  also  shows  very  prominently  from  the  north.  The  rock  of  both 
mountains  is  the  same.  Numerous  white  crystals  of  feldspar  and  a  few 
crystals  of  hornblende  are  imbedded  in  a  gray  matrix.  The  country 
around  both  stations  is  comparatively  low  and  filled  with  soft  shales  of 
the  Up[>er  Cretaceous  layers  which  form  low  butte-like  hilhi.    Seen  from 


168       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERBITOBIES. 

the  sammits  of  the  peaks  they  seem  merely  irregularities  io  the  sarface^ 
Station  38  is  10,634  feet  above  sea-level.  It  is  the  last  peak  of  the 
Elk  Moantaios  to  the  west,  and  from  its  summit  one  can  see  the  dim 
outline  of  the  Sierra  la  Sal  Mountains,  100  miles  farther  west.  Station 
39  is  higher,  having  an  elevation  of  11,337. 

Cr» — This  area  consists  of  a  double-topped  hill  of  trachyte,  rising 
about  1,000  feet  above  the  cretaceous  rocks  that  surround  it.  It  is  well 
wooded  to  its  summit,  which  is  bro^d.  The  slopes  are  not  very  steep. 
The  North  Fork  of  Smith's  Fork  curves  around  its  northern  end.  The 
trachyte  composing  it  presents  no  features  different  from  those  of  the 
rocks  already  described. 

H* — Opposite  this  double-topped  mountain,  which  we  called  Saddle 
Mountain  while  in  the  field,  is  a  trachyte  x>oint  rising  between  300  and 
400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  creek,  standing  like  a  finger  in  the  midst 
of  the  Cretaceous  rocks. 

K. — This  is  the  last  trachytic  area  to  the  westward.  The  bill  in 
which' it  is  shown  is  low  and  rounded,  being  only  1,800  feet  above 
the  level  of  Smith's  Fork.  The  face  toward  Smith's  Fork  shows  the 
trachyte  best.  It  is  of  a  light-gray  color  and  porphyritic  It  does 
not  differ  materially  from  that  of  station  38.  East  and  north  there  are 
Oretaceous  shales,  and  on  a  low  hill  back  of  it  there  is  a  dike  of  similar 
rock  lying  at  the  base.  This  is  on  the  layer  marked  No.  1,  in  section 
16,  given  in  chapter  VI.  The  eruptive  force  seems  to  have  been  dying 
out  to  the  westward,  and  the  last  evidence  we  have  of  its  action  is  in 
the  canon  of  the  south  branch  of  Smith's  Fork,  where  the  bending  of 
the  No.  1  Cretaceous  caused  a  break,  which  gave  origin  to  the  canon. 

In  the  consideration  of  the  areas  just  described  it  will  have  been  no- 
ticed that  there  were  numerous  points  at  which  the  intrusive  character 
of  the  trachyte  was  not  to  be  doubted,  as  near  station  34  and  near 
Mount  Marcellina.  These  rocks  are  the  same  that  are  seen  in  the  large 
areas,  and  if  intrusive  in  one  place  are  probably  so  in  the  others.  The 
elevation  of  these  mountains  is  Post-Cretaceous,  and  probably  of  more 
recent  date  than  the  rhyolitic  flow  from  the  south,  for  the  northern  edge 
adjoining  this  area  is  tipped  up,  where  the  trachyte  has  not  been  re- 
moved, and,  where  it  has,  the  underlying  breccia  forms  the  summits  of 
the  mountains,  its  level  being  much  higher  there  than  along  the  Gunni- 
son Biver. 

TBACnOBHBITES. 

Under  this  head  I  will  describe  the  rocks  of  the  mesa  like  country 
extending  along  the  Gunnison,  on  both  sides,  as  far  as  the  Grand 
Canon.  The  accompanying  map  (map  D)  will  give  the  extent  and  dis- 
tribution of  the  rocks  comprehended.  Their  character  and  order  of 
superposition  will  be  given  in  detail  as  I  proceed.  1  he  source  of  the 
flow  is  to  the  southward  in  Dr.  Endlich's  district,  where  there  is  a  much 
greater  thickness  of  the  rocks,  those  exposed  on  the  Gunnison  being 
merely  the  overlying  edges  of  the  upper  layers,  those  underneath  not  hav- 
ing spread  so  far  to  the  north.  East  of  Ohio  Creek  there  are  two  mesa- 
like summits  crowning  the  broad  ridge  between  Ohio  Creek  and  East 
Biver.  These  mesas  are  trachytic,  and  seem  to  rest  immediately  upon 
beds  of  Cretaceous  age.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  breccia  beneath,  as 
there  is  farther  west.  The  general  level  of  the  mesas  would  seem  to 
indicate  that  they  are  remnants  of  the  layer  that  forms  the  mesas  north 
of  the  Gunnison.  The  hills  west  of  Ohio  Creek  are  composed  mainly 
of  breccia,  the  trachytic  capping  having  been  removed.  The  soft 
beds  have  been  eroded  in  the  most  fantastic  fashion.    The  bnccia  is 


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Plate  XIV. 


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Fcy^i:iccti(n  R 


WALR.)  GEOLOGY — ^TEACHOEnEITES — GUNNISON  EIVEE.  169 

stratified,  and  tbere  are  huge  castle-like  forins,  abrupt  walls,  and  spires 
and  towers.  Station  31  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  mass  of  hills  of 
this  material,  their  summits  being  generally  broad  and  rounded.  The 
thickness  of  the  breccia  at  station  31  is  about  3,000  feet.  These  hills 
slope  toward  the  Gunnison  in  long,  gentle  spurs.  The  breccia  north  of 
station  31  rests  against  the  edge  of  the  hills  of  x>orphyritic  trachyte, 
already  described.  It  rests  for  the  most  part  on  Cretaceous  sandstones. 
The  line  of  Junction  is  seen  on  the  west  branch  of  Ohio  Greek  and  on 
the  Ounnison  at  various  points.  It  is  probable  that  in  the  center  there 
may  be  shales  between  the  sandstones  and  the  breccia,  as  at  station  73, 
oil  the  Gunnison.  The  valley  of  the  Gunnison,  on  the  north  side  from 
Ohio  Creek  as  far  as  station  71,  has  been  subjected  to  considerable  erosion, 
and  the  breccia  forms  the  basis  of  the  hills.  It  probably  rests  partly  on 
the  schists,  with  an  occasional  patch  of  sandstone  between,  as  indicated 
by  an  outcrop  in  the  bluff  opposite  the  mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek. 
Fig.  4,  Plate  XIV,  represents  a  section  across  the  Gunnison,  in  the 
meadow  below  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  Fig.  3,  on  the  same  plate,  is 
a  section  through  station  71.  Here  the  sandstones  appear  and  the 
breccia  is  capped  with  a  white  rhyolitic  rock,  which  is  probably  under- 
laid by  obsidian  and  tuffa,  as  we  see  farther  down  the  river.  Under 
station  71  the  line  of  junction  is  concealed.  West  of  the  station,  below 
the  canon  which  the  river  cuts  in  the  schists,  there  is  a  steep  dip  of  the 
sandstones  to  the  west  or  southwest,  which  is  the  reason  tliey  do  not 
oatcrop  in  the  section  in  Fig.  2,  which  is  made  below  th^  ca&on.  Bor- 
dering the  valley  in  which  this  section  is  made,  on  the  north  side,  are  a 
namber  of  buttes  capped  with  obsidian  and  trachyte.  Back  of  them  the 
mesas  extend  toward  the  hills  to  the  northward.  These  mesas  are 
exposed  on  both  sides  of  the  Gunnison.  At  station  73  I  made  the  fol- 
lowing section  of  the  volcanic  layer : 

Section  No.  ZO^Gunniaon  Siver,  near  station  73. 

XJllckBMS. 

JBaM.  Foet. 

4h  Breccia 400 

'2,  Light  pinkish-white  tafa 


« 


2.  Light  piokish-white  tafa ^ 

3.  Gray  lamioated  trachyte I  mq 

4.  Hard  obsidian  i)orphyry f 


.5.  Soft  sphemlitio  and  porpbyritic  obsidian J  * 

#)6.  Pnrple  vesioalar  rbyolite 50 

^  1 7.  Blnish-gray  rhyolite 30 

Top.  

Total 520 

This  section  goes  as  far  as  the  top  of  the  bluff,  but  as  we  go  back 
there  is  a  greater  thickness,  and  probably  a  repetition  of  the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  section,  that  is  from  the  obsidian  upward.  The  letters  in 
the  section  above  correspond  to  the  letters  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  XIV.  As 
the  rocks  of  this  section  are  typical  of  the  rocks  in  these  mesas,  I  will 
describe  them  more  in  detail.  The  breccia  I  will  pass  by  for  the  pres- 
ent The  tufa,  which  rests  immediately  upon  it,  is  almost  white  in  color, 
and  appears  to  be  made  up  mainly  of  feldspathic  material,  with  parti- 
cles of  quartz  and  mica  interspersed.  It  is  soft  and  very  fine  in  texture, 
having  a  sandy  feel  when  crushed  in  the  fingers.  Above  station  73  this  4 
toff  is  about  five  feet  thick.  Layer  No.  3  is  a  dull,  purplish-gray  rock, 
in  which  there  are  numerous  particles  of  quartz  and  obsidian,  with  crys- 
tals of  sauidine  porphyritically  imbedded.  There  are  also  a  few  crys- 
tals of  black  mica.  Under  the  glass  this  rock  has  a  vitreous  appear- 
ance. It  is  probably  rhyolitic.  It  is  from  two  to  four  feet  thick.  Layer 
^0. 4  is  very  hard,  and  breaks  into  square  blocks,  with  very  smooth. 


170      GEOLOGICAL  SUBVEY  OF  THE  TEBRITOBIES. 

regular  faces.  There  are  nameroas  crystals  of  sanidine  in  the  obsidian. 
As  we  ascend,  the  bed  becomes  softer,  and  besides  sanidine  contains 
small  spheralitio  masses,  which  are  generally  aboat  the  size  of  a  pin- 
bead.  In  some  places,  however,  they  are  an  inch  or  two  in  diameter, 
and  when  broken  open  the  cavities  in  them  are  found  coated  with 
Hyalite.  This  sphernlitic  obsidian  is  exactly  like  that  fonnd  b^^  us  io  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park,*  and  a  description  of  one  would  answer  for 
the  other.  Layer  No.  6,  iu  the  section  given  above,  is  a  compact  jaspery- 
looking  rock,  slabs  of  which  ring  under  blows  of  the  hammer.  In  the 
cry pto-cry stall ine  paste  are  crystals  of  sanidine,  bronze  mica,  free  qnartz 
in  abundance,  and  occasionally  a  pebble  of  what  has  the  appearance  of 
having  been  tufa  inclosed  and  metamorphosed.  This  rhyolite  is  vesicular, 
the  cavities  being  lined  with  blue  chalcedony.  These  cavities  are  most 
abundant  in  the  lower  part.  The  description  of  this  rock  answers  for 
the  layer  wherever  it  is  shown  along  the  Gunnison,  the  only  difference 
being  in  the  color,  which  at  station  73  is  a  pnrpliHh-brown.  At  station 
77  it  is  more  of  a  gray.  The  geodes  of  chalcedony  are  very  abundant 
in  the  latter  place.  Layer  No.  7  breaks  into  slab-like  musses  which 
weather  white.  They  ring  under  the  hammer  like  the  layer  below. 
Just  above  it  are  indications  of  a  tufa,  resembling  that  above  the 
breccia.  It  seems  to  be  of  a  reddish  color.  Along  the  second  creek 
west  of  station  73  the  trachytic  capping  has  been  removed,  and  the 
breccia  forms  the  basis  for  a  considerable  distance  up  the  creek, 
the  mesa-form  disappearing  with  the  removal  of  the  trachyte.  The 
creek  west  of  stations  77  and  78  forms  the  present  western  boundary 
of  this  trachytic  area.  At  the  head  of  the  creek,  as  seen  from  station  79, 
the  trachyte  is  tipped  up,  dipping  toward  the  south  or  southeast  at  an 
angle  of  10^  to  15^.  This  is  also  the  general  direction  of  tbe  sloi>e  of  the 
mesas.  Station  79  was  located  on  a  point  capped  with  a  remnant  of 
the  lower  part  of  the  trachyte,  below  which  is  the  breccia.  It  is  im- 
possible to  tell  at  present  how  far  west  this  flow  originally  extended. 

The  breccia  which  we  have  referred  to  so  often  in  the  present  chap- 
ter is  generally  of  a  dark-gray  color  in  the  matrix.  The  included  masses 
are  of  all  sizes,  and  generally  angular.  The  greatest  variety  is  seen 
near  station  31.  I  have  already  spoken  of  the  stratified-  character  at 
this  point,  which  seems  to  indicate  its  deposition  in  water. 

The  upper  layers  seem  to  be  lighter-colored  and  to  have  the  included 
smaller,  masses.  Farther  down  there  is  a  dark  band,  below  which  the 
included  rocks  are  in  large  masses.  These  layers  are  variegated,  red, 
green,  yellow,  and  gray.  Between  the  layers  are  bands  resembling  a 
hard  sandstone  and  also  tufaceous  layers.  The  included  masses  are,  I 
think,  all  trachytic.  The  tufaceous  layers  are  pink  and  ash  colored, 
and  contain  conspicuously  black  mica  and  minute  crystals  of  hornblende. 

Preceding  the  deposition  of  this  breccia,  there  was  considcnible 
erosion,  as  is  indicated  by  comparing  the  underlying  rocks  at  station  73 
with  those  under  station  79.  In  the  former  place  there  are  only  a  few 
feet  of  shales  between  the  Dakota  group  and  the  bottom  of  the  breccia, 
while  at  station  79  there  must  be  at  least  1,000  feet,  and  tbere  is  probably 
more  farther  back.  On  the  Gunnison,  also,  as  seen  by  the  sections  in  Plate 
XIV,  there  is  abundant  evidence  of  such  erosion.  The  drainage  bad 
probably  the  same  general  direction  as  at  present.  It  is  also  probable 
that  there  was  an  interval  between  the  deposition  of  the  brei*.eia  and 
the  flow  of  the  rhyolitic  rocks,  during  which  there  may  have  bet^n 
some  erosion  of  the  breccia.  It  varies  grciitly  in  thickness.  At  stalion 
31  it  is  3,000  feet,  while  on  the  Gunnison,  at  station  73,  it  is  only  400 /eet. 

*  Beport  U.  S.  Geol.  Survey,  1872,  page  131. 


% 


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Library.    ■ 


«k. 


nkis.]  GEOLOGY — BASALT — EAGLE  BIVEE.  471 

I  have  already  stated  that  tbe  origin  of  this  trachyte  and  breccia  is 
ID  Dr.  Endlich'8  district,  south  of  tbe  Gunnison.  Since  it  was  poured 
out,  the  mass  of  mountains  described  ander  the  head  of  Porphyritic 
Trachytes  have  been  thrown  up.  which  fact  accounts  for  the  abrupt 
bending  of  the  trachyte  northeast  of  station  70,  and  the  general  slope 
toward  the  Gunnison.  The  subsequent  erosion  has  been  sufficient  to 
remove  the  trachyte  around  station  31,  and  on  the  ridges  running 
southward  from  this  mass  of  mountains.  The  amount  of  the  denuda- 
tion on  the  Gunnison  is  measured  by  the  distance  between  the  top  of 
tilie  mesas  and  the  level  of  the  River. 

BASALTIO  AEEA& 

The  basaltic  rocks  of  the  district  all  closely  resemble  each  other. 
They  are  generally  dark-colored,  gray  to  black,  and  are  fine-textured. 
Tbey  contain  olivine,  sometimes  free  quartz,  the  latter  not  abundautlyi 
and  on  being  pulverized  magnetic  iron  can  be  extracted  from  them. 
The  latter  always  caused  a  great  deflection  in  the  needle  at  all  stations 
made  on  these  areas.  Vesicular  varieties  occur  in  many  places.  The 
different  varieties,  however^  will  be  described  as  we  proceed.  The  short- 
ness of  the  time  at  our  disposal  in  the  preparation  of  this  report  pre- 
cludes the  possibility  of  giving  definite  analyses  of  the  rocks. 

As  already  stated,  the  basaltic  rocks  are  confined  to  the  northern 
part  of  the  district,  where  they  generally  form  the  capping  of  plateautji 
or  mesas,  showing  that  they  are  lava-flows.  Their  source  was  probably 
to  the  northward,  as,  with  the  exception  of  one  locality,  I  could  find  no 
evidence  of  their  having  originated  within  the  limits  of  our  region. 

As  the  general  features  ot  the  country  have  been  already  given  io 
considerable  detail  I  will  confine  myself  mainly  to  the  description  ot  th« 
rocks  and  their  mode  of  occurrence. 

Eagle  Biver, — On  the  summit  of  the  ridge  southwest  of  the  Eagle 
Biver,  opposite  the  second  canon,  there  is  an  isolated  area  of  volcanic 
rock  which  I  call  basalt,  although  I  could  discover  no  olivine.  Its  ap- 
pearance, however,  closely  resembles  that  of  the  rocks  in  the  same  re- 
gion that  are  un^loubtedly  basaltic.  It  is  dark  bluish-gray,  rather  com- 
pact, with  a  slight  tendency  in  places  to  lamination.  There  are  a  few 
points  of  free  quartz  and  numerous  yellow  spots  of  some  decomposing 
mineral,  which  may  be  olivine.  The  area  occupied  by  this  rock  is  lim- 
ited, comprehending  only  about  nine  square  miles.  It  is  shown  on  map 
A.  A  section  across  it  is  shown  in  Fig.  1,  Plate  I  (/to  g).  It  will  be 
seen  that  it  rests  on  the  upturned  edges  of  the  Bed  Beds,  and  in  places 
touches  the  Jurrassic  or  Cretaceous  layers.  The  section  in  the  figure  is 
partly  ideal,  but  I  think  it  presents  the  true  relations  of  the  rocks. 
It  seems  that  there  must  have  been  a  fissure  through  which  the  mate- 
rial was  pushed,  and  afterward  spreading  out,  it  covered  the  edges  of  the 
strata  tipped  up  by  the  same  force  that  caused  the  flow.  If  it  is  simply 
a  flow  that  has  spread  over  the  upturned  edges  of  the  strata  it  must 
have  come  from  the  north.  The  hills  north  of  Eagle  Biver  shown  at  cc, 
iu  Plate  II,  are  capped  with  volcanic  rock.  It  is  not  probable,  however, 
that  this  rock  is  the  same  flow,  although  it  may  be  of  nearly  the  same 
age.  We  cannot  be  exact  as  to  the  age,  although  it  is  probably  com- 
paratively modern.  All  we  can  say  positively  is  that  it  is  Post  Creta- 
ceous at  this  point.  I  think  this  flow  and  the  one  near  the  mouth  of  Eagle 
River  were  contemporaneous.  The  latter,  as  I  shall  show,  is  of  recent 
date.  It  is  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  on  the  north  side,  and,  although 
outside  of  the  limits  of  our  district,  I  wish  to  refer  to  it.  A  more  de- 
tailed description  will  be  given  by  Mr.  Marvine.  The  flow  had  its 
source  in  the  hills  on  the  north  side.    It  came  down  the  ravines  an4 


172«      GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

spread  out  iu  tbe  valley,  covering  a  space  of  tbre©  or  four  miles.  It 
forma  a  bluff  eilge  10  to  20  feet  above  tbe  level  of  the  river.  A  speci- 
men of  the  rock  that  I  obtaiued  is  a  black  vesicular  basalt  containing 
free  quartz  and  olivine.  Cn  pulverizing  it  I  obtaiued  a  dark,  almost 
black,  powder  from  >vhich  magnetite  could  be  separated. 

This  rock  is  of  comparatively  recent  date,  which  is  evident  from  tbe 
following  reasons : 

First.  Tbe  flow  has  taken  place  since  the  carving  out  of  tbe  valley. 
It  occupies  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  which  is  nearly  two  thousand  feet 
in  depth,  bordering  tbe  river  like  the  slag  |K>ured  out  from  a  furnace. 
The  river  seems  to  be  the  limit  of  tbe  flow,  none  of  tbe  rock  being  found 
on  the  south  side.  It  was  probably  pushed  by  it  to  the  lower  side  of 
the  canon-like  valley. 

Second.  The  subsequent  erosion  has  been  very  slight.  The  basalt  is 
exposed  in  a  bluff-like  wall  which  reaches  to  the  level  of  the  water, 
nothing  being  exposed  beneath  it. 

Third.  The  basaltic  rock  is  destitute  of  vegetation  and  compartitively 
free  from  any  soil.  It  has  the  appearance  of  having  just  been  poured 
out.  The  period  during  which  it  was  poured  out  is  probably  to  be  meas- 
ured by  hundreds  of  years,  and  perhaps  less,  rather  than  by  longer 
periods. 

Grand  River, — Below  the  mouth  of  Eagle  River  on  the  south  side  of 
Grand  River  there  is  an  area  of  volcanic  rock  that  has  been  subjected 
to  considerable  erosion.  This  area  was  probably  once  continuous  with 
that  west  of  Roaring  Pork.  Between  a  creek,  Grand  River  and  Roar- 
ing Fork  it  rcBts  maitily  on  beds  of  Triassic  age,  forming  a  plateau-like 
surface.  Near  the  mouth  of  Frying-Pan  Creek  is  a  mesa  capped  with 
basalt  which  is  probably  a  portion  of  the  same  flow.  This  latter,  how- 
ever, rests  on  beds  of  Cretaceous  age,  as  does  the  volcanic  rock  west  of 
the  Hog-backs  on  Roaring  Fork.  They  are  all  probably  remnants  of  the 
same  flow.  The  amount  of  erosion  previous  to  the  spreading  out  of  this 
material  was  very  great.  The  Cretaceous  rocks  near  the  Grand,  between 
Roaring  Fork  and  a  creek,  seem  to  have  been  entirelj'  removed.  The 
subsequent  erosion  also  has  been  of  great  extent.  The  present  valleys 
and  caiions  have  probably  been  outlined  since,  and  tbe  amount  of  de- 
nudation is  to  be  measured  by  their  depth  below  the  level  of  the  vol- 
canic rock. 

The  capping  of  the  hills  west  of  Roaring  Fork  is  very  irregular. 
There  remain  only  the  remnants  of  what  was  once  a  connected  mass. 
Station  16  was  located  on  the  western  edge  of  one  of  the  patches  of 
basalt. 

In  almost  all  of  the  valleys  drained  by  tbe  southern  branches  of  the 
Grand,  between  Roaring  Fork  and  the  plateau  of  station  No.  48,  there 
are  great  numbers  of  volcanic  bowlders,  derived  ftom  tbe  bills  that  are 
capped  irregularly  with  basalt.  The  hills  themselves  are  so  covereil 
with  dibris  that  it  is  diflicult  to  define  the  boundaries  of  the  basalt 
The  plateau  on. which  station  48  is  located  is  also  capped  irregularly 
with  basalt.  Since  the  flow  it  has  been  subjected  to  a  great  deal  of 
erosion,  and  now  tbe  basalt  is  found  only  in  isolated  msusses,  like  that 
on  which  we  made  station  48.  The  latter  is  a  mamraallary  process 
rising  248  feet  above  the  general  level,  and  about  200  feet  in  diameter. 

The  following  is  the  section  of  this  curious  born-like  point,  which  can 
be  seen  from  a  great  distance  in  every  direction : 

1.  Dark-gray  basalt,  containing  a  large  quantity  of  olivine,  also  free 
quartz  s[)aringly.    It  is  a  very  hard  and  compact  rock. 

2.  Purplish  basalt.  This  layer  is  slightly  vesicular.  It  contains  the 
same  minerals  that  are  seen  in  No.  1. 


PIAL8.J  GEOLOGY — BASALTS — iFLATEAU  CREEK-  173 

3.  Yesicalar  basalt.  Mostly  red  in  color  on  weathered  surfaces. 
Some  of  the  pieces  found  at  the  base  are  black,  and  have  cavities  lined 
with  carbonate  of  lime. 

4.  Tafaceons  layer,  of  which  oi^ly  the  upper  portion  could  be  seen. 
The  color  is  white,  and  in  some  places  the  layer  has  masses  of  basalt. 

In  layer  No.  L I  found  the  following  minerals,  besides  those  mentioned 
above:  Hyalite  and  quartz  in  segregations  and  pyrites  coating  the 
weathered  surface  in  a  few  instances.  All  these  basaltic  rocks  have 
magnetite.    The  local  attraction  on  the  station  was  considerable. 

Tbe  cone  on  which  station  48  was  located  is  situated  iu  an  isolated 
patch  of  basalt  of  the  same  character  (see  map  3).  There  are  several 
other  areas  from  which  pointed  and  cofflu-like  masses  rise,  none,  how- 
ever, reaching  the  altitude  of  station  48.  The  basalt,  as  has  been  men- 
tioned in  a  previous  chapter,  rests  on  dark-gray  shales  which  weather 
to  a  chalky  whiteness.  This  is  beautifully  shown  on  the  north  side  of 
tbe  Grand.  It  was  impossible  to  tell  from  the  station  how  extensive 
tbe  area  covered  by  the  basalt  is  to  the  north.  On  this  plateau  the 
area  does  not  exceed  eighteen  or  twenty  miles.  To  the  westward  it 
leaches  its  limits  at  least  five  miles  east  of  station  50.  West  of  the 
basaltic  line  the  plateau  becomes  broken:  the  capping  having  been  re- 
moved, the  soft  beds  beneath  yielded  readily  to.  the  eroding  influences, 
and,  therefore,  instead  of  a  plateau  there  is  a  sharp  ridge,  gradually  de- 
creasing in  elevation  to  the  westward.  The  course  of  the  range,  for  it 
forms  a  very  well-defined  range,  is  generally  west.  It  is  very  irregular^ 
however,  and  the  streams  on  either  side  cut  profoundly  into  the  strata. 

Station  48  has  an  devation  of  11,063  feet  above  sea-level.  Two  and 
a  half  miles  west  the  top  of  the  basalt  is  150  lower,  and  two  miles  farther, 
that  is,  four  and  a  half  miles  west  of  station  48,  it  is  350  feet  below  it 
So  we  see  there  is  a  slope  to  the  westward  at  present.  We  cannot  tell 
whether  this  is  the  original  surface,  or  whether  it  has  been  modified  by 
subsequent  erosion.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  original  slope 
was  to  the  westward.  We  see  the  same  decrease  in  elevation  from  east 
to  west  on  the  plateau  between  the  Korth  Fork  of  the  Gunnison  and 
Plateau  Greek.  On  station  43»  which  is  one  of  the  most  eastern  of  the 
basaltic  points  on  this  plateau,  the  elevation  is  11,134  feet.  At  station 
44,  one  mile  farther  west,  it  is  11,128,  while  on  station  45,  eight  and  a 
half  miles  west  of  station  43,  it  is  only  10,954,  a  decrease  of  180  feet. 
Five  miles  west  of  station  45  the  elevation  is  10,904,  which  is  practically 
the  same  as  that  of  station  45.  Sixteen  miles  west  of  this  point,  at  the 
north  end  of  the  mesa,  the  elevation  is  only  9,800  feet,  and  at  the  south 
en6,  which  is  three  and  a  half  miles  farther  east  and  sixteen  miles  south 
of  the  north  end,  it  is  9,733  feet.  This  is  a  fall  of  a  little  over  1,400  feet 
from  station  43,  in  a  distance  of  about  twenty-seven  miles.  The  greater 
part  of  the  decrease  in  elevation  is  in  the  western  portion ;  that  is,  in 
tbe  last  twelve  miles.  As  is  evident,  on  glancing  at  the  figures  given 
above,  the  eastern  portion  varies  but  little  on  comparing  the  higher 
points  with  each  other.  AlK>ut  stations  43,  44,  and  ^  the  basalt  forms 
points  that  rise  considerably  above  the  general  level,  while  the  sur- 
rounding country  is  very  much  broken  up.  To  the  westward,  however, 
the  basalt  forms  a  mesa-like  capping  to  the  country.  This  mesa  is 
fiomewhat  irregular  in  outline,  forming  at  first  a  narrow  strip  which 
divides  into  two  arms,  one  extending  to  the  southwest  and  the  other  to 
the  northwest  They  are  separated  by  a  small  creek  that  drains  into 
the  Gunnison.  It  has  cut  gradually  deeper  and  deeper  until  the  basaltic 
eappiug  has  been  removed,  leaving  a  tongue-like  process  of  Tertiary 
rocks  ^tween  the  arms. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  the  divide  the  arena  covered  with  basalt  are 


174 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 


irregular.    The  highest  points  iu  these  areas  hardly  mark  the  origins 
Burface  of  the  flow.    The  sabseqaent  deDadation  has  been  enormoua, 
will  be  readily  conceived  when  we  compare  the  elevations  of  th( 
points  with  those  of  the  deepest  vaUeys  near  them.    Stations  45  ai 
48  are  almost  on  ^  line  with  each  other  running  north  and  souti 
This  line  also  passes  through  our  camp  No.  45  which  was  on  Plat< 
Creek.    Comparing  the  elevations  of  these  three  points  we  find  that  tl 
creek  at  camp  45  is  3,801  feet  below  station  48,  and  3,870  feet  helot 
station  45.    Farther  down,  the  distance  from  the  north  end  of  the  mi 
to  the  level  of  the  creek  is  over  4,000  feet    The  south  end  of  the  m< 
is  4,077  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Gunnison  at  a  point  due  south  of 
These  figures  will  give  some  idea  of  the  immense  amount  of  matei 
that  lias  been  removed  since  the  flow  of  lava  took  place,  and  show  al 
how  improbable  it  is  that  the  original  surface  still  remains. 

The  two  plateaus  that  we  have  just  desc^ribed  are  evidently  the  remaii 
of  what  was  once  one  continuous  mass.    The  elevation  of  station  48 
practically  the  same  as  that  of  station  45.    On  comparing  the 
from  the  two  localities,  we  And  that  they  are  identical  in  appearai 
and  in  structure.    We  have  also  seen  that  there  is  the  same  slope 
the  west  on  both.    If  they  had  not  been  connected  we  would  And  tra< 
of  the  flow  in  some  of  the  valleys,  but  we  search  in  vain  for  any  su^ 
evidence.    No  basalt  is  seen  in  the  valleys  save  the  bowlders  that  h: 
been  carried  down  from  the  plateaus.    What  the  original  limits  wei 
is  impossible  to  tell. 

It  is  difficult  to  get  at  the  exact  thickness  of  the  basaltic  flow 
originally  spread  out.  At  present  it  is  probably  considerably  1< 
At  station  48  the  total  thickness  is  248  feet.  This  is  the  highest  poi 
on  that  plateau  but  it  hardly  represents  the  original  thickness, 
thickness  at  the  north  end  of  the  mesa  is  100  feet.  The  latter  may 
be  absolutely  correct.  It  wns  determined  from  station  57  by  angles 
the  top  and  base  of  the  abrupt  wall  of  the  mesa.  The  actual  \u 
may  be  covered  with  the  talus  so  that  it  is  concealed.  As  to  the 
and  the  source  of  the  basalt  we  cannot  say  anything  very  definite, 
is,  however,  in  all  probability  comparatively  recent,  although  older  tb^ 
the  fiow  mentioned  as  occurring  near  the  mouth  of  Eagle  River, 
rests  on  sandstones  and  shales  of  Tertiary  age,  which  were  but  lit 
affected  by  erosion  previous  to  its  pouring  out.  I  was  unable  to  fix 
any  point  as  its  source;  I  think,  however,  that  it  lies  farther  to 
north.  The  surface*  of  the  plateaus  is  covered  with  good  grass,  ai 
groves  of  cottouwoods  and  pines,  among  which  there  are  uumei 
beautiful  little  lakes.  Both  of  them  are  very  well  watered.  Ni 
station  45  are  three  beautiful  lakes,  two  of  which  head  streams  fl< 
ing  to  Plateau  Creek,  and  one  heading  a  branch  of  the  North  Forkj 
the  Gunnison.  Near  station  45  there  is  a  beautiful  illustration  of 
effiects  of  cooling,  in  the  hexagonal  columns  into  which  the  mass 
separated.  They  are  very  regular,  and  are  Ave  or  six  feet  in  diamet 
The  surface  of  the  mass  inclines  to  the  northward. 

The  edge  of  the  mesa  portion  of  the  plateau  is  very  abrupt,  esx)ecii 
on  the  western  side,  and  at  the  extreme  northern  and  southern  em 
It  stands  out  like  the  wall  of  a  fortress.    The  outline  is  irregular, 
accompanying  map  will  give  a  good  idea  of  it  as  also  the  areas  cov< 
by  the  basalt.    Fig.  3,  Plate  IX,  shows  a  section  made  fh>m  the 
of  the  mesa  to  the  Gunnison.    On  the  line  A  B  of  map  E,  a  represei 
the  capping  of  basalt.     In  all  the  valleys  of  the  streams  headij 
in  the  mesa  there  is  an  abundance  of  bowlders  of  basalt.    They  are 
numerous  in  some  places,  even  on  the  long  sloping  spurs  running 
it,  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  the  underlying  rock. 


J 


EGKND 
B—M.      H^l 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EGONOMIOAL  GEOLOGY. 


The  greater  portion  of  our  district,  with  the  exception  of  the  area 
along  £agle  Kiver^  lying  within  the  limits  of  the  Ute  reservation,  of 
coarse  no  mining  operations  can  lawfully  be  carried  on.  Indeed,  the 
areas  in  which  mineral-deposits  are  found  are  limited  to  the  group  of 
monntains  in  the  southenstern  part  of  the  district,  and  to  the  gneissic 
rocks  about  the  hend  of  the  Eagle.  The  remainder  of  the  country  is 
covered  with  sedimentary  rocks,  mostly  of  Cretaireons  and  Tertiary  age, 
in  which  mineral  deposits  are  rare.  Lignite  is  found,  but,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  that  near  station  34,  it  is  of  poor  quality. 

GOLD. 

On  Eagle  River  we  met  a  party  of  prospectors  who  claimed  to  have 
foaud  gold  in  placer  diggings  in  paying  quantities  on  some  of  the 
streams  flowing  into  the  Eagle  from  the  south,  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Pioey,  and  above  the  second  canon. 

On  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison,  southwest  of  station  2G,  we  met 
auother  party,  who  said  they  tried  the  dirt,  and  that  the  colors  were 
good. 

SILTEB  AND  LEAD. 

The  Elk  Mountiun  mining  district  was  described  in  the  report  for 
1873.  The  ores  are  mainly  silver- bearing  galena.  There  are  doubtless 
oatnerons  lodes  similar  to  them  at  various  points  around  the  heads  of 
Slate  River  and  Rock  Creek.  We  did  not  have  time  to  make  u  detailed 
Barvey  here.  The  rocks  are  penetrated  in  all  directions  b^'  dikes.  At 
the  head  of  '^  Oh  be  Joyful "  Creek,  east  of  station  32,  Mr.  Holmes  got 
a  specimen  of  galena  associated  with  pyrites.*  Ou  the  other  branches 
ledges  would  probably  be  found  on  searching  for  them,  as  the  rocks  are 
similar. 

COAL. 

Lignite  is  found  at  several  points  in  our  district.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
Gunnison,  and  in  the  bluffs  on  the  ri^*er  from  the  mouth  to  the  mouth  of 
Koobideau's  Creek,  it  is  seen,  but  of  poor  quality.  This  lignite  is  of 
Cretaceous  age,  being  found  in  the  sandstones  of  the  Dakota  group. 

On  Coal  Creek,  a  branch  of  Anthracite  Creek,  a  bituminous  lignite  is 
foaud  in  sandstones,  which  I  have  referred  to  the  Upper  Cretaceous. 
Two  specimens  from  this  creek  were  examined,  with  the  following 
resalts : 

Analyris. 

Sped  men    Spedmen 
Ka  1.        No.  S. 

Water 5.04  )  ^^^ 

VoUtilo  matters 31.40  J  "^"^ 

I       Carbon 69.fi0  69.68 

Ajih 5.00  4.30 

100.00         100.00 

This  coal  is  black  (brownish-black  in  powder),  has  a  dull  luster,  and 
Au  irregular  fracture.    The  ash  is  of  a  light-reddish  color.    The  auulyses 

1T5 

j 


176       QEOLOQICAL  SUBVET  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

show  that  the  coal  compares  favorably  w4th  the  lignites  foand  in  olbcr 
parts  of  the  West. 

Anthracite  Creek, — ^In  the  report  for  1873  I  spoke  (page  259)  of  the  oc- 
carrence  of  anthracite  coal  in  the  Elk  Moantaina.  It  is  found  at  the 
heads  of  Bock  Creek,  Slate  Biver,  Anthracite  Greek,  and  Ohio  Creek. 

It  is  probably  all  of  Cretaceous  age,  and  was  doubtless  originally  a 
bituminous  lignite.  The  coal  at  the  head  of  a  small  branch  of  Anthra- 
cite Creek  was  found  in  a  bed  from  4  to  5  feet  thickness  in  sandstones. 
The  section  has  been  g^ven  in  a  preceding  chapter.  These  sandstones 
were  tipped  up  against  a  range  of  trachytic  i)eaks,  and  between  the 
layers  of  sandstone,  some  distance  above  the  coal,  is  a  layer  of  trachyte. 
The  strata  dip  at  an  angle  of  20^  to  25^.  This  coal  is  probably  a 
portion  of  the  same  bed  from  which  the  coal  on  Coal  Creek  was  ob- 
tained, although  in  the  latter  case  it  is  lignitic.  The  eruption  of  the 
trachyte  found  near  the  coal  first  mentioned  probably  so  heated  it  as 
to  deprive  it  of  the  bituminous  matter.  This  coal  from  the  head  of 
Anthracite  Creek  has  a  snbmetallic  luster,  is  black  even  in  powder,  and 
has  a  couchoidal  fracture. 

Analysis  No.  1. 

Water 2.00  }  -  ^a 

Volatile  mattere «.50J  *-^ 

Carbon 91.90 

Ash  (of  a  dark  reddieh-browD) 3.60 

100.00 

Analysis  No.  2. 

Water 1.60  }        ^  „,      j 

Volatile  matters 3.40$        ^'^ 

Carbon s  88.20 

Asb(sameaBNo.l) 6.80 

100.00 

These  analyses  prove  the  coal  to  be  of  excellent  qualit3%  l^either  of 
the  specimens  coked.  The  percentage  of  water  and  volatile  matters 
and  the  amount  of  ash  compare  favorably  with  other  anthracites. 

Oh  be  Joyful  Creek. — The  coal  on  this  creek  is  also  an  anthracite.  It 
was  discovered  in  1874,  and  the  following  notes  were  obtained  from  Mr. 
Holmes,  who  visited  the  bed.  It  is  two  feet  in  thickness,  between  beds 
of  quartzitic  sandstones  and  metamorphosed  shales,  which  dip  slightly 
to  the  west.  The  coal  outcrops  about  1,600  feet  above  the  level  of  slate 
Eiver  at  the  month  of  the  creek,  two  miles  up  the  stream.  This  coal 
probably  belongs  to  the  same  horizon  as  the  coal  on  Anthracite  Creek 
and  on  Hock  Greek.  It  probably  outcrops  again  at  the  head  of  Slate 
Kiver. '  A  specimeD  collected  by  Mr.  Holmes  has  a  snbmetallic  luster, 
is  black,  with  rusty-colored  surfaces  from  the  presence  of  iron,  a  fracture 
somewhat  cuboidal,  breaking  also  into  layers.  This  coal  seems  to  be  of 
poorer  quality  than  that  of  Anthracite  Greek  and  Hock  Creek. 

Analysis. 

Water 4.00>  |« «« 

Volatile  matters . — 14. 00  J  *^"* 

Carbon 74.00 

Aah  (of  a  reddish  color) *.  8.00 

100.06 

It  would  perhaps  be  more  properly  described  as  a  semi-anthracite. 
The  sandstones  and  shales  surrounding  it  are  penetrated  by  numerous  • 
dikes  and  mineral  lodes. 


rSAULl 


GEOLOGY — ANTHRACITE  COAL. 


177 


Bock  Creek. — ^The  coal  on  this  creek  is  also  an  anthracite.  It  is  foand 
in  Gretaceons  shales  beneath  a  mass  of  trachyte.  The  shales  represent 
a  horizon  at  lca«t  3,000  feet  above  the  Dakota  gronp.  The  bed  is  5  feet 
thick. 

The  following  is  an  analysis  of  the  coal.  It  has  .a  brilliant  Inster,, 
ooDchoidal  fractnre. 

Andly9is. 

Water  and  Yolatile  matters 7.4 

Carbon 88.92 


Ash,  (reddish). 


3.68 


100.00 


The  following  is  an  analysis  of  coal  from  this  region  (probably  from 
Sock  Creek)  by  Professor  Mallet,  of  Colorado: 


Fixed  carbon i 91.08 

Ash  of  dark-brownish  color 5.30 

Volatile  matters,  chiefly  water 3.68 

100.00 

The  analyses  given  above  show  a  decided  advantage  over  the  lignites 
found  in  other  parts  of  the  Territory,  and  their  occurrence  in  the  midst 
of  80  many  deposits  of  galena,  nearly  all  of  which  is  probably  silver- 
bearing,  will  probably  in  the  fatnre  have  a  decided  and  important  bear- 
log  apon  the  mining  operations  that  may  be  carried  on  in  this  region. 
The  following  table  gives  the  comparison  of  average  percentages  of  con- 
stitnents  of  the  Elk  Mountain  coals  with  those  of  anthracites  and  other 
varieties,  of  both  foreign  and  domestic.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  coals 
of  which  analyses  have  been  given  above  rank  high  in  the  comparison. 


Average  of  wa- 
ter and  vola- 
tile mattera. 

Carbon. 

Ash. 

Variety. 

1 

s 

1 

87.96 

1 

8 
90.49 

1 

m 

9.31 

9.85 

ia30 

1 

1.58 
8.90 
8.70 

Sl935 
5.348 
7.661 

Bemarks. 

Fmign  anthracites. . 

a537+ 

98.56 

4  analyaea,  taken  fW>m  Dana's 
Minendogy:  looalitiea,  Sooth 
Walea  an?  Hanorer. 

PMuaylTanla  anthra- 
citet. 

5.811 

94.10 
90.83 

ea5i 

74.55 

8a  046 

7  analyaea,  from  table  in  Bogera'a 
Goologtcal  Surrey  of  Pennsyl- 
▼ania,  rolamo  11,  part  U. 

PWDtylTania  aemi' 
anthmcitea. 

10.106 

88.070 

10  analyaea,  from  table  in  Bog- 
ers'a  Gkmlogioal  Survey  of 
Pennaylvania,  vol  ii.  iMUrt  U. 

AMhnMllesfyoMtbs 
Ilk  MoailalBR, 
Csisraio  Territory. 

7.7S6 

M.M 

74.00 

M.804 

8.00 

B.68 

5.476 

Boialt  of  5  aaalyMs  flveo 
above  la  the  ehapcer  preestf- 
Sag  this  Cable. 

PMBsyWania    bita- 
laiaooa  ooala. 

8&888 

70.68 
69.37 

56.80 

71.756 

1L75 

aoo 

13.00 

ia5o 

9l07 

1.41 
1.80 

8.09 

5.763 

10  analyaea,  tnm  table  in  Bo|c- 
era'a  Geological  Sorvey  of 
Pennaylvania,  vol.  ii,  part  11. 

Foteicn  Utamiaoaa. . 

TSlSO 

81.196 

1604 

10  analyaea,  taken  from  tfana'a 
Mineralogy. 

» 

Ohio  ooala 

36.65 

64.90 

53.50 

5a  10 

5.18 

80  analyaea.  ttom  Kewberry'a 
Geological  Beport  of  Snrvey 
of  Obio  for  1673. 

Indiana  oeala 

48.81 

59.00 

4150 

51.80 

ao8 

98  analyaea,  from  OeolofEloal  Re- 
port of  Snrvey  of  Indiana  for 
1OT3. 

12  H 


178 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITORIES. 


Avorage  of  wa- 
ter and  Tola- 
tile  matters. 

Carbon. 

Ash. 

Variety. 

• 

S 

ttO 

s 

i 
1 

> 

i 
•a 
a 

1 

1 

< 
6.948 

Sfimarlcs. 

* 

IlUnoiB  cools 

41.09 

64.90 

47.50 

52.992 

9.eo 

9.00 

10  analyses,  firom  Geological  Be- 
port  for  1873,  Son-ey  of  Ilii- 
noi& 

lii  Wtt  CUUlfl  ..........k 

47.81 

45.49 

6.77 

From  table  of  64  averases  of 
coal  analyses,  in  Geolbgiad 
Report  1870,  Survey  of  Iowa, 
White. 

MisBoarl  coals 

41.443 

79.98 

97.72 

40. 816 

19.97 

9.05 

9.096 

Ill  analyses,  fitim  Geological 
Reports  for  1873-'74,  Sorv^ 
of  Missouri. 

Poreign    lignites    or 
brown  coals. 

3L596 

71.71 

47.46 

60.414 

14.95 

0.59 

7.591 

10  analyses,  f^om  Dana's  Min* 
eralogy. 

Lignites  of  Colorado 
and  l^ew  Jdexico. 

41.984 

59.72 

44.44 

59.364 

90.90 

2.00 

5.616 

14  analyses,  from  table  of  proxi- 
mate analyses  of  lignites.  Re- 
port of  A.  R.  Marvine,  United 
States  Geological  Survey,  Bo- 
port  of  1873. 

Lignites  of  Wyoming 
Territory. 

40.979 

54.46 

47.04 

51.316 

9.60 

1.73 

&331 

10  analyses,  Srom  Report  of  A. 
R.  MATvine. 

Lignites  of  Utah  Ter- 
ritory, 

59.416 

46.84 
5d.32 

36.35 

43.035 

7.50 

0.97 

4.553 

6  analyses,  from  Report  of  AB. 
Marvine. 

Liguites  of  California 

53.613 

47.83 

49.631 

4.01 

9.96 

3.305 

10  analyses,  from  Report  of  A 
R  Marvine. 

Lignites  of  Montana 
and  Oregon. 

47.294 

04.18 

41.9tj 
45.44 

49.34 

12.00 
ia55 

a  19 

7.036 

5  analyses,  from  Report  of  A.  B. 
Marvine. 

Liguites  of  Vancou- 
ver's  Island   and 
British  Colnmbia. 

44.4G8 

51.81 

47.552 

9.15 

6.94 

■ 

The  excellent  tables  and  notes  on  the  western  lignites  in  Mr.  Mar- 
vine's  report  for  1873,  and  the  notes  on  the  lignites  east  of  the  mount- 
ains in  the  reports  of  Dr.  Hayden  and  Mr.  Holmes,  preclude  the  neces- 
sity of  any  farther  remarks  here. 

GYPSTJM. 

Gypsum  is  the  only  remaining  mineral  of  economical  Importance  in 
the  district.  The  localities  and  general  description  have  been  given  in 
previous  chapters.  It  occurs  in  quantity  on  Eagle  Biver  and  Fijing- 
Pan  Creek. 

The  list  of  minerals  given  in  the  catalogue  accompanying  the  report 
is,  of  necessity,  small,  the  sedimentary  formations  prevailing  in  the  dis- 
trict, being  sandstones  mainly  of  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  age. 


CATALOGUE  OF  MINERALS  NOTED  IN  THE  AREA  ASSIGNED 
TO  THE  SECOND  OR  MIDDLE  DIVISION,  UNITED  STATES 
GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY,  IN  1874. 

Agate.  Cloudy,  of  white,  brown,  and  gray  colors,  on  the  plateaus  Ih^- 
tween  the  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers.  Moss  Agate^  of  poor  variety) 
in  the  valley  of  the  Gunnison  River,  west  of  the  mesa,  near  the  Grand. 

Amphibolk.  Hornblevide  in  small  needle-like  crystals,  in  some  of  the 


FIALB.] 


GEOLOGY— CATALOGUE  OF  MINERALS. 


179 


rocks  in  the  volcanic  breccia,  near  station  31,  at  the  head  of  west  fork 

of  Ohio  Greek. 
Caloite.  In  the  Gretaceoas  rocks  on  Grand  Biver  and  on  the  Gnnnison 

Biver. 
Coal.  Bituminous  lignite  on  south  fork  of  Anthracite  Greek.  Anthracite  f 

on  Anthracite  Greek.    A  poor  quality  of  lignite  is  found  also  in  the 

bluffs  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison. 
Feldspar.  Undetermined  varieties  in  the  schists  at  the  head  of  Eagle 

Biver  and  in  the  Grand  Ganon  of  the  Gunnison.    Sanidine  in  the 

rhyolites  and  obsidian  on  the  Gunnison  Biver.    Trachytes  of  Elk 

Mountains.   . 
Gold.  Said  to  occur  along  the  upper  part  of  the  north  fork  of  the  Gun- 
nison and  head  of  Eagle  Biver. 
Gtpsum.  In  the  gypsiferous  sandstones  on  Eagle  Biver  and  on  Grand 

Biver  and  Bearing  Fork.    In  the  Gretaceous  strata  of  Grand  Biver 

and  the  Gunnison. 
Chalcedony.  Blue  variety,  lining  cavities  in  the  rhyolites  on  Gnnnison 

Biver,  above  the  Grand  Canon.     White^  in  valley  of  Gunnison,  west 

of  mesa,  above  the  Grand. 
Htalite.  In  the  basalt  on  station  48,  near  station  73,  on  Gunnison  Biver. 
HoBNBLEKDE.  {See  Amphibole.) 
Jaspeb.  Bed  in  color,  in  chips  on  the  plateaus,  between  the  Grand  and 

Gunnison  Bivers.    In  nodular  limestone  in  the  bluffs  on  Gunnison 

Biver  near  station  No.  60,  also  near  station  73. 
LmoNiTE.  Near  the  head  of  the  south  fork  of  Anthracite  Greek. 
Mica.  Undetermined  variety,  probably  Musoovitej  in  schists  of  Eagle 

Biver  and  Gunnison  Biver.    Brown  variety  in  rhyolites  in  Gunnison 

Biver. 
Obsidian.  Beneath  the  trachyte  on  Gunnison  Biver,  above  the  Grand 

Gaiion.    It  is  both  porphyritic  and  spherulitic. 
Ptbite.  Octahedral  crystals  near  station  32,  Anthracite  Greek.    Coat- 
ing surfaces  of  basalt,  near  station  No.  48. 
Quartz.  In  the  schists  of  Eagle  Biver  and  theXrunnison;  crystals  in  the 

Gretaceous  rocks  near  station  No.  32,  at  the  head  of  Anthracite  Greek. 
Sanidine.  In  the  trachytes  of  station  32,  station  30,  station  34,  &c.;  also, 

in  the  obsidian  and  rhyolite  on  Gunnison  Biver,  above  the  Grand 

Canon. 
Selei^ite.  In  the  gypsum  beds  of  Eagle  and  Grand  Bivers.  In  the  Greta- 
ceous shales  at  various  points  along  the  Gunnison  Biver. 
Tremolitb.  In  radiating  crystals  in  the  porphyritic  trachyte  on  station 

No.  38. 
Lignite.  {See  Coal) 

CATALOGUE  OT  BOCKS  COLLECTED  IN  1873  BY  A.  0.  PEALE,  MIDDLE   DIVISION 

UNITED  STATES  GEOLOGICAL  SUBVET. 


Na 


1 
S 
3 
i 
5 
6 
7 
8 
» 

!<► 
11 
12 


I7ame,  &o. 


Locality. 


Porphyry 

do 

do 

Gray  ailicoona  sandstone  (Cretaceoos) 
Mottled  limestone  (Cretaoeonst) 


Selenite. 
Gypsam 


Greenish  sandstone  (Cretaoeonst) 

Gray  sandstone,  Cretaceous 

Gteenish  sandstone 


Mines  on  Mount  Lincoln. 

Da 

Do. 
Station  No.  0,  on  Eagle  Biver. 
Below  station  No.  7,  on  Eagle  Blrer. 
Sooth  of  Eagle  Biver,  near  station  No.  6. 
Near  the  Junction  of  Eagle  and  Grand  Bivers. 

Da 
North  side  of  Eagle  Biver,  near  its  month. 
Station  No.  S0,  west  of  Bock  Creek. 
Anthracite  Creek,  near  Mount  MarcelUna. 

Da 


180 


OEOLOOICAL  SURVET  OF  THE  TERBITOBIES. 


Catalogue  of  rodcs  ooUtoted  in  1873  hy  A,  C,  PeaU,  ^*c. — Continued. 


Ko. 


Name,  &c. 


13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
90 
31 
» 


94 

95 
96 
97 

98 


99 
30 
31 
39 
33 

34 

35 

36 
37 
38 
39 

40 
41 
43 
43 
44 

45 
46 

47 
48 
49 
50 
51 
59 
53 
54 
55 
56 

57 

58 
50 
60 

61 
69 

63 
64 
65 


67 
68 


70 
71 


Porpbyritio  trachyte,  fh>in  dike  in  sandstoDes 
do 

PorphyriUo  trachyte 

do 

Brown  trachyte  t  from  hreoda ., 

......do 

Dark  greenish  trachyte  t  from  breccia 

LiK^t  reddish  tn&  from  breccia 

Black  traohytef  from  breccia 

Greenish  trachyte  f  from  breccia 

Black  trachyte  f  from  breccia 

Dark  gray  trachyte  from  breccia 

Light  gray  homblendio  trachyte  ftt>m  breccia. 

Oreenfoh  laminated  trachyte  from  breccia 

Ashy-gray  tafa  from  breccia 

Trachyte T  (dike  No.  1  in  Cretaceoos  rocks) ... 

Sandstone  conglomerate 

Trachyte  (dike  No.  9  in  Cretaceoos  rooks) 

Trachyte  (dike  No.  3  in  Cretaceoos  rocks) 

Trachyte  (dike  No.  4  in  Cretaceoos  rocks) 

Porphyritio  trachyte  (dike  in  Cretaoeons  sand- 
stones above  coal-bed). 

Porphyritio  trachyte  1 

Trachyte 

do 

Trachyte  (dike  in  Cretaceoos  rocks) 

Sandstone  (above  dike) 

Poi-phyritic  trachyte 

do 

do 

Trachyte  (dike) 

Sandstone  (above  dike) 

Bed  basalt  t 

Black  basalt  f 

do 

Black  basalt 

ArgillaceoQS  shale 

Black  basalt 

ParpUsh  basalt 

Black  basalt 

Amygdaloidal  basalt 

Red  vesioolar  basalt 

Tafa 

Black  basalt 

do 

ArgiUaceons  shale  (oaloareoas  Cretaceoos) 

Whitish  trachyte 

PorpUsh  trachyte 

Porphyritio  obsidian,  with  spheroles 

White  tnfk 

Gray  trachyte 

Porphjrritic  obsidian 

Porple  vesioolar  rfayolite,  with  hyolite  and 
chalcedony  in  the  cavities. 

Light  trachvte 

Parple  trachyte 

Purple  rhyoUte 

Tafaoeoos  trachyte  (in  breccia) 

Trachyte  in  breccia 

Trachyte,  greenish,  in  brecoia 


Locality. 


Anthracite  Creek,  near  Mount  Maroellina. 

Da 
Mount  Maroellina. 

Da 
West  Fork  of  Ohio  Creek. 

Da 

Do. 

Da 

Da 
Station  No.  31,  near  the  head  of  West  Foik  of 
Ohio  Creek. 

Do. 
Head  of  West  Fork  of  Ohio  Creek,  below  ita- 
tion  31. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Ridge  southeast  of  Station  No.  39,  between  head 
of  branches  of  Slate  River  and  Ohio  and  Aa> 
thraoite  Creeks. 

Do. 

Da 

Do. 

Do. 
Small  soothen  branch  of  Anthracite  Creek,  near 

the  head  of  the  creek. 
Station  30,  head  of  Ohio  Creek. 
Station  3J»  between  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gon- 

nison  and  Rook  Creek. 
Ridge  below  station  No.  34,  west  of  Coal  Creek. 
CoalCreek,  near  camp  36. 

Do. 
Summit  of  station  38,  east  of  Smith's  Fork  of  the 

Gunnison. 
Slope  of  station  38. 
Station  39,  east  of  station  38. 
North  side  of  Smith'sFork,  near  foot  of  station  3& 

Do. 
Station  40,  north  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gob- 
nison. 

Da 
Station  49,  between  North  Fork  of  Gunnison  and 

branches  of  Grand  River. 
Station  45.  northwest  of  station  49. 
Ridge  leading  to  station  47. 
Summit  of  station  48,  south  of  Gvaad  River. 
Slope  of  station  48,  south  ot  Grand  River. 
Base  of  station  48,  south  of  Grand  Rtver. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Tot>  of  mesa,  near  station  54,  south  of  Grand 

River,  norUi  end. 
Top  of  mesa,  near  station  59,  south  end,  east  of 

Gnnniaon  River. 
Bluff  on  Gunnison  River,  below  station  60. 
Station  71,  on  Gunnison  River. 
West  of  station  71,  on  north  side  of  Gnnnisos 
River. 

Da 
Above  station  73,  on  north  side  of  Gnnniios 
River. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Station  77,  on  north  side  of  the  Gunnison,  near 
the  Grand  CaSon. 
Do. 
SUtion  79.  on  south  fork  of  Smith's  Fork  of  Um 
Gunnison. 
Do. 
Do. 


REPORT 


OF 


F.  M.  ENDLICH,  S.  N.  D., 


181 


Washington,  D.  C,  May  15, 1875. 

Sib  :  I  have  the  honor  herewith  to  submit  my  report  for  1874. 
According  to  instracticus  received,  I  took  the  field  July  14,  1874,  as 
geologist  of  the  San  Juan  division,  and  returned  with  it  to  Denver, 
Colo.,  October  19, 1874.  During  that  time  more  than  3,000  square  miles 
were  surveyed  topographically  and  geologically,  including  all  that  sec- 
tion of  country  known  as  the '  San  Juan  mining  district.  The  very 
rugged  character  of  the  region,  and  the  inclemency  of  the  weather, 
impeded  our  progress  somewhat,  and  the  latter  not  unfrequently  was  a 
serious  obstacle  to  the  successful  and  speedy  completion  of  the  work. 

Four  chapters  and  a  '^  conclusion  "  comprise  the  accompanying  report. 
Some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  finding  a  suitable  basis  for  classifica- 
tion in  arranging  the  material  collected.  The  plan  of  dividing  by 
formations  was  ^opted  finally.  The  first  chapter  treats  of  the  meta- 
morphic  area,  the  second  of  the  volcanic,  the  third  of  the  sedimentary 
area.  In  the  fourth  chapter  the  geology  and  geognosy  of  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  of  the  mining  region,  as  well  as  the  mineralogical  features 
of  the  mines,  have  been  considered.  A  circumstance  that  will  let  this 
latter  chapter  perhaps  appear  somewhat  unsatisfactory  lay  in  the  fact 
that  the  lodes  discovered  and  claimed  had  in  but  very  few  instances 
been  worked  to  any  greater  extent  than  waB  required  by  law  to  hold 
a  good  title.  It  was  impossible,  therefore,  to  study  anything,  save  the 
surface  characteristics.  I  beg  leave  to  submit  this  chapter  merely  as  a 
preliminary  one,  hoping  to  be  able,  at  some  future  time,  to  make  inves- 
tigations upon  the  same  subject  when  all  conditions  may  be  more  favor- 
able. 

I  wish  here  to  express  my  thanks  to  Mr.  A.  D.  Wilson,  chief  topog- 
rapher of  the  San  Juan  division,  and  to  Mr.  F.  Bhoda,  his  assistant, 
for  their  uniform  kindness  and  courtesy  during  the  field-season  and  in 
the  office. 

To  Prof.  F.  B.  Meek  I  am  under  obligations  for  the  identification  of 
fossils.^ 

Hoping  that  this  report  may  meet  your  requirements,  I  have  the 
honor  to  remain  your  obedient  servant, 

FREDBEIO  M.  ENDLIOH. 

Dr.  F.  V.  Haydkn, 

Oeoloffist  in  Charge^  JJ.  S,  Geological  and 

Geographical  Survey  of  the  Territories. 


]&3 


Library.  Jt 

Of  r\^^rC^\.j^ 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  district  surveyed,  topographically  and  geologically,  by  the  San 
Jaan  division,  during  the  field-season  of  1874,  lies  between  the  107th 
and  108th  degrees  of  longitude  west,  and  between  37^  15^  and  38^  15' 
north  latitude.  Besides  this,  the  party  endeavored,  by  traveling  down 
the  Bio  Grande  to  Del  Norte,  and  from  there  eastward,  to  connect  with 
some  of  the  work  of  1873,  on  the  southern  line  of  the  district  then  sur- 
vey^. Two  large  rivers,  the  Bio  Grande  and  the  Bio  Animas,  head  in 
the  region  explored,  as  well  as  a  number  of  important  smaller  streams. 
Flowing  northward,  there  are,  beginning  in  the  east.  White  Earth  Creek, 
Lake  Fork,  and  Uncompahgre  Greek.  Bio  San  Miguel  and  Bio  Dolores 
flow  in  a  westerly  direction ;  Bio  Animas,  and  its  tributaries,  Cascade, 
Arimosa,  Junction,  Florida,  Vallecito,  Finos,  and  Piedra,  flow  south. 
Kamerons  small  creeks  help  to  complete  a  very  perfect  system  of  drain- 
age thronghoot  that  section  of  country,  admirable,  not  only  so  far  as 
horizontal  distribution  is  concerned,  but  also  regarding  the  amount  of 
water  they  carry. 

As  a  rule,  the  character  of  the  country  is  very  mountainous,  with 
numerous  high  and  rugged  peaks  studding  the  mountain  groups.  It 
would  not  be  correct  to  speak  of  ranges  or  mountain-chains  in  that 
country ;  the  only  appellation  that  can  properly  be  given  is  that  of  a 

Srotcp  of  large  extent.  A  marked  change  in  the  distribution  of  the 
igher  elevations  can  be  observed  as  soon  as  the  sedimentary  forma- 
tions are  reached,  and  it  is  there,  that  well-defined  ridges,  of  limited 
extent,  however,  occur.  Toward  the  north  and  west  the  mountains 
fall  off  steeply  into  the  plateau  country,  while  to  the  south  the  above- 
mentioned  ridges  serve  as  a  transitory  medium  between  the  high  and 
the  low  portions  of  the  district.  Kear  the  southern  limits  of  the  re- 
gion examined,  the.  well-known '^hog-backs'' set  in,  identical  in  form 
with  those  along  the  Front  range. 

Numerous  points  of  great  beauty  in  detail  can  be  noticed  throughout 
the  mountain  regions  just  mentioned.  Colors  in  great  variety,  exhibit- 
ing many  shades,  are  to  be  pbserved  in  a  number  of  localities,  and 
greatly  add  to  the  effect  produced  by  the  sometimes  almost  ideal  shape 
of  peaks  or  ridges.  The  tendency  of  volcanic  rocks,  which  compose  the 
greater  portion  of  our  dfstrict,  to  weather  in  columns,  gives  rise  to  the 
tbrmation  of  thousands  of  little  pinnacles,  not  unlike  Gothic  architecture 
ill  appearance.  Bugged  and  steep  is  the  character  of  the  mountain-sides, 
while  numerous  subsidences  produced  amphitheaters,  with  perpendic- 
alar  walls,  sometimes  of  considerable  extent.  Owing  to  the  horizontal 
stratification  of  the  volcanic  flows,  and  to  unquestionable  ruptures  of 
the  strata,  the  influence  of  atmospheric  agencies  has  sharply  carved 
the  outlines  of  peaks  and  small  ridges  in  well-defined  forms. 

Geologically  speaking,  the  variety  offered  is  not  so  great.  As  stated 
above,  volcanic  rocks  cover  the  larger  portion  of  the  area  surveyed, 
while  on  the  west  and  south  sides  of  it  the  sedimentary  beds  set  in.  A 
in^up  of  metamorphic  rocks  occupies  a  prominent  position,  and  is  well 
marked  by  its  sharp  peaks  and  deep  cations. 

Altogether,  the  region  is  one  of  very  considerable  interest  to  the 


186       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

geographer  as  well  as  to  the  geologist.  Although  bat  little  woald  be 
expected  from  the  volcanic  area  to  occupy  the  geologist's  atteution  and 
satisfy  his  desire  for  new  and  interesting  featores,  it  was  still  found  to 
possess  so  many  nttique  characters  that  it  could  but  be  regretted  that 
not  more  time  dare  be  given  to  the  study  of  detail  structure  and  com- 
position. Many  points  of  importance  must  have  escaxied  notice,  because 
the  rugged  character  of  the  country  is  such  that  much  may  be  hidden 
to  the  eye  of  one  who  cannot  command  over  an  almost  unlimited  amount 
of  time.  It  only  remains  to  be  hoped  that  subsequent  explorations, 
carried  out  on  a  larger  scale,  may  find  and  make  known  the  numerous 
interesting  localities  that  are  as  yet  undiscovered.  Large  as  the  cou- 
tinuous  volcanic  area  is,  extending  eastward  into  a  portion  of  the  work 
completed  in  1873,  its  boundaries  have  not  yet  been  reached.  During 
the  summer  of  1875,  the  same  party  will  have  an  opportunity  of  explor- 
ing the  adjacent  country  to  the  south,  and  no  doubt  important  facts 
will  be  observed  during  the  survey. 

In  intimate  relation  with  the  geognostic  features  of  the  district 
surveyed,  we  fiijd  the  distribution  of  the  drainage.  So  marked  is  the 
difference  appearing  in  the  plotted  sheets,  that  any  one  i'amiliar  with  the 
general  character  of  the  country,  might  deduce  from  the  horizontal  pro- 
jection of  drainage  the  approximate  outlines  of  geological  formations. 
This  would  not  be  possible,  were  there  extant  there  a  large  number  of 
such  formations,  consisting  each  of  numerous  members,  but  as  this  is 
not  the  case,  the  deciding  characteristics  for  each  geognostic  group  are 
well  defined. 


CHAPTER  I. 


METAMOEPHIO  AREA. 

The  metamorphic  area  sets  in  soath  of  the  headwaters  of  the  Bio 
Grande,  at  station  17,  and  from  there  continues  southward  for  about 
twenty  miles,  eastward  to  its  extreme  limit  for  twelve  miles.  For  four 
miles  east  of  station  17  these  rocks  follow  the  course  of  the  river,  i.  e., 
more  properly  speaking,  the  course  of  the  river  is  determined  by  them, 
and  then  they  bend  off  southward  again,  for  the  same  distance,  influ- 
encing the  course  of  a  creek  opposite  Pole  Greek.  After  that,  their 
border  runs  io  a  southeasterly  direction,  inclosing  all  that  high  mass  of 
mountains  that  we  have  designated  as  the  ^^  Quartzites.''  On  the  west- 
ern side  they  appro^timatel^  follow  the  course  of  the  Bio  Animas  down 
to  Animas  Park,  where  the  sedimentaries  set  in,  occuring  likewise  also 
in  the  valley.  As  an  estimate,  it  may  be  said  that  this  continuous  area 
of  metamorphics  covers  three  hundred  and  fifty  square  miles.  A  num- 
ber of  smaller  patches  of  the  same  class  of  rocks  occur  at  various  other 
points,  but  are  of  less  importance.  The  lowest  portions  of  Cunningham 
Gulch  contain  a  continuation  of  the  area  from  station  17 ;  northwest 
of  the  Bio  Grande  Pyramid  (station  21),  a  coarse-grained  granite  crops 
out  near  a  little  lake.  The  cafion  leading  down  northward  from  Han- 
die's  peak  (station  14),  contains  a  similar  granite;  on  Lake  Fork 
Greek,  opposite  station  12,  granite  again  occurs,  forming  a  few  small 
hills,  and  it  is  found  also  around  station  7,  extending  for  some  miles 
along  the  base  of  the  ridge.  In  the  lowest  part  of  White  Earth  Gallon 
a  schistose  rock  crops  out,  that  must  be  referred  to  this  group.  It  is 
overlaid  by  trachytes,  and  covers  but  a  small  area. 

This  large  metamoiphic  group,  from  a  geognostic  and  geological  point 
of  vieW|  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  features  that  the  district  presented. 
Lithologically  considered,  almost  every  variety  belonging  to  that  class 
can  be  observed,  although  the  mineralogical  variations  are  not  great. 
Kear  the  northern  border  and  toward  the  middle,  quartzites  and  schists 
predominate,  while  granite  appears  toward  the  east  and  south.  Mostly 
the  quartzites  are  of  a  white  or  gray  color,  gradually  becoming  filled 
with  mica  or  chlorite,  thus  turning  into  schists.  Numerous  small  veins 
of  white  quartz  traverse  this  rock,  which  must  at  one,  or  perhaps  vari- 
ous times,  have  been  subjected  to  considerable  strains,  whereby  the 
small  Assures  were  produced.  At  station  17  the  rock  assumes  very 
much  the  character  of  a  gneiss ;  the  mica  is  black,  quartz  gray,  feldspar 
whitish,  but  only  little  of  it,  texture  and  structure  gneissoid.  Going 
but  a  few  miles  to  the  north,  this  description  will  hold  good  no  longer. 
Although  for  some  distance  volcanic  rocks  cover  the  schists,  there  is  no 
doubt  in  my  mind  that  the  two — that  of  station  17  and  that  of  Gunning- 
ham  Gulch — are  in  connection  with  each  other.  The  feldspar,  howeves, 
and  the  mica  have  disappeared  and  are  replaced  by  chlorite.  Structur- 
ally there  is  no  marked  difference  between  them j  it  is  expressed  miuer- 
alogically  only.  Again,  traveling  southward  from  station  17,  we  first 
find  a  large  quantity  of  a  gray  micaceous  schist,  rich  in  quartz,  and  soon, 
near  station  25,  the  mica  begins  to  disappear,  so  that  we  have  a  gray 
quartzite.    This  is  the  predominating  rock  throughout  the  highest  por- 

187 


188       GEOLOGICAL  SUBVET  OF  THE  TERRTTOBIES. 

tions  of  the  ragged  group,  that'has  tberefirom  received  its  name.  Local 
variations  occar  qnite  freqaently,  bat  cannot  be  considered  as  the  rale. 
Extremely  varied  and  complicated  we  find  the  stratigraphical  relations 
of  these  quartzites.  The  only  fact  thatcoald  be  observed  with  any  ao- 
caracy,  and  the  only  one  that  is  of  any  direct  valae,  is,  that  the  anticli- 
nal axis  ranning  throagh  the  sedimentaries  farther  westward,  continaes 
east  throagh  the  qaartzites,  giving  rise  to  the  formation  of  some  of  the 
highest  peaks  in  the  groap.  In  treating  of  this  axis  sabseqaently,  this 
continnation  will  also  be  discassed,  and  the  mention  of  it  here  shall  saf- 
fice  for  the  present.  Eastward  nearly  as  far  as  station  21,  the  qnartzites 
retain  their  character  as  sach,  not  changing  into  granite  nntil  near  sta- 
tion 22.  To  the  soathwest  of  station  21  the  qnartzites  dip  regalarly  in 
a  northerly  direction,  at  an  angle  of  aboat  16^,  and  are  overlaid  by 
trachyte  No.  4,  horizontally  stratified,  showing  condnsively  that  cer- 
tainly the  later  trachytic  flows  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  metamorpho- 
sis, or,  at  least  directly,  with  the  upheaval  of  the  group.  At  some 
other  points,  which  shall  be  mentioned  hereafter,  evidence  was  obtained 
that  will  exclnde  the  trachytic  eruptions  entirely  from  caVising  any  of 
the  changes  there  observed. 

Along  this  edge  the  quartzite  is  generally  of  a  light  grey  or  white 
color,  containing  interstrata  of  grey,  fine-grained  schists  with  twins  and 
single  crystals  of  stauroliteb  Mount  Oso  (station  23),  reaching  an  eleva- 
tion of  13,640  feet  above  sea-level,  is  within  the  quartzitic  area,  but  some 
distance  south  of  it  schists  again  set  m.  Mr.  Wilson  noticed  on  that  peak 
a  fine- grained,  white  sandstone,  in  all  probability  the  one  that  furnished 
the  material  for  the  formation  of  this  quartzite.  West  and  southwest 
of  station  17,  the  same  rock  continues,  liable  to  the  same  lithological 
changes  as  at  other  points.  Station  38  is  located  on  it,  from  where  it  ex- 
tends southward  for  about  eight  miles  more,  when  granite  makes  its  ap- 
pearance. The  cafions  cut  into  this  quartzite  are  extremely  precipitous 
and  rough  to  pass  through.  Well-defined  strata  of  the  hard  material  form 
at  their  edges  numerous  ledges,which  decomposing  agents  have  in  vain 
endeavored  to  level.  Slides,  partly  snow-slides,  partly  rock-slides,  have 
often  polished  the  faces  of  the  mountains,  or  sides  of  canons,  so  as  to  pre- 
clude all  possibility  of  ready  ascent.  Glacial  action  has  also  had  its  effect 
upon  the  walls,  and  is  made  more  evident  from  the  distribution  of  er- 
ratic bowlders.  Of  this  we  shall  speak  below.  Owing  to  the  compact 
structure  of  the  strata,  and  the  impenetrable  character  of  the  material 
composing  them,  but  little  of  the  precipitated  moisture  finds  its  way  to 
any  considerable  depth.  In  consequence  of  this  peculiarity,  the  creeks 
and  streams,  if  even  only  flowing  a  few  miles,  are  very  swift  and  carry  a 
large  amount  of  water.  Wherever  the  drainage  has  no  rapid  fall,  so 
that  the  waters  cannot  flow  off,  it  stagnates,  and  forms  disagreeable 
swamps.  Owing  to  the  hardness  of  the  rock,  and  the  fact  that  it  so 
well  resists  decomposition  and  disintegration,  the  debris  slopes  appear 
to  be  constantly  balanced,  and  upon  being  disturbed,  the  disturber  will 
not  infrequently  be  greeted  by  an  avalanche  of  the  rocks  descending  to- 
ward him. 

A  number  of  large  streams  head  in  the  Quartzite  Mountains,  and 
receive  there  a  bountiful  supply  of  water.  Some  of  the  largest  are  the 
Kio  Florida,  Bio  Piuos,  and  Eio  Yallecito,  all  of  them  tributaries  of  the 
Animas,  and  flowing  in  a  southerly  direction.  One  of  the  well-known 
local  features  that  is  produced  by  the  steep  character  of  the  Quartzites 
is  the  Animas  GaOon,  several  miles  below  Baker's  Park.  This  caOon  has 
very  steep  sides,  and  is  generally  considered  impassable.  At  many 
points  the  transition  of  quartzite  into  mica  schist  or  the  reverse  conld  be 
observed,  but  a  lack  of  time  did  not  permit  us  to  follow  this  out  in  detail. 


WDUCH.]  METAMORPHICS.  189 

Could  it  have  beeD  accomplished,  probably  some  very  interesting  factls 
might  have  been  elicited. 

Less  in  horizontal  extent,  but  jast  as  well  marked  in  their  structure, 
are  the  schists.  Scarcely  at  any  point  were  they  found  entirely  free  fh)m 
bands  of  a  more  decidedly  quartzitic  character,  but  are  generally  easily 
distinguishable  by  their  darker  colors.  They,  too,  show  very  much 
variation  in  dip  and  strike,  owing,  probably,  to  small  local  contortions 
and  slides.  A  general  dip  northwaid  on  the  one  side  of  the  anticlinal, 
and  southward  on  the  other,  may  be  observed,  however,  and  to  some 
extent  determines  the  outlines  of  the  mountain-sides,  their  more  or  less 
precipitous  character.  As  a  rule  they  seem  to  be  older  than  the  granite, 
but  it  was  not  possible  to  establish  this  point  beyond  a  doubt,  as  the 
above-mentioned  disturbances  have  produced  so  many  abnormal  posi- 
tions of  the  beds  with  reference  to  each  other  that  it  becomes  a  matter 
of  great  difficulty  to  establish  their  true  relations.  Schists  were  found 
at  no  other  localities  in  the  district,  except  in  the  Quartzite  group,  and 
a  few  points  immediately  adjacent.  That  they  extend  for  some  distance 
under  the  trachytes,  I  am  very  much  inclined  to  believe,  but  it  must 
be  at  considerable  depth. 

Kear  station  22,  the  granitic  area  sets  in,  continuing  from  there 
southward  toward  the  sedimentary  ridges.  As  a  rule,  the  granite  may 
be  said  to  be  coarse  grained,  with  two  feldspars.  In  contradistinction 
to  the  quartzites  the  granites  form  less  steep  and  rugged  points,  owing 
to  the  facility  with  which  atmospheric  agents  act  upon  their  mineral 
constitnents.  Southward  this  rock  sets  in,  a  short  distance  below 
station  23,  and  from  there  continues  west  to  the  Bio  Animas,  forming 
the  bed  of  that  river  for  about  nine  miles.  All  the  granite  in  this 
southerly  region  shows  a  remarkably  regular  stratification,  not  only  an 
apparent  one,  produced  by  the  main  cleavage-plane  of  the  feldspar  or 
mica  lying  in  one  direction.  True  to  what  was  stated  above,  the  dip  of 
the  strata  is  in  conformity  with  that  of  the  quartzites  and  schists,  away 
from  the  anticlinal  axis  toward  the  south.  Generally  it  is  not  very 
marked,  but  still  reaches  7^  to  1(K>.  All  along  the  Animas  we  did  not 
observe  the  junction  of  the  sedimentaries  with  the  granite.  The  lattei 
was  exposed  in  the  valley,  while  the  former  appear^  in  steep  bluffs  on 
either  side.  From  the  dips  observed,  however,  it  became  evident  that 
the  two  were  conformable,  and  later  in  the  season  we  had  occasion  to 
verify  this  fact.  Owing  to  the  stratification  of  this  metamorphic  rock, 
and  furthermore  to  its  gentle  southward  dip,  it  forms  rounded  bowlders, 
in  ptmtu^  that  bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  roches-mout&nnSeSj  but 
I  am  not  prepared  to  regard  them  as  such  only. 

It  <nay  be  well  to  give  the  mineralogical  characteristics  of  a  few  of 
the  most  frequently  observed  varieties  of  this  granite  before  proceeding 
any  further. 

a  is  a  coarse-grained  variety,  composed  of  orthoclase,  oligoclase, 
mica,  and  quartz.  The  orthoclase  is  pink,  translucent,  sometimes  in 
Garlsbad  twins,  and  is  the  predominating  mineral.  No  parallel  arrange- 
ment of  the  main  cleavage-planes  can  be  observed.  Oligoclase  is  white 
to  Itght-gray,  somewhat  inclined  to  decomposition.  Mica  is  black,  very 
thoroughly  mixed  in  with  the  other  minerals,  not  crystallized.  It  is  prob- 
ably biotite,  and  assumes  when  decomposing  a  splendent  brown  color. 
Quartz  is  yellowish  to  gray  with  a  decidedly  greenish  tinge.  It  is  least 
in  quantity  as  a  rule.  As  an  accessory  mineral,  magnetite  may  be 
mentioned.  This  variety  is  the  one  roost  frequently  found,  and  ex- 
tends, with  local  changes,  certainly  from  station  22  southward  to  sta- 
tion 52,  from  there  west,  past  station  48,  over  to  the  Animas.  It  weathers 
readily  and  forms  sands  and  small  irregular  bowlders,    b.  Another  variety 


190       GEOLOGICAL  SUBYET  OF  THE  TERBITORIES. 

occnrring  at  many  localities,  altboagb  not  coveriDg  so  extensive  an  area 
as  the  preceding  one,  consists  of  orthoclase,  mica,  and  qaartz.  It  is  fine- 
grained, and  has,  on  acconnt  of  a  comparatively  large  quantity  of  mica, 
a  dark  color.  The  orthoclase  crystals  are  colorless,  transparent,  very 
intimately  associated  with  theqoartz  and  mica»  This  latter  is  dark-brown 
to  black,  showing  single  crystals-  Quartz  is  white  to  colorless,  some- 
times grayish.  In  consequence  of  the  compact  texture,  this  rock 
successfully  resists  decomposing  influences,  and,  wherever  found,  stands 
out  more  prominently  than  the  one  before  described,  c.  A  third  variety 
differs  from  the  two  preceding  in  appearance  as  well  as  in  quantitative 
composition,  Orthoclase,  quartz,  and  mica  form  the  crystalline  aggre- 
gate. The  orthoclase  is  pink,  translucent,  occurring  in  very  small  par- 
ticles, and  is  by  far  predominating  in  quantity.  Quartz  is  colorless  to 
gray,  and  the  mica  black,  occurring  very  sparingly.  In  consequence  of 
the  fact  that  orthoclase  forms  the  main  bulk  of  the.  rock,  it  has  a  pink 
color,  and  looks  in  reality  more  like  a  crystalline  mineral  than  like  a 
compound  of  separate  minerals.  With  reference  to  its  position  to  the 
two  varieties  described  above,  it  may  be  said  that  it  occurs  in  bands 
or  strata  within  the  first  one.  Had  it  been  feasible,  it  would  have  been 
extremely  interesting  and  important  to  study  the  relations  that  these 
distinct  varieties  bear  to  each  other,  and  to  determine  whether  their 
relative  position  is  constant  under  the  same  relative  conditions. 

A  phenomenon  of  some  interest  was  observed  a  short  distance  west- 
ward of  station  22.  Some  of  the  trachytes,  belonging  to  Nos.  2  and  3, 
have  flown  toward  the  Quartzites,  bat  it  appears  that  the  latter  mi^ 
have  been  too  high  for  them  at  the  time,  and  they  were  not  reached. 
At  the  point  indicated,  a  very  large  mass  of  the  volcanic  material  has 
tallen  down  perpendicularly  for  a  distance  of  about  700  feet.  This 
shows  that  at  one  time  a  cave  must  have  existed  there,  as  the  possibil- 
ity of  the  place  having  been  underwashed  is  excluded  by  orographical 
features  as  well  as  by  the  physical  character  of  the  underlying  rook. 
It  has  frequently  been  noticed,  that  at  the  junction  of  non- volcanic  and 
volcanic  rocks,  caves  were  formed,  and  it  seems  probable  that  we  have 
in  this  case  an  analogous  occurrence  of  very  considerable  extent. 

Besides  this  continuous  grauitic  area  there  are  the  isolated  points 
mentioned  above.  Near  station  7,  the  granite  is  coarse-grained,  with 
orthoclase  only,  readily  decomposing.  Kear  Lake  Fork,  opposite  sta- 
tion 12,  and  at  Handi^s  Peak  it  is  very  coarse,  with  large  crystals  of 
orthoclase  and  white  oligoclase.  On  the.  ridge  near  station  21  it  is  of 
the  same  character,  with  a  liairge  percentage  of  black  mica,  giving  it 
upon  first  sight  the  appearance  of  syenite.  At  all  these'  localities  it  is 
exposed  for  a  short  distance  only,  being  covered  by  the  overlying 
trachytes.  The  irregularity  in  the  elevation  of  these  outcrops  points 
to  the  fact  that  either  the  volcanic  disturbances  must  have  had  a  very 
marked  effect  upon  the  material  the  lava  penetrated,  or  that  prior  to 
them  already  the  coo  figuration  of  the  country  was  a  much  varied  one. 

I  am  more  inclined  to  the  latter  view,  from  the  fact  mainly  that  we 
find  such  a  very  considerable  thickness  of  the  volcanic  strata  at  numer- 
ous places,  while  at  others,  although  the  difference  in  absolute  elevation 
would  not  warrant  it,  this  thickness  dwindles  down  to  a  merely  nominal 
figure  compared  with  the  former. 

A  question  of  considerable  interest,  and  at  the  same  time  one  that  I 
believe  can  be  satisfactorily  answered,  is  that  touching  the  origin  of 
this  metamorpbic  group.  Along  the  northern  and  eastern  borders  of 
the  area  covered  by  the  rocks  of  this  series,  no  evidence  was  obtained 
that  would  furnish  a  satisfactory  clew  to  the  answer.  On  the  north- 
western and  southern  edges,  however,  several  points  were  found  that 


BTOUCH.]  METAM0RPHIC8.  191 

decide  the  question  beyond  a  doubt.  Station  48  is  located  on  an  isolated 
patch  of  Upper  Devonian  limestone^  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  granite, 
answering  in  mineralogical  description  to  the  first  one  above  given  (a). 
The  Devonian  strata  are  deposited  on  the  granitic  strata  conformably^ 
both  dipping  south  15^  west,  with  a  dip  of  from  4P  to6o.  Traveling  south- 
ward from  station  4^  toward  station  49,  we  pass  for  nearly  a  mile  through 
a  lower  sag,  the  bottom  of  which  is  formed  by  granite.  Eising  slightly 
on  this  granite,  a  steep  bluff  is  soon  reached,  composed  below  of  hard 
qnartzites,  with  sandstones  and  limestones  higher  up.  All  the  strata 
dip  conformably  with  the  well-defined  strata  of  the  granite,  in  the  direc- 
tion and  at  the  angle  indicated  above.  From  the  quartzite  into  granite 
the  transition  is  very  perfect,  although  even  small  specimens  can  be 
found  showing  on  the  one  side  granite,  on  the  other  a  granular  red 
quartzite.  Near  the  top  of  the  bluff  the  latter  is  white  or  yellowish, 
becoming  red  and  brown  lower  down.  Finally  some  mica  is  observed 
in  it,  and  the  feldspar  appears  as  such,  until  the  coarse-grained 
granite  is  reached.  The  metamorphosis  is  very  thorough,  and  can 
be  admirably  studied  at  this  point.  So  far  as  I  could  decide,  the 
granite  was  formed  out  of  a  partly  argillaceous  sandstone,  contain- 
ing some  iron  in  an  oxidized  state,  while  the  purer  sandstones  were 
turned  into  qnartzites.  Probably  the  process  of  metamorphosis  was 
a  very  slow  one,  and  lasted  a  long  time.  Throughout  the  stratifi- 
cation is  well  preserved  in  all  the  rocks  of  that  group,  but  partic- 
ularly so  in  the  granite  of  the  locality  just  described.  Even  the  thick- 
nesses of  the  various  strata  which  have  been  altered  into  granite,  cor- 
respond approximately  to  those  at  present  exhibited  by  the  superincum- 
bent beds.  At  that  point,  i.  6.,  a  short  distance  north  of  station  48,  the 
granite  overlies  the  dark  schists,  which  in  turn  seem  to  be  younger 
than  the  true  qnartzites  forming  the  main  bulk  of  the  mountains  still 
farther  north.  Another  locality  was  observed,  where  the  metamor- 
phics  showed  their  mtimate  connection  with  unchanged  sedimentary 
beds,  although  not  so  clearly  defined  as  at  station  48.  West  and  southwest 
of  station  38,  on  the  west  side  of  Animas  Canon,  there  appears  in  the  ravine 
below  the  station  a  coarse-grained,  white  sandstone,  that,  from  strati- 
graphical  reasons,  I  refer  to  the  Upper  Silurian.  By  following  out  the 
course  of  this  sandstone,  it  will  be  found  that  it  gradually  changes  into 
a  white  and  gray,  very  compact  quartzite.  To  establish  the  precise  local- 
ity where  this  change  occurs, -did  not  succeed. 

Besides  this  direct  evidence,  pointing  to  the  origin  of  the  metamor- 
phics  under  consideration,  their  geoguostic  features  are  similar,  in 
fact  at  many  places  identical,  with  those  that  sedimentaries  would  have 
exhibited  under  the  same  circumstances.  Not  at  any  point  along  the 
border  of  this  group  did  we  find  rocks  that  were  older  than  Devonian, 
with  the  exception  of  that  white  sandstone  near  station  38.  Taking 
into  consideration,  theretbre,  the  observed  conformity  of  the  underlying 
metamorphics  with  the  overlying  sedimentaries ;  taking  into  considera- 
tion, furthermore,  the  analogous  character  of  stratigraphical  relations, 
the  conclusion  must  be  reached  that  those  sedimentary  beds,  which 
existed  below  the  Devonian,  furnished  the  material  for  the  metamorphic 
masses.  The  presence  of  the  sandstone  near  station  38,  which  was  not 
observed  at  any  other  point,  speaks  for  the  existence  at  one  time  of 
sedimentary  beds  below  and  conformable  with  those  we  now  find. 
Almost,  if  not  entirely,  the  Silurian  has  disappeared,  and  at  some  local- 
ities only  the  highest  strata  of  the  Upper  Devonian  remain,  while  at 
others  many  hundred  feet  are  yet  unaltered.  Altogether  the  region  is 
of  the  highest  interest,  and  it  can  only  be  regretted  that  very  unfavor- 


192       GEOLOGICAL  SURVET  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

able  weather  and  a  lack  of  time  prevented  as  fn^m  spending  as  mnch 
time  there  as  we  shonld  have  wished  to  expend  npon  it. 

Another  characteristic  of  that  gronp  dare  not  be  overlooked,  as  its 
consequences  have  a  more  or  less  direct  bc^ng  on  geognostic  features. 
Owing  to  the  position  that  this  high  mass  of  peaks  takes  to  the  adjoin- 
ing low  country,  rain  or  snow  fall  is  very  firequent.  Daring  the  entire 
summer,  whenever  we  had  a  view  of  that  section  of  coontry,  it  could 
almost  invariably  be  noticed  to  rain  or  snow,  and  during  our  trips 
through  its  mountains  we  had  ample  opportunity  to  verify  the  observa- 
tions made  from  a  distance. 

It  is  apparent  that,  in  a  case  of  that  kind,  glaciers  might  form  that 
would  have  considerable  influence  upon  the  shaping  of  the  configuration 
in  detail;  although  the  falling  of  dSlnis  will  frequently  produce  results 
similar  to  those  furnished  by  moving  ice.  A  number  of  points  were 
observed  where  the  rounding  off  and  striation  of  the  sides  of  canons  or 
gorges,  and  the  deposition  of  large,  washed  bowlders,  left  no  doubt  as 
to  their  origin.  This  was  observ^  particularly  well  on  the  headwaters 
of  Yallecito  Creek,  northwest  of  Mount  Oso  (station  23).  Near  station 
38  another  locality  showing  the  effects  of  glacial  action  was  observed. 
The  hard  quartzite  strata  exposed  their  edges,  having  a  dip  of  about  239 
to  the  northwest.  From  the  north  and  south  ridge  upon  which  the 
station  was  located,  the  ice  had  come  down,  rounded  off  all  the  sharp 
edges  of  the  quartzite  strata,  and  had  polished  and  striated  such  por- 
tions that  were  too  high  to  be  covered.  Three  or  four  of  these  small 
glaciers  must  have  moved  side  by  side,  separated  by  narrow  ridges. 
Toward  the  main  ridge  the  ground  is  scooped  out  dee|>(}r  than  some 
distance  from  it,  and  the  heads  of  the  upturned  strata  are  worn  away 
more  at  the  end  facing  it  Numerous  small  lakes,  or,  in  some  places, 
swamps,  are  found  in  the  holows  produced  by  the  passage  of  ice  and 
rocks. 

As  mentioned  above,  some  of  the  granitic  rocks  in  the  Animas  Val- 
ley, above  Animas  City,  have  the  characteristics  of  rockes-fnautannSef. 
Below  Animas  City  there  is  a  narrow  valley  aboat  one  and  a  half  miles 
wide  on  average,  and  ten  miles  long,  the  Animas  Park,  so-called.  The 
soil  of  this  valley  is  composed  of  drift,  originating  to  great  extent  in  the 
granitic  areas.  Although  I  should  not  be  prepared  to  attribute  its 
presence  entirely  to  glacial  action,  it  seems  probable  that  the  ice- masses, 
which  certainly  existed  at  one  time  higher  up  along  the  river,  ihight 
have  extended,  at  least  periodically^  downward,  and  thus  may  have 
added  their  share  to  the  transportation  of  erratic  material.  As  is  al- 
ways the  case  in  a  comparatively  level  valley,  where  the  character  of 
the  river-bed  offers  but  little  resistance  to  the  eroding  influence  of  flow- 
ing water,  here,  too,  the  river  gradually  meanders  through  it  in  many 
curves,  and  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  action  of  the  waters  alone 
carried  perhaps  repeatedly  over  the  same  ground  would  be  fully  able  to 
produce  the  result  observed. 

In  a  country  where  the  winters  are  very  severe,  where  the  precipita- 
tion is  considerable,  and  where  the  character  of  the  mountains  and 
canons  is  sa  singularly  favorable  to  allow  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the 
water  to  flow  ofl',  local  temporary  glaciers  may  be  formed  more  readily 
than  where  the  cited  conditions  are  wanting.  Shonld  this  be  continoed 
for  any  length  of  time,  the  result  will  be  a  series  of  phenomena  analo- 
gous if  not  identical  with  those  observed  in  regions  where  persistent 
glaciers  exist.  The  absence  of  any  well-developed  moraines  at  the 
localities  just  described,  inclines  me  to  the  view  that  such  may  have 
been  the  case  in  these  instances. 


CHAPTER   II. 


VOLCANIC  AREA. 

By  far  the  greater  area  of  the  district  surveyed  during  the  summer 
of  1874  is  covered  by  volcanic  rocks.  ^S^eaily  1,800  square  miles  of 
volcaiiics  join  on  to  the  region  of  1,400  square  miles  which  were  reported 
npon  the  year  previous  (lie[K)rt  United  States  Geological  and  Geo- 
graphical Surv'ey,  1873).  It  is  evident  that,  where  so  large  a  mass  of 
volcanic  material  was  ejected  and  spread  over  the  country,  that  innu- 
merable varieties  will  be  found,  and  considerable  difficulty  will  be 
encountered  in  the  attempt  to  reduce  all  the  observed  occurrences  to 
features  already  well  known. 

Orographically  this  area  may  properly  be  divided  into  three  definite 
systems — into  the — 

Plateau  country, 

£/ii^  country,  and 

Mountain  country. 

The  first,  the  Vlaieau  country,  rises  to  considerable  elevations, 
averaging  about  12,700  feet  above  sea-level  for  the  summit.  Geognosti- 
cally  the  latter  are  mostly  composed  of  basalt,  although  trachyte 
plateaus  are  not  wanting.  Stations  3,  4,  and  5  are  located  on  plateaus 
of  this  character,  and  may  serve  as  types.  Sloping  off  to  the  east, 
veering  around  in  that  direction  to  the  nori/h  and  south,  they  present 
very  steep  sides  on  the  west  and  toward  the  south.  Owing  to  the  high 
elevation,  their  summits  are  barren,  onlj'  the  rocky  debris  covering 
them.  Analogous  in  appearance,  but  varying  from  tbem  in  every  other 
respect,  is  the — 

BLUFF  COUNTEY. 

As  such,  I  mean  to  designate  all  those  sloping  ridges  that  have  been 
formed  by  very  extensive  flows  of  the  volcanic  material,  show  a  plateau- 
like  summit,  but  rarely  reach  the  elevation  of  those  before  described, 
nor  the  horizontal  extent.  In  contradistinction  to  them  they  are  inva- 
riably formed  by  trachytic  flowd.  Deep  and  precipitous  caiions  cut 
through  them,  partly  the  reHult  of  separation  by  strain,  partly  by 
erosion.  To  this  class  all  the  lower  regions  of  our  district  belong. 
Frequently  they  are  densely  wooiied,  or  show  grassy  flats.  As  a  type, 
the  regions  on  either  side  of  the  Uio  Grande,  between  Lost  Trail  Creek 
and  Antelope  Park,  might  serve,  varying  in  elevation  from  10,000  to 
12,000  feet. 

THE  MOUNTAIN  OOCNTEY 

comprises  all  the  western  and  northwestern  portion  of  the  district, 
where  the  highest  elevations  were  found,  upward  of  14,300  feet,  and 
which  present  the  most  rugged  aspect.  It  is  here  that  the  volcanic 
rocks  reach  their  highest  development,  their  greatest  thickness.  Kegu- 
larly  stratified,  the  mountains  are  separated  hy  narrow  but  deep  canons, 
containing  swift  mountainstreams*  This  section,  too,  will  comprise  all 
13  H  193 


194       GEOLOGICAL  BUBVET  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

the  oreboarinir  regioDfl  of  the  San  Jnan  miniDg  district,  and  from  there 
over  to  Mount  Sneffels  (Rtation  33).  While  the  orograpbical  character  is 
sufficiently  precipitous,  there  is  not  that  regularity  which  can  be  observed 
in  the  country  of  long-continued,  raore  unitorm  flows — in  the  bluff  conn- 
try.  Although  here,  too,  single  strata  may  be  traced  without  difficulty 
for  miles,  as  well  as  in  the  former,  the  mountains  or  groups  containing 
them  are  mostly  separated  by  deep  ravines,  and  the  continuity  of  the 
stratum  is  not  so  apparent  at  a  glance.  The  flows  that  form  the  high- 
est peaks  have  been  of  much  greater  thickness,  occurring  at  a  time, 
probably,  when  the  bluff  country  was  too  high  to  be  reached,  but  sab- 
sequeut  disturbances,  upheavals,  and  depressions  have  endowed  the 
region  with  a  wild,  grand  character.  No  regularity  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  higher  portions  can  be  observed,  no  chains  or  regular  systems  of 
mountains.  Taking  the  entire  high  volcanic  country  into  considera- 
tion, it  cannot  be  termed  otherwise  than  a  group.  Upon  the  strati- 
graphical  relations  of  this  group — for  the  flows  are  so  regular  in  their 
succession  that  we  can  treat  them  as  strata — more  will  be  s^iid  below. 

In  the  drainage,  too,  of  the  district,  the  difference  between  at  least 
the  bluff  and  the  mountain  country  can  be  observed.  While,  in  the 
former,  the  streams  run  ^  more  regular  course,  one  more  nearly  ap- 
proaching the  straight  line,  the  creeks  and  streams  of  the  latter  make 
numerous  turns  and  curves,  probably  being  forced  to  do  so  by  the  pri- 
mary distribution  of  the  mountains,  and  not  the  reverse,  that  the 
nountains owe  their  first  form  and  present  condition  altogether  to  ero- 
sion. Numerous  plaices  may  be  found  in  this  volcanic  section  where 
large  masses  of  rcck  have  fallen  down,'at  times,  for  several  thousaud 
feet,  and  are  now  lying  immediately  below  the  perpendicular  cliff  that 
their  falling  produced. 

In  speaking  of  this  volcanic  area,  it  will  probably  be  best  to  divide 
it  according  to  its  drainage,  and  after  the  discussion  ui)on  that  plan  is 
finished,  give  the  most  interesting  and  instructive  points  in  detail. 
A  consideration  based  upon  the  (^everal  strata  that  are  defined  below, 
might  prove  satisfactory  were  it  not  for  the  circumstance  that  so  many 
streams,  mountains,  and  other  localities  of  the  region  in  question,  have 
thus  far  not  been  supplied  with  names.  Accordingly,  therefore,  the 
main  streams  and  their  tiibutaries  will  be  utilized  as  a  means  facilita- 
ting classification. 

The  liio  Grande,  from  its  head-waters  eastward  to  Del  Norte,  runs 
entirely  in  volcanic  material,  as  well  as  all  its  tributaries  from  the 
norih,  while  some  of  its  southwestern  ones  head  in  the  quartzite  regions. 
W^hite  Earth  Greek  and  all  its  tributaries  are  within  the  volcanic  area 
so  far  as  surveyed  during  1874,  Lake.  Fork  and  Uncompahgre  Greeks 
are  almost  entirely  within  the  limits  of  this  area.  Of  the  Bio  Animas 
only  the  head-wateru  enter  into  consideration  this  time. 

Traveling  over  so  large  an  area  of  these  formations,  it  soon  became 
apparent  that  a  certain  regularity  existed  among  the  various  members 
comprising  the  entire  system  of  volcanics.  Inasmuch  as  the  flows  were 
well  defined,  the  breccias  easily  recognizable,  and  both  could  be  traced 
for,  sometimes,  considerable  distances,  the  idea  presented  itself  to  sepa- 
rate the  best-characterized  groups,  and  giving  them  lumbers  (analogous 
'o  the  numbering  of  sedimentary  formations),  thus  facilitate  both 
lescription  and  subsequent  classification.  The  absence  of  well-defined 
propylite  and  andesite,  the  two  oldest  eruptive  rocks  of  the  Tracbor- 
beitic  group,  is  somewhat  astonishing,  but  it  seems,  from  evidence,  that 
the  eruptions  of  the  material  in  our  present  district  were  later  than 
A  of  the  1873  district.    Besides  the  large,  continuous  mass  we  are 


wDuciLj  V0LCANIC8.  195 

speaking  of  at  present,  there  are  a  number  of  isolated  one.s,  but  nowhere 
were  the  two  rocks  just  mentioned  met  with.  It  seems  that  the  magma 
which  upou  cooling  produced  our  present  trachyte,  was  existing  in 
enormous  quantities  and  gave  rise  to  the  numerous  varieties  that  now 
reach  altogether  a  thickness  of  7,000  to  8,000  feet.  Throughout  the 
entire  mass  the  trachy  tic  character  is  constant,  changinglooally,  however, 
ou  account  of  reheating,  perhaps.  As  usual,  the  tuff's  and  breccia  inci- 
dent to  the  formation  of  the  trachyte  are  found.  Were  it  not  for  the 
surprising  regularity  manifested  both  in  a  horizontal  and  vertical  direc- 
tion, the  correct  recognition  and  classification  ot  the  many  varieties  under 
consideration  must  necessarily  be  rendered  extremely  difficult;  a)  toget  her 
impossible  for  the  short  time  that  we  could  spend  among  them.  The 
schedule  based  upon  observation  of  the  various  strata  at  numerous- 
points  will  give  a  general  idea  of  the  vertical  distribution.  Single 
features  of  tho  same  strata  were  foc^d  to  be  of  great  regularity  and 
materially  aided  in  the  identification. 

No.  1  is  very  readily  distinguished  by  the  variegated  appearance 
produced  by  a  succession  or  change  of  different  colors.  Frequently  the 
white,  grayish,  or  yellowish  colors  predominate,  but  pink,  red,  green, 
and  almost  black  are  not  wanting.  In  general  ai>pearance  the  members 
of  this  number  present  the  characteristics  of  a  series  of  "variegated 
marl^."  They  form  steep  walls,  weathering  in  small  columnar  masses, 
or  they  show  smooth,  rounded  bluffs,  the  colors  of  which  are  beautifully 
blended.  Should  any  isolated  hard  strata  be  contained  in  the  series, 
they  will  show  themselves  as  small  monument-shaped  projections  ou 
the  face  of  the  bluff,  or  weather  in  such  forms  that  the  play  of  fancy 
can  readily  picture  them  as  imitations  of  animate  beings.  Water-courses 
cut  deeply  into  the  loosely -cemented  material,  and  aid  in  forming  the 
picturesque  groups  that  may  otten  be  observed.  On  one  of  the  branches 
of  Lake  Fork  Creek  a  very  curious  group  of  "  monuments "  was 
observed  in  the  trachyte  of  this  number,  illustrated  by  the  accompany- 
ing cut.  From  the  high  plateau  upon  which  stations  3  and  4  are 
located,  broken  fragments  of  basalt  have  rolled  down  the  steep  hill  and 
found  a  resting-place  on  a  small  grassy  slope  near  the  creek.  Heavy 
rain-storms  gradually  eroded  the  soft  underlying  material.  This,  protected 
in  the  vertical  direction  by  tbe  basalt  block,  assumed  a  columnar  form 
in  course  of  time,  affording  a  sufficiently  large  resting-place  to  the  rock 
that  has  produced  this  striking  result.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  there 
were  quite  a  large  number  of  these  "monuments"  clustered  together 
in  a  ravine  that  had  been  thus  washed  out.  With  theprogress  of  erosion, 
the  top  of  the  conical  pedestal  holding  the  heavy  block  must  assume 
a  still  more  conical  shape,  and  the  latter  will  fall.  Several  of  these 
columns  were  between  twenty  and  thirty  feet  high.  Differing  from  those 
in  Eastern  Colorado,  these  monuments  do  not  show  smooth  sides,  but  a 
corrugated  surface,  produced  by  the  constant  dripping  of  rain  during 
storms  and  other  similar  reasons. 

This  trachyte  No.  1  reaches  an  average  thickness  of  about  800  feet 

•Wbeu  fully  developed.    It  might  properly  be  termed  a  tuff,  although  at 

layers  occur  in  it  that  would  forbid  any  such  appellation  if  found 

ted.    Generally  the  material  composing  this  series  of  strata  is  a 

feldspathic  aggregate  loosely  cemented.    At  some  points  larger 

lents  are  found  among  the  smaller  ones,  but  all  show  alike  the 

rncy  to  rapid  decomposition.    The  numerous  colors  that  frequently 

_    are  due  to  oxygen  compounds  of  iron  mainly.    At  some  points, 

"M  the  next  stratum  above  seems  to  have  reached  No.  1  in  u  lit  ated 
it-  lilke  upper  members  are  baked  and  contain  jasper  and  semi-opal. 


196       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  groap  is  very  clmracteristic  and  sufficiently  constant  in  its  appear- 
ance to  be  recog^nized  ;  mast  not,  however,  be  mistaken  for  some  of  the 
local  accamulations  of  tuffs  that  occur  in  higher  trachytic  beds. 

No.  2  does  not  show  so  many  variations  as  the  preceding  number. 
Mainly  forming  either  low  plateaus,  grassy  or  wooded,  or  appearing  in 
long,  narrow  ridges,  it  covers  that  section  of  country  along  the  lower 
tracts  bordering  upon  the  streams  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  districts 
Frequently  caiions  are  cut  through  it,  and  then  the  walls  are  mostly 
very  steep.  In  color,  it  shows  but  little  variation.  When  freshly 
broken  it  has  a  pink  tint,  but  upon  exposure  to  atmospheric  inflaeuoes 
becomes  brown.  Near  the  border  of  the  volcanic  area,  it  is  the  forma- 
tion most  frequently  met  with.  Toward  the  upper  strata  (there  are 
only  few  in  this  group),  bands  and  nodules  of  porphyritic  pitchstone, 
and  of  obsidian  set  in,  running  parallel  to  the  stratification  of  the 
trachyte.  At  times  they  are  several  feet  thick,  but  rarely  extend  for 
any  distance.  Between  stations  21  and  22,  however,  one  band  was  found, 
from  iowT  to  eight  feet  thick,  that  extended  for  several  miles.  Twelve 
linndred  feet  may  be  considered  the  average  thickness  for  these  strata, 
the  most  continuous  and  easily-traced  ones  of  the  entire  series.  The 
rock  generally  contains  a  great  many  small  crystals  of  sanidite;  crystals 
of  black  mica  are  dispersed  throughout  the  entire  mass.  At  some 
localities  narrow  prisms  of  hornblende  occur,  dark  green  to  black  in 
color.    Upon  exposure  the  mica  assumes  a  splendent  bronze  color. 

No.  3. — This  group  can  readily  be  distinguished  from  No.  2  by  the 
darker  colors  shown  in  its  lower  member,  and  the  lighter  ones  its 
higher  strata  exhibit.  In  some  localities  plateaus  are  formed  by  No. 
3,  but  more  frequently  it  forms  the  highest  bluffs  of  narrow  ridges. 
It  is  divided  into  two  subdivisions,  the  lower  and  the  upper  No.  3. 
The  former  can  be  recognized  by  its  dark  color  and  its  more  precipitous 
character,  while  in  the  upper,  the  colors  are  by  far  lighter  and  the  steep 
features  less  prominent,  as  it  decomposes  more  readily  and  therefore 
forms  slopes  rather  than  vertical  bluffs.  Lithologically  there  are  dis- 
tinctions also,  as  will  be  seen  below.  No.  3,  lower,  at  times  shows  co- 
lumnar structure,  and  on  account  of  the  dark  color  it  assumes  upon 
weathering,  can  be  mistaken  for  basalt.  Brown  is  the  prevailing  color 
of  the  lower  members,  while  the  upper  ones  are  lilac,  shading  into  gray 
and  reddish.  For  the  latter  the  thickness  may  be  estimated  at  1,000 
to  1,500  feet,  when  fully  developed;  for  the  former  at  800  to  1,000 
feet.  This  formation  is  well  developed  at  a  number  of  points,  and 
will  be  spoken  of  in  more  detail  when  treating  of  the  localities  where 
it  occurs.  These  two  last  numbers  mainly  give  the  country  that  ap- 
pearance which  has  induced  me  to  term  it  a  "bluff  country,''  a  charac- 
ter which  extends  from  the  I07th  meridian  to  San  Luis  Valley,  of  course 
with  some  interruptions  caused  by  local  upheavals  or  other  disturbances. 

Numerous  sanidite  crystals  occur  in  the  someV^tofies  compact,  some- 
times slightly  vesicular,  paste;  more  in  No.  3,  lower,  than  in  the  up|)er 
subdivision.  Mica  is  found  more  sparingly,  black  when  fresh,  bronze- 
colored  after  having  been  exposed  to  atmospheric  influences  for  some 
time.  No.  3,  upper,  contains  less  sanidite  and  more  mica,  and  may  be 
distinguished  by  the  lighter  color  of  its  paste.  Toward  the  upper  por- 
tion of  this  number  a  series  of  beds  occurs,  that  have  almost  the  character 
of  a  paste  without  any  segregated  minerals.  In  color,  they  are  usually 
light,  compact  as  a  rule,  rarely  vesicuhir. 

No.  4  is  by  far  more  varied  in  its  several  members  than  any  one  of  the 
preceding  series.  It  is  to  this  group  chiefly  that  the  region  designated 
as  "mountain  country"  belongs,  and  much  of  the  wild,  picturesque 


vwuca.  J  VOLC  ANIC8.  197 

scenery  it  contains  is  due  to  the  brilliant  colors  some  of  the  strata 
belonging  to  it  exhibit.  As  stated  above,  the  mountains  sbow  no 
iirningement  in  chains  or  well-defined  systems  of  ranges,  but,  in  their 
detail  of  form,  they  certainly  deserve  admiration  and  attention.  At  the 
majority  of  points,  where  distinct  stratification  could  be  observed  in  the 
layers  composing  No.  4,  it  was  seen  to  be  either  horizontal,  or  very 
nearly  so.  Tbis  fact,  together  with  the  unequal  hardness  of  the  various 
strata,  produced  the  result  that  erosion  finally,  after  other  agents  i>er- 
haps  had  completed  the  primary  separation,  was  enabled  to  carve  with 
its  skillful  hand  the  most  unique  mountain  forms,  beautiful  in  their 
symmetry  as  well  as  in  their  detail.  Tbe  colors  of  this  series  are  gen- 
erally dark,  with  the  exception  of  those  shown  by  one  stratum — the 
^'^red  stratum.^  Originally  white,  the  color  has  changed  into  yellow, 
orange,  bright  red,  and  brown.  A  very  thorough  impregnation  of  mi- 
nute pyrite  crystals  has  produced  this  change.  Upon  decomposition  of 
the  pyrite,  hydrated  sesquioxide  of  iron  is  formed,  which  in  turn  imparts, 
according  to  the  quantities  in  which  it  is  present,  tbe  colors  above  enu- 
merated. This  stratum  is  found  in  the  lower  half  of  the  series.  Above 
it  the  colors  are  almost  invariably  dark,  a  purplish  blue,  maroon,  and 
frequently  a  dark,  muddy  green.  Single  bands  of  lighter  rocks  occnr  in 
the  upper  members.  The  thickness  of  No.  4  is  between  3,000  and  4,000 
feet,  containing  a  by  far  greater  variety  of  rocks  than  any  one  of  the 
lower  groups.  Without  going  into  detail,  it  may  be  well  to  give  a  min- 
eralogical  diagnosis  of  specimens  from  typiral  localities. 

As  a  rule  oligoclase  takes  the  placeof  sanidite,and  mica  is  entirely  want- 
ing. At  some  points  mica  was  observed,  however,  in  the  lower  mem- 
bers A  triclinic  feldspar,  that  may  be  andesite,  occurs  associated  with 
tbe  oligoclase  in  smaller  crystals.  In  some  specimens  sanidite  was 
found,  but  it  may  be  regarded  as  tbe  exception  rather  than  as  the  rule. 
Tbe  paste  is  microcrystalline  to  compact. 

Above  this  series  of  tracbytic  beds  we  find  in  numerous  places  such 
rocks  that  must  be  and  are  considered  as  younger.  Frequently  occurring, 
but  showicg  variations  in  texture  and  litbologica}  character  at  almost 
every  point  where  it  does  occur,  is  the  rhyolite.  As  a  rule  it  may  be 
found  su|>erinoumbent  upon  tbe  beds  above  described,  forming  caps  for 
some  of  the  highest  peaks  of  tbe  district.  As  the  rocks  underlying,  tbe 
rhyolite  shows  a  well-defined  stratification,  conformable  to  that  of  the 
older  strata.  At  a  number  of  points  its  character  as  such  cannot  other- 
wise be  determined  than  by  its  position  and  texture,  inasmuch  as  its 
mineralogical  character  would  scarcely  warrant  any  positive  assertions. 
By  the  aid  of  partial  or  full  chemical  analysis  certainly  every  doubt 
can  readily  be  cleared.  Near  station  10,  above  5  miles  to  the  eastward, 
tbe  most  typical  occurrence  of  rhyolite  was  observed.  A  deep  ravine, 
bordered  on  either  side  by  sloping  walls  several  thousand  feet  in  bei|>hr, 
contains  in  its  lower  portions  a  quantity  of  massive  basalt  reaching 
upward  on  tbe  north  wall  to  more  than  900  feet  above  tbe  level  of  tbe 
creek.  Kesting  immediately  upon  this  we  find  a  series  of  rbyolitic  beds 
segregated  into  narrow  strata.  It  would  seem  from  tbe  position  of 
tbese  two  rocks',  which  can  correctly  be  recognized  at  a  glance,  that  tbe 
latter  was  really  younger  than  tbe  former.  A!ialogous  cases  to  tbis 
have  been  found  in  other  portions  of  the  western  volcanic  regions,  but 
whether  they  are  identical  can  only  be  determined  by  one  who  has  seen 
a  number  of  them. 

Upon  investigation  it  will  be  observed  that  the  single  narrow  strata 
of  rhyolite  lying  ufion  the  bastdt  di(>  toward  tbe  valley  at  an  angle  of 
60O  to  70^.   There  is  no  evidence  that  the  material  could  have  flown  down- 


198       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

ward  frotn  tbe  Dorth  nde,  prodncing  the  dip  by  virtue  of  any  such  flow. 
Ou  tbe  coutrary,  it  bas  cume  from  tbe  west.  Traveling  westward  to 
tbe  bead  waters  of  tbe  small  creek  (we  were  camped  upon  a  tributary  of 
Godwin's  Creek),  it  will  be  neeu  tbat  with  increasing  elevation  tbe  ba- 
salt ceases,  and  a  number  of  small  bills  are  formed  by  tbe  rbyolite.  In 
any  otber  direction  tban  westward,  only  small  isolated  patebes  of  rbyo- 
lite are  found,  fewer  of  tbem  toward  tbe  east.  Considering  all  tbese  cir- 
cumstances, tbe  conclusion  presents  itself  tbat  we  bere  bave  an  iustaDce 
of  intrusive  basalt,  baviug  become  intrusive  alter  tbe  flow  or  flows  of 
rbyolite  bad  already  assumed  a  state  of  rigidity.  In  no  case  witbin  tbe 
district  besides  tbis  one  bave  1  found  tbese  two  rocks  in  the  same  rela- 
tive position.  In  speaking  of  tbe  country  drained  by  Lake  Fork  Creek 
and  its  tributaries,  I  sball  bave  occasion  to  enter  into  tbe  detail  of  tbe 
niineralogical  character  of  this  and  several  otber  interesting  rocks 
found  at  tbat  locality. 

Dolerite  and  basalt  both  occur  in  tbis  district*,  tbe  latter  in  by  far 
greater  quantities,  however,  and  in  a  number  of  varieties.  Tbe  three 
plateaus  upon  which  tbe  stations  3,  and  4, 5,  and  19  and  20  are  located, 
are  capped  by  a  heavy  layer  of  basalt.  Grenerally  the  color  is  a  dark 
gray  or  black,  but  in  anumberofinstancesit  was  found  to  be  a  brownish- 
red,  produced  by  decomposition  of  the  magnetite  it  contains.  These 
tbree  plateaus  strike  in  one  line,  approximately  north  and  south,  and  a 
former  connection  between  the  two  more  northerly  ones  seems  highly 
probable.  Station  3  has  an  elevation  of  12,609  feet,  while  station  5, 
seven  miles  distant  in  a  straight  line,  is  only  101  feet  higher.  Both  are 
located  on  tbe  summit  of  tbe  plateaus,  and  their  elevation  shows  tbat 
there  can  bave  been  but  very  little  change  in  the  niveau  of  tbese  beds 
independent  of  each  other.  It  has  been  mentioned  above,  tbat  tbe 
highest  members  of  the  trachytic  group  are  to  be  found  in  the  western 
part  of  the  district.  This  is  probably  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  eastern 
portions  were,  at  the  time  of  eruption,  too  high  to  be  reached,  a  view 
sustained  by  the  observation  just  quoted.  We  find  the  basalt  of  these 
plateaus*  resting  upon  trachyte  ^o.  2,  except  at  stations  19  and  20, 
where  it  covers  No.  3.  On  the  summit  of  the  Rio  Grande  Pyramid 
(station  21),  we  find  tbe  same  case  occurring,  a  cap  of  basalt,  600  feet  iu. 
thickness,  forming  the  highest  portion  of  tbe  peak.  Isolated  patches  of 
basalt  occur  at  a  number  of  points,  forming  either  the  caps  of  peaks,  or 
presenting,  in  the  lower  southerly  country,  single  eruptions  of  bat 
small  extent.  Station  18,  on  tbe  north  side  of  the  Bio  Grande,  east  of 
Pole  Creek,  shows  a  cap  of  this  kind.  Etist  of  station  10,  iu  tbe  narrow 
canon,  basalt  also  crops  out,  underlying  tbe  rbyolite.  In  its  specitic 
features  it  is  quite  interesting  at  that  locality,  and  shall  be  spoken  of 
wore  at  length  hereafter.  In  color  it  is  there  almost  black,  weathering 
brown  on  the  surface.  Small  particles  of  olivine  are  contained  in  the 
niicrocrystalline  paste.  Prisms  of  augitl^ occur  sparingly.  Altogether 
tbe  rock  has  a  more  crystalline  appearance  than  basalt  generally  diows. 
With  basalt  the  list  of  volcanic  rocks  found  in  our  district  is  exhausted, 
and  we  shall  proceed  to  give  a  synopsis  of  their  horizontol  distribatiou 
according  to  the  various  drainage  systems. 

A  line  drawn  northward  from  Del  Norte  on  the  Rio  Grande,  to  Sa- 
guache, would  approximately  give  the  eastern  border  of  the  volcanic 
rocks.  It  is  there  that  the  blufly  chameter  is  well  develop^,  ex>utina- 
ing  westward  for  some  distance  up  tbe  Rio  Grande.  Mostly  of  a  brown 
to  reddish-brown  color,  the  perpendicular  walls,  sometimes  several  hun- 
dred feet  in  height,  give  to  the  country  a  very  characteristic  aspect. 
Trachyte  No.  2  composes  these  bluffs,  allowing  an  exposore  of  No.  1  at 


■TOUCH.  1  V0LCANIC8.  199 

only  a  few  places  on  the  river.  The  general  dip  of  the  flows  to  which 
the  bluffs  owe  their  existence  is  a  little  south  of  east,  amounting  from 
2  to  5  degrees,  except  at  points  where  later  local  disturbauce^  have  in- 
creased it. 

At  Wagonwheel  Gap  a  local  phenomenon  of  some  interest  occurs. 
The  flow  of  trachytic  material  became  somewhat  columnar  upon  cooling, 
aod  afterward  a  small  hill  compofc«ed  of  it  was  torn  apart,  leaving 
uearly  vertical  cliffs  ou  either  side.  Through  this  narrow  passage  the 
river  has  found  its  way,  leaving  on  either  side  of  its  banks  sufficient 
space  for  wagon-roads.  Indians  have  taken  advantage  of  the  com- 
manding view  obtained  from  the  highest  portions  of  the  hill,  and  numer- 
cma  abandoned  ^Uookouts"  and  low  walls  along  the  edges  testify  to 
their  preseu<ie  in  former  days^  At  that  locality,  as  well  as  several 
others,  the  trachyte  No.  2  contains  numerous  fragments  of  jasper, 
chalcedony,  and  flint,  sometimes  in  the  form  of  geodes.  Above  the  gap 
the  same  formations  continue  without  any  material  change  in  either 
stratigraphical  or  orographical  features.  The  valley  of  the  Eio  Grande 
all  along  there  is  of  considerable  width,  and  the  bottom  composed  of 
trachytic  drift.  To  the  south  and  southeast  the  La  Plata  Mountains 
riae  to  considerable  elevations,  consisting  probably  of  trachytic  material 
alao. 

Antelope  Park,  at  an  elevation  of  9,000  feet,  presents  some  interest- 
ing features.  To  the  northeast  of  the  park  is  Bristol  Head  (station  54), 
the  termination  of  one  of  the  long,  high  plateaus  running  southward 
from  station  2.  At  its  southwest  termination  this  plateau  ])re8ents  a 
vertical  wall  over  2,500  feet  in  lieight;  then  proceeding  farther  in  that 
direction,  the  Santa  Maria  lake  is  reached,  while  on  the  other  side  of  it 
there  is  an  analogous  vertical  wall,  about  1,200  tVet  in  height.  The  lake 
18  contained  in  a  long  narrow  valley,  partly  timbered,  partly  grassy. 
At  the  east  end  of  thib  valley  are  the  Antelope  Springs,  so  called.  Upon 
examination  it  will  be  found  that  the  upper  strata  of  trachytic  rocks  on 
the  bluff  edge  upon  which  the  station  was  located,  correspond  to  those 
on  the  other  side,  although  they  are  more  than  1,000  feet  lower  down. 
It  is  a  case  of  sudden  subsidence,  wheieby  the  portion  on  the  south- 
western side  changed  both  its  horizontal  and  vertical  position,  while 
Bristol  Head  remained  stationary.  To  the  northeast  of  the  station  the 
strata  dip  slightly  in  that  direction,  while  those  having  fallen,  on  the 
other  side,  dip  at  an  angle  of  6^  to  10^  to  the  southwest.  This  dip 
shows  that  the  subsidence  was  by  no  means  a  perpendicular  one,  but 
tbat.the  southern  side  fell  more  than  the  opposite.  Thanks  to  the  ex- 
cellent view  obtained  from  Bristol  Head,  there  could. not  very  long  re- 
main any  doubt  as  to  the  action  that  produced  this  result.  Beaching 
Antelope  Park  from  the  west  side,  an  exposure  .of  the  upper  members  of 
No.  1  and  the  lower  ones  of  the  succeeding  numbers  will  be  observed. 
Physically  they  are  soft,  and  rapidly  yielding  to  atmospheric  and 
erosive  influences.  Opposite  that  exposure,  which  is  soon  hidden  from 
Bight  by  the  secondarily  acquired  position  of  the  ^Ulropped'^  superincum- 
bent beds,  the  Bio  Grande  emerges  from  a  narrow  c^iiion,  and  closely 
hugging  the  rocky  banks  on  the  bouth  side  of  the  park,  follows  them  for 
some  distance  below  San  Jiuin  City.  The  valley  comprising  the  park 
is  slightly  rising  toward  Bristol  Head,  and  in  it  the  old  course  of  the 
river  can  easily  be  traced,  it  will  be  found  that  instead  of  following 
closely  along  the  south  banks,  which  are  determined  by  the  trachytic 
bluffs  of  No.  2,  the  river  from  its  {>oiut  of  egress  formerly  flowed  across 
the  entire  valley,  and,  winding  along  in  curving  lines,  kept  a  course 
much  nearer  to  Bristol  Head  than  the  one  it  has  today.    It  seems 


200       GEOLOGICAL  SUEVEY  OF  THE  TEBBIT0BIE8. 

highly  probable,  therefore,  that  at  some  period  previoaa  to  that  at  which 
the  river  had  the  course  just  described,  it  flowed  still  more  northerly, 
i.  €.<f  at  the  time  before  the  subsidence  occurred.  Counting  upon  the 
regularity  shown  at  numerous  other  points  by  the  members  of  volcanic 
series,  the  view  muy  gain  ground,  supported  besides  by  other  facts,  that 
the  subsidence  mentioned  is  owing  to  a  washing  ont  of  the  soft  lower 
strata.  As  soon  as  a  sufficient  distance  whs  thus  eroded,  the  rocks 
superincumbent  changed,  by  their  falling  down  and  southward,  the 
course  of  the  river.  An  isolation  of  the  narrow  valley  lying  between 
the  two  vertical  walls  thus  formed,  would  be  advantageous  to  the  for- 
mation of  either  swamps  or  lakes,  and  we  do  in  reality  find  one  of  the  lat- 
ter. Its  longer  axis  is  parallel  to  the  line  of  separation  of  the  two  ver- 
ticHl  bluH's. 

Still  farther  ascending  the  river  we  find  it  running  in  trachyte  'So.2j 
which  forms  steep  bluffs  on  either  side,  and  narrows  the  canon  very  con- 
siderably at  some  places.  While  the  elevation  of  the  river-bed  is  about 
9,400  feet  along  there,  the  hills  on  the  north  side  rise  to  nearly  10,500 
feet,  reaching  trachyte  !No.  3.  Along  some  of  the  ridges  this  rock 
shows  very  decidedly  columnar  structure,  resembling  from  a  distance 
basaltic  columns.  In  color  it  is  dark,  and  weathers  in  steep  cliflb. 
After  reaching  Lost  Trail  Creek  the  higher  country  begins.  Both 
south  and  north  of  the  Kio  Grande  monntainpeaks  become  more  fre- 
quent and  their  altitudes  more  considerable  than  farther  east.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  ascending  the  main  tributaries,  we  observe  the 
lower  numbers  two  and  three  in  regular  succession  and  typical  develop- 
ment. The  Rio  Grande  Pyramid  (station  21)  is  the  highest  trachytic 
point  in  that  direction,  13,773  feet.  Beyond  that  and  to  the  westward, 
the  volcanic  rocks  begin  to  thin  out  owing  to  the  position  of  underly- 
ing metamorphics.  At  the  time  of  the  flows,  the  metamorphic  regions 
must  have  been  sufficiently  elevated  not  to  be  covered  entirely  by  them. 
Although,  as  shown  by  small  local  outcrops,  quite  an  extensive  area  of 
these  rocks  is  covered  by  volcanics,  the  high  portions,  the  Quartzite 
Mountains,  impeded  the  progress  of  the  eruptive  materiaL  Along  a 
line  that  begins  near  station  ^2,  and  running  northwesterly  termiuates 
near  station  17,  the  volcanic  rocks  are  overlying  the  metamorphic  rocks, 
and  while  the  former  show  nearly  horizontal  stratification,  the  latter 
have^  dip  of  12^  to  18^  to  the  northward.  Station  24  is  a  prominent 
trachytic  point  projecting  south  toward  the  metamorphic  area. 

On  station  21  a  good  section  of  the  volcanic  rocks  was  obtained,  show- 
ing the  regular  order  that  has  been  observed  at  a  number  of  other  local- 
ities. The  summit  is  com|>osed  of  basalt,  capping  the  other  rocks,  and 
having  a  thickness  of  600  feet.  Below  it  there  are  200  feet  of  breccia. 
This  breccia  is  composed  of  numerous  large  and  small  fragments  of  the 
underlying  strata,  and  cemented  rather  loosely  by  a  cement  of  feld- 
spathic  character.  Then  follow  400  feet  of  a  compact  gray  rock,  with- 
out any  distinctly  segregated  minerals.  It  resembles  a  feldspathic  ma- 
trix, without  any  minerals  contained  in  it,  and  varies  in  color  ftt)m 
yellowish  to  gray,  and  sometimes  pink.  Between  this  and  the  next 
lower  member  there  occurs  a  band  of  porphyritio  pitchstone,  contaiuiug 
nuuierous  crystals  of  sauidite,  and  small  decomposing  fragments  ot 
another  feldspar.  At  the  point  of  observation  this  interstratnm  was  8 
to  10  feet  thick,  but  as  it  continues  for  several  miles  in  an  easterly  and 
southerly  direction,  variations  in  thickness  occur.  Below  this  pitch- 
stone stratum  trachyte  No.  3  sets  in;  400  feet  of  a  light  pink  to  reddish 
rock  comi»ose  the  upper  portion  of  that  number,  followed,  lower  down, 
by  800  feet  of  the  dark-brown  laminated  trachyte,  with  much  aaniditc 


1  VOLCANICS.  201 

and  bat  little  mica.  A  small  qaantity  of  No.  2  is  found  below  this, 
weatheriQg  very  readily  into  small  scaly  fragments.  This  rests  upon  a 
coarse-grained  metamorphic  granite,  which  crops  out  at  a  number  of 
points,  and  is  a  continuation  of  that  found  at  station  22.  To  the  west- 
ward, about  nine  miles,  the  characteristic  strata  of  No.  4:  s6t  in,  forming  a 
high,  flat  country,  in  striking  contrast  with  the  adjoining  quartzitic 
region.  This  continues  upward  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
Oa  the  north  side  of  the  river,  a  short  distance  west  of  Lost  Trail  Creek, 
there  is  an  excellent  development  of  No.  1,  and  Nos.  2  and  3  above  it. 
Very  unique  blufl's,  about  860  feet  in  height,  have  the  appearance  of 
variegated  marls  more  than  that  of  volcanic  deposit.  Presenting  a  very 
marked  stratified  appearance,  it  may  be  observed  that  this  is  due  mainly 
to  the  accumulation  of  coloring  material  (oxygen  compounds  of  iron) 
in  certain  horizontal  zones.  Not  far  up  the  river  is  this  outcrop  con- 
tinued, however,  as  it  slightly  changes  its  course  and  the  breadth  of  its 
valley.  As  the  dip  of  the  flows  or  strata  at  that  locality  is  a  south- 
easterly one,  the  disappearance  of  the  lower  stratum  becomes  a  neces- 
sity, from  the  position  at  which  they  are  exposed.  Only  on  Pole  Creek, 
about  three  miles  from  the  Rio  Grande,  and  near  the  junction  of  the 
two,  they  crop  out  again,  showing,  in  the  former  case,  fantastic  forms 
and  groups  that  an  enthusiastic  admirer  might  readily  construe  into 
figures  resembling  human  shapes. 

Along  the  north  side  of  the  river,  the  rocks  of  No.  2  weather  in 
abrupt  bluffs,  showing  horizontsd  seams,  and  irregular  inclosures  of 
porphyritic  pitchstone,  that  from  a  distance  have  the  api>earance  of 
cavities.  Above  them  are  the  layers  of  No.  3,  dipping  conlbrmably 
at  an  angle  of  2<^  to  4^,  overlaid  in  turn  by  the  conglomerate  that  was 
mentioned  from  the  Bio  Grande  Pyramid.  About  two  miles  east  of 
Pole  Creek  is  station  18,  with  an  elevation  of  13,656  feet,  capped  by  a 
prominent  cap  of  black  basalt.  This  feature  will  make  the  peak  dis- 
tingaishable  from  any  others  in  the  vicinity.  Westward  of  Pole  Creek 
the  character  changes;  we  already  begin  to  reach  the  section  which,  in 
the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  was  termed  the  mountain  region.  Mount 
Canby  is  the  first  one  that  presents  the  characteristic  ^'  red  stratum.^' 
We  have  approached  that  area  which  was  not  flooded  by  the  trachytic 
eruptions  simultaneously  with  the  regions  farther  east,  and  although 
only  a  few  miles  distant,  we  find  that  this  peak,  at  an  altitude  of  about 
12,700  feet,  shows  the  lower  members  of  No.  4.  Weathering  with  all 
the  brilliancy  that  colors  originati'd  by  ferric  oxygen-compounds  can 
produce,  it  presents,  in  its  variety  of  shades  as  well  as  its  elongated 
pyramidal  form,  one  ot  the  most  striking  features  of  the  valley.  But 
a  short  distance  northwest  of  tliis  mountain  are  the  sources  of  the  liio 
Grande,  which  for  more  than  90  miles  flows  through  one  continuous 
area  of  volcanic  country. 

In  concluding  the  consideration  of  the  formations  bordering  this  river 
and  its  principal  drainage,  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  regarding  the  ex- 
traordinary regularity  shown  both  in  the  mineralogical  development 
and  the  distribution  of  the  rocks  in  question.  Below  the  junction  of 
Pule  creek,  the  most  regular  development  may  be  said  to  begin.  One 
stratum  upon  the  other  is  found  to  be  in  its  normal  position,  and  speci- 
mens taken  miles  apart  would  readily  be  mistaken  Jor  those  of  the 
same  numbers  occurring  at  other  localities.  Although  deep  ravines  and 
narrow  gorges  frequently  traverse  the  sides  of  the  long  ridges,  or  even 
cut  them,  this  result  seems  to  be  owing  to  anything  but  very  destruct- 
ive activity.  At  some  points,  certainly  along  the  Bio  Grande,  the  view 
can  hardly  be  repelled  that  the  caQous  must  have  been  termed  by  a  sep- 


202       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

aration  of  their  two  present  walls,  a  separation  that  was  not  gradaal, 
snch  as  woald  be  produced  by  the  erosive  action  of  flowing  watera, 
but  a  sudden  one.  From  Lost  Trail  Cret^k  eastward  the  lower  inembera 
of  the  tracbytic  system  can  be  readily  traced  for  many  milesw  The  dip 
is  consUint  in  the  direction  the  river  flows,  bat  slight.  If  time  could  be 
spared  for  a  careful  investigation  of  the  volcanic  rocks  along  the  Rio 
Grande  much  valuable  information  regarding  their  horizontal  and  ver- 
tical distribution  could  be  obtained.  The  extent  of  the  single  flows, 
characterized  as  such  by  their  stratigmphical  relations  and  lithological 
character,  is  truly  astonishing,  aud  basing  upon  this  and  other  evidence, 
I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  volcanic  area  surveyed  by  oar 
party  in  1873  is  but  the  continuation  of  the  one  under  mention  at  pres- 
ent. 

Flowing  in  a  northerly  direction  is  White  Earth  Greek,  which  has  re- 
ceived its  name  from  the  exposure  of  trachyte  No.  I.  Ascending  from 
station  6  the  caii<m  is  found  to  be  walled  in  by  vertical  or  nearly  verti- 
cal blufi's  of  No.  2,  while  metamorphic  rocks  crop  out  below.  As  usual, 
they  present  the  rugged  appearance  common  to  members  of  that  num- 
ber, until  the  small  valley  north  of  station  2  is  reached,  where  the  flows 
have  preserved  more  of  their  original  form,  and  show  plateaus  of  no 
very  considerable  extent,  however.  Above  the  flrst  lower  plateau  two 
more  are  found,  until  finally  a  slope  is  reached  leading  up  to  the  station, 
an  elevation  of  13,560  feet.  Here  the  rock  corresponds  to  some  of  the 
members  of  the  higher  No.  3.  The  paste  of  this  rock  is  compact, 
darker  than  that  of  the  corresponding  group  generally.  Numerous 
crystals  of  yellowish  sanidite  occur  in  it,  while  mica  is  wanting  almost 
entirely. 

Descending  again  to  the  level  of  the  creek,  it  is  found  that  the  strata  of 
No.  1  crop  out  tor  some  distance  along  its  left-hand  bank.  The  rock 
here  is  white  to  grayish  and  3  ellowish,  readily  decomposed.  It  is  not 
so  Arm  in  texture  as  that  on  the  Bio  Grande,  and  therefore  does  not 
show  the  picture^que  forms  that  were  observed  at  that  point.  Higher 
up  the  succeeding  numbers  set  in  until  No.  3  is  reached.  At  all  these 
localities  the  bluff  character  is  well  preserved.  At  many  places  tbe 
rocks  are  bare  of  any  vegetation  or  soil,  and  the  traveler  rides  over  the 
surface,  as  it  formerly  flowed,  only  with  the  difl'erence  that  at  present 
it  shows  an  easterly  dip.  Ascending  still  farther,  toward  stations  3 
and  4,  basalt  sets  in  about  400  feet  in  thickness  at  the  edges  of  the 
continous  bluff.  A  long,  high  plateau,  some  distance  above  tim- 
ber-line, stretches  from  north  to  south  approximately.  No  soil  has 
accumulated  as  yet  on  the  naked  fragmenvs  of  vesicular  basalt.  Na- 
uierous  little  ponds  and  swamps  indicate  that  beneath  the  layer  of 
fragments,  the  original  flow  must  be  undisturbed.  Two  varieties  of 
basalt  occur  here,  the  black  and  a  brownish-red.  No  definite  rela- 
tion between  the  two  could  be  recognized,  and  it  seems  highly  im- 
probable that  it  should  exist.  Both  are  vesicular,  sometimes  hav- 
ing the  vesicles  drawn  out  to  one  or  two  inches  in  length.  Olivine, 
a  dark  green  variety,  is  found  sparingly  in  their  niicrocrystalline  paste. 
Indications  of  columnar  structure  may  be  observed  along  the  precipitous 
bluff'  on  the  west  and  southwest  sides,  but  the  columns  are  not  well 
developed.  Station  5,  at  an  elevation  of  12,737  feet,  is  located  a  little 
west  ot  south  of  Ihe  two  last-named  stations,  on  a  similar  plateau,  which 
at  one  time  was  probably  in  connection  with  it. 

These  plateaus  separate  the  waters  of  White  Earth  from  those  of 
Lake  Fork  Creek.  Near  the  northern  line  of  our  district,  between  tbe 
two  last-named  creeks,  station  7  was  located  on  an  isolated  patch  of 


BTOuciLl  V0LCANIC8.  203 

ba^lt,  surroanded  on  all  sides  by  granite.  A  short  distance  south- 
ward, however,  tbe  volcanic  area  a^i^ain  began.  Ascending  Lake  Fork 
the  two  lower  members  of  the  trachytic  series  are  met  with.  Opposite 
station  11  (10,611  feet),  No.  1  has  reached  a  good  development.  For 
800  feet  we  tind  a  series  of  grayish,  pinkish,  to  red  trachytes,  weather- 
ing iu  small  fragments.  Sanidite  and  hornblende  are  abundant  in  it ; 
more  particularly  the  latter.  Near  the  base  of  station  11  erratic  granitic 
bowlders  were  observed ;  not  iu  great  quantity,  however.  It  is  a  coarse- 
grained granite,  of  the  first  type  that  is  described  from  the  metamorphic 
region.  Subsequently  discovered  outcrops  of  this  same  granite,  a  slioi  t 
distance  from  station  12,  disclosed  the  origin  of  the  bowlders.  About 
four  miles  south  of  station  11  is  San  Gristoval  Lake,  above  which  the 
erratic  metamorphic  material  is  found  in  greater  abundance  than 
farther  below.  The  bowlders  are  larger,  intermixed  in  the  bed  of  the 
creek  with  numerous  small  ones  and  pebbles.  Although  no  distinct 
evidences  of  glacial  action  were  found  either  on  the  bottom  of  the  nar- 
row valley,  or  along  tbe  steep  walls  inclosing  4t,  I  am  inclined  to  think 
tbat  such  action  must  have  produced  the  result  observed.  The  valley 
is  a  comparatively  straight  one  up  toihe  point  where  the  granite  comes 
to  the  surface,  and  its  form  is  that  of  a  trough.  Near  the  last  large 
bend,  east  of  station  12,  some  of  the  granitic  rocks,  in  pottitUj  show  a 
very  smooth  surface.  Inasmuch  as  tbe  physical  character  of  that 
granite  admits  of  weathering  that  would  produce  the  same  efifect,  £  am, 
therefore,  not  prepared  to  assert  the  existence  of  a  glacier  of  large 
extent  at  any  tormer  time,  but  it  becomes  a  matter  of  great  difficulty 
to  account  for  tbe  existence  of  the  erratic  material  at  the  localities 
where  it  was  observed  unless  that  view  l)e  held. 

An  interesting  leature  was  observed  at  the  north  end  of  San  Gristoval 
Lake.  From  tbe  east  a  rapid  mountain-stream  flows  down  into  Lake 
Fork,  near  tbe  junction  of  which  a  large  mass  of  yellow  volcanic  mate- 
rial has  been  deposited.  This  matenal  was  not  deposited  by  any  volcanic 
activity,  however,  but  was  brought  down  from  the  eastern  mountain- 
ridge  flirough  the  channel  of  the  present  creek.  It  seems  improbable 
that  so  large  a  mass  should  have  been  carried  there  by  the  compara- 
tively small  quantity  of  water,  so  that  very  likely  snow-slides  or  even 
glacial  action  may  have  contributed  their  share.  By  the  means  of  this 
body  of  soil  and  undecomposed  volcanic  material  having  been  lodged 
iinmediately  in  the  course  of  Lake  Fork,  that  creek  was  dammed  back, 
and  tbe  present  lake  was  formed.  It  seems  prbbable  that  all,  or  at  least 
a  very  large  i)ercentage  of  it,  must  have  been  transported  to  the  place 
at  ouce,  otherwise  the  maiii  creek  would  have  been  able,  gradually,  to 
cut  its  way  through,  and  the  formation  of  the  lake  would  thus  have 
been  prevented.  Judging  from  tbe  ^^ fresh"  character  of  the  surface,  it 
would  seem  as  if  this  enormous  land-slide  had  occurred  but  a  compara- 
tively short  time  ago.  Small  ishinds  in  the  lake,  only  a  few  yards  long, 
with  fir-trees  growing  upon  tbem,  speak  for  tbe  same  view. 

As  mentioned  above,  a  small  amount  of  metamorphic  granite  crops 
out  near  the  last  large  turn  of  Lake  Fork,  overlaid  by  trachyte. 
Station  12  was  located  on  No.  4,  at  an  elevation  of  13,967  feet,  the  last 
prominent  point  of  a  ridge  running  from  north  to  south.  This  ridge  is 
remarkable  for  its  beautiful  detail  form,  and  for  the  excellent  develop- 
ment of  the  ^^  red  stratum."  We  have  again  reached  the  region  of  high 
uiountains,  and  with  it  the  higher  trachytic  strata.  Ascending  still  far- 
ther up  the  creek,  we  soon  leave  the  lower  members  of  the  series  alto- 
gether and  are  in  No.  4.  One  of  the  most  prominent  points  near  the 
headwaters  of  Lake  Fork  is  Handle's  peak,  13,997  feet  high.    Here  the 


204       GEOLOGICAL  SUBVET  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

strata  of  No.  4  are  particularly  well  developed,  and  afford  important  in- 
tortnatioD  as  to  vertical  saccession.  As  a  rule,  the  paste  is  of  dark  color, 
a  bluish  to  maroon,  sometimes  with  a  greenish  tinge,  while  the  feld- 
spars contained  in  it  are  yellowish.  Small  crystalline  fragments  of 
feldspar  are  frequent  in  the  higher  strata  of  this  peak,  and  it  is  they 
that  usually  impart  the  greenish  color  to  the  rock.  The}*  receive  their 
color  in  turn  from  a  small  percentage  of  protoxide  of  iron.  Near  the 
summit  is  a  baud  of  whitish  rock,  abont  200  feet  in  thickness,  that  ap- 
pears like  a  matrix,  without  any  segregated  minerals. 

Descending  from  Haudie's  Peak  we  pass  over  an  ontcrop  of  meta- 
niorphic  granite,  in  the  short  but  deep  cafion  leading  down  to  the  main 
creek,  and  there  again  reach  volcanic  rocks.  Above  this  point  we  ascend 
rapidly  until  the  pass  is  reached,  leading  over  to  the  Animas  Forks. 
With  that  the  region  of  ore-bearing  rocks  begins,  and  that  will  be  treat- 
ed of  iu  the  chapter  upon  the  San  Juan  mines. 

One  of  the  main  tributaries  of  Lake  Fork  is  Godwin's  Creek,  the  junc- 
tion of  which  is  opposite  station  II.  This  creek  drains  a  very  high  and 
interesting  section  of  country.  Single  prominent  peaks  of  considerable 
altitude  are  contained  in  it,  and  the  remainder,  partly  grassy  plateaus, 
partly  small  ridges,  is  to  a  great  extent  above  timber-line.  Station  8 
is  located  at  an  elevation  of  12,959  feet,  on  trachyte  No.  3,  and  from 
there  a  good  view  of  Uncompahgre  peak,  the  highest  mountain  of  the 
region,  was  obtained.  On  the  station  mentioned,  the  volcanic  strata  or 
flows  dip  off  to  the  eastward,  inclining  slightly  to  the  north.  The  rock 
composing  the  summit  of  the  occupied  point  is  very  hard,  has  a  dark 
paste,  but  weathers  brown.  Crystals  of  sanidite occur  throughout.  Hy- 
alite  may  be  found  in  small  cavities  or  fissures. 

Ascending  farther  up  the  creek,  one  of  the  most  important  localities 
of  our  district  was  reached,  that  about  5  mileseast  of  station  10,  at  canip 
23.  While  all  other  points  thus  far  visited  had  failed  to  offer  any  ex- 
planation as  to  the  locality  from  which  the  enormous  quantities  of 
volcanic  material  flowed,  the  point  just  mentioned  afforded  sufficient 
evidence  regarding  that  interesting  question.  Near  camp  23,  as  has 
been  mentioned  above,  the  only  place  was  found  where  basalt  occurred 
in  a  comparatively  low  country  (10,679  feet),  and  it  was  there  where 
rhyolite  was  observed  to  cover  it.  From  the  creek  upward,  on  the 
north  side,  steep,  dark-colored  bluffs  rose,  cut  into  many  irregularly- 
shaped  fragments  by  erosion.  Above  them  a  light  colored  mass  of 
rocks  appeared,  showing  separation  into  distinct  narrow  strata,  inclin- 
ing at  an  angle  thatreached  GO^  to  70^.  The  former  is  basalt,  the  latter 
rhyolite.  Of  compact  microcrystallino  texture,  the  basalt  showed  numer- 
ous inclosures  of  epigene  minerals,  chalcedony,  agate,  amethyst, 
stilbite,  and  calcite.  The  three  former  occurred  in  small,  perfectly- 
filled  gcoiles,  while  the  two  latter  were  generally  found  in  fissures  and 
cracks.  Immediately  upon  this  rock  lay  the  rhyolite,  in  the  stated 
position.  A  white  to  grayish  paste,  very  compact,  contains  nnmerons 
small  crystals  of  transparent  quartz  wit!i  double  terminations.  Crystals 
of  sanidite  are  disi)ersed  throughout  the  entire  mass,  and  small  six- 
sided  ])risms  of  black  mica  occur  sparingly.  Near  the  junction  of  the 
rhyolite  with  basalt^  a  curious  interstratnm  was  found,  only  6"  to  8" 
in  thickness.  It  is  a  brown,  vitreous  pitehstone,  containing  crystals  of 
quartz  and  sanidite  but  no  mica.  This  stratum  was  only  traced  for  a 
short  distance,  owing  to  the  precipitous  character  of  the  walls,  bnt 
probably  extends  for  some  distance,  analogous  to  the  occurrences  at 
other  points.  Farther  up  the  valley  rhyolitic  hills  api)ear,  light-gray  to 
white  iu  color.    Ascending  the  basaltic  wall  for  about  700  feet,  the 


KDUCH.  1  VOLCANICS.  205 

rhyolite  is  reached,  and,  recedintj^  toward  tihe  higher  portions  of  the  re- 
gion, extends  for  a  vertical  distance  of  2U0  feet.  After  this  a  nearly  level 
area  is  traversed,  while  the  ascent  for  the  distance  may  amount  to  100 
feet.  Above  this,  however,  the  trachytic  beds  are  fonnd  in  their  regnlar 
gaccession,  at  first  the  npper  portions  of  No.  3,  then  the  lower  ones  of  No. 
4.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  fiom  this  side  no  flow  of  rhyolites  could 
have  occurred,  and  from  any  other  side  the  possibility  is  precluded  by 
the  geognostic  features  of  the  surroundings.  It  is  my  opinion,  therefore, 
that  the  rhyolite  occupied  at  one  time  a  position  very  near  the  base  of 
the  valley,  and  the  outflowing  basalt  caused  it  to  assume  that  in  which  it 
is  found  at  present.  Inasmuch  as  this  was  the  only  locality  where  we 
bad  occasion  to  observe  two  of  the  youngest  volcanic  eruptive  rocks 
together,  my  attention  was  led  to  the  question  whether  this  might  not 
be  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  points  of  outflow,  if  not  as  the  only 
one.  Subsequent  evidence,  derived  from  the  stratification  of  the  flows, 
confirmed  this  opinion,  and  I  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  near 
this  point  the  main  outflow  for  the  entire  continuous  volcanic  area  under 
consideration  occurred.  In  speaking  of  the  stratification  of  the  volcanic 
rocks  this  point  shall  be  further  elucidated. 

Near  one  of  two  tributaries  of  Godwin  Greek  is  Uncompahgre  peak 
(station  9^,  14,235  feet  above  sea-level.  The  summit  of  this  mountain  is 
formed  by  No.  3,  and  the  lowest  portions  by  No.  2.  At  the  higher  por- 
tions of  the  peak  the  strata  dip  from  3^  to  6^  to  the  northeast,  away 
from  the  rhyolitic  region  that  has  just  been  described.  The  mountain 
presents  a  bold  appearance,  and  serves  as  a  landmark  for  many  miles. 
Toward  the  southwest  and  west  it  slopes  off  more  gently  than  toward 
any  other,  but  to  the  northeast  presents  a  very  steep  appearance.  A 
small  |>eak,  to  the  south we^^t  of  Uncompahgre,  shows  the  identical  strata, 
lower,  however,  in  elevation,  and  dippiug  in  immediately  the  opposite 
direction,  to  the  southwest.  This  fact  is  of  importance,  as  this  peak  is 
nearer  to  the  center  of  eruption.  A  number  of  high  points  are  found 
in  the  vicinity  of  Uncompahgre,  none,  however,  reaching  the  same  alti- 
tude.   Many  of  them  present  the  same  stratigraphical  relations. 

Flowing  in  a  northerly  direction,  west  of  Lake  Fork,  is  Uncompahgre 
River,  rising  near  station  28.  At  that  locality  the  strata  of  No.  4  have 
reached  a  very  good  development,  and  in  the  ridge  containing  stations 
27  and  28  the  red  stratum  is  particularly  conspicuous.  About  four 
miles  north  of  station  28,  station  29  is  located,  on  the  characteristic 
bluish  trachytes  of  No.  4,  resembling  closely  those  forming  the  higher 
portions  of  Llaudie's  peak.  Similar  to  the  occurrence  of  the  white  band 
near  the  summit  of  that  peak«  we  find  one  here  of  almost  identical  com- 
position and  location.  The  trachyiic  rocks  weather  in  scaly  fragments, 
sometimes  of  considerable  size  but  of  small  thickness.  From  that  point 
the  higher  numbers  of  trachyte  extend  northward  in  narrow  ridges,  but 
little  cut  by  lateral  drainage.  A  tendency  to  columnar  structure  pro- 
duces along  the  steep  sides  of  these  elongated  ridges  numerous  pin- 
nacles, from  a  distance  apparently  small.  They  reach  considerable  ver- 
tical dimensions,  however,  and  may  be  compared  to  the  ornamental  spires 
of  Gothic  architecture.  Added  to  the  eflect  produced  by  their  form,  the 
colors  they  exhibit  are  an  additional  factor.  Near  the  head  watersof  some 
of  the  Uncompahgre's  tributaries  is  ono  peak  that  atti<icted  attention  by 
its  singularly  regular  form,  long  before  it  was  reached — Mount  Sneffels, 
reaching  an  altitude  of  14,162  feet.  It  was  our  station  33,  and 
proved  to  be  an  interesting  point.  Horizontally  stratified,  or  with 
an  imperceptible  dip  of  the  strata,  this  mountain  towers  far  above 
its  surroundings,  rising  more  than  7,000  feet  from  the  lov^er  country 


206       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

to  the  west.  While  the  higher  portions  of  the  peak  are  composed 
of  tnichyte  No.  4,  the  last  400  leet  proved  to  be  rhyolitic  material. 
Diffeiiug  from  the  typical  rhyolite,  its  structure  and  coinpositioD,  never- 
theless, assign  this  place  to  it.  On  the  fresh  break  the  rock  ban  a 
muddy  olive-green  color,  but  turns  brown  upon  exposure.  Its  struct- 
ure is  somewhat  crystalline,  owing  to  the  large  quantity  of  feld- 
spathic  crystals  contained  in  the  paste.  To  the  southwest  of  Mount 
Snefi'els  a  very  extensive  ^'  drop  "  of  the  volcanic  strata  occurred,  about 
four  miles  in  length,  and  a  little  more  than  a  mile  in  width.  Unlike  the 
one  descnbed  from  Bristol  Head,  no  erosive  agent  can  have  occasioned 
this  one,  as  there  is  no  connection  between  the  sunken  area  and  any 
point  from  whence  such  an  agent  could  have  operated.  The  strata  have 
dropped  down  perpendicularly  for  more  than  2,000  feet,  retaining  to 
some  extent  amoug  the  mass  of  debris  their  original  connection. 
Approaching  from  the  south  or  southwest,  the  ridge  suddenly  falls  off 
in  vertical  bluff's,  and  only  the  accumulated  mass  ot  broken  fragments 
enables  the  descent.  We  have  named  this  place  the  ^^  Great  Amphi- 
theater," as  it  resembles  one  in  shape.  Those  strata,  that  show  a  partial 
connection,  are  cracked  in  every  direction,  traversed  by  large  and 
small  fissures.  Masses  of  broken  rocks  are  constantly  rolling  down 
the  steep  sides  into  the  depression,  so  that  in  course  of  tim%  much  of 
the  present  grand  aspect  of  the  peculiar  formation  will  be  lost  The 
ridge  extending  westward  from  Mount  Sneffels  drops  off  into  the  Sedi- 
mentary bluff'  country,  remaining  volcanic  throughout  its  entire  length. 
As  at  numerous  other  points  near  the  edge  of  the  volcanic  area,  so  the 
mountains  here,  too,  show  a  regular  stratification,  almost  horizontal. 
It  seems  highly  probable  that  subsequent  erosion,  to  a  great  extent., 
determined  their  present  forms,  as  it  appears  incredible  that  flows  of 
such  considerable  vertical  dimensions  should  terminate  so  abruptly. 
Evidence  was  obtained  at  several  places  near  this  ridge  and  those 
a(\joining  that  the  sedimentary  beds  held,  at  the  time  of  the  eruptive 
flows,  the  same  position  they  now  occupy.  They  belong  to  the  Cre- 
taceous system. 

TheSan  Miguel  River  rises  in  volcanic  country,  but  soon  leaves  it,  and 
flows  through  sedimentary  formations.  There,  as  well  as  near  the  head- 
waters of  the  Rio  Dolores,  the  trachytes  show  the  same  character  as 
along  the  ridges  upon  which  station  24  was  located.  Besides  these  two 
streams  the  Rio  Animas  heads  in  a  portion  of  the  high  volcanic  district^ 
as  well  as  its  northerly  tributaries.  In  the  chapter  on  the  mines  of  the 
San  Juan  region  the  character  of  the  rocks  through  which  the  Upper 
Animas  flows  ^ill  be  discussed,  and  for  this  place,  therefore,  only  some 
of  its  tributaries  remain  to  be  described.  Bear  Greek,  heading  near 
station  30,  flows  in  an  easterly  direction  and  joins  the  Animas  in 
Baker's  PVirk,  near  Silverton.  Ascending  that  creek  from  the  park 
mentioned,  the  red  stratum  may  be  observed  following  along  Mineral 
Greek,  which  branches  off  to  the  northward  from  Bear  Greek.  The 
former  rises  near  station  28,  where  the  red  stratutr  is  very  well  devel- 
oped. Soon,  however,  after  traveling  up  Bear  Greek  beyond  the  junc- 
tion with  Mineral,  sedimentary  beds  set  in,  overlaid  by  the  trachyte. 
Station  30  is  located  on  the  highest  point  of  the  ridge  separating  the 
waters  of  the  Animas  from  those  of  the  San  Miguel.  Its  elevation  is 
13,897  leet.  On  either  side  of  the  ridge  sedimentary  beds  apt)ear,  and 
the  volcanic  rocks  only  form  the  capping  of  the  ridgenor  isolated  peaks. 
A  considerable  amount  of  metamorphosis  of  the  sedimentary  beds  has 
been  proiluced  by  the  action  of  the  overflowing  volcanic  material.  The 
Bommit  of  station  30  is  formed  by  a  very  i>ecuiiar  lock.    A  microcrys- 


4, 


V    O, 


!/* 


i  . 


Fto.  S. — LiziRD's  Hkai 


KBUciL)  VOLCANICS.  207 

talline  paste  coDtains  ionnmerable  small  crystals  of  epidote,  replacing 
hornblende.  At  some  places  the  epidote  congregates  so  as  to  form 
narrow  veins  throngh  the  rock.  Octahedra  of  magnetite  are  also  found 
in  the  paste,  which  has  a  dull  gray  color.  Banidite  occurs  only  on  very 
minute  crystals.    Mica  was  not  found  at  all. 

Of  interest  the  ridge  running  south  of  Bear  Creek  from  station  30  to 
Sultan  Mountain  will  be  found.  Although  no  sedimentaries  appear  in 
Baker's  Park,  immediately  across  the  ridge  they  set  in,  covered  by  tra- 
chytes. Their  elevation  is  quite  considerable,  reaching  more  than  10,000 
feet  at  those  points.  Duriugsome  former  time  they  were  distnrl>ed, 
and  now  the  trachytes  rest  unconforniably  upon  them.  Sultan  Mount- 
ain, station  26,  is  the  last  massive  peak  of  volcanic  material  on  the 
downward  coarse  of  the  Animas,  and  reaches  an  elevation  of  13,366 
feet.  To  the  south  and  southwest  the  trachytic  material  shows  regular 
stratification,  very  nearly  horizontal,  showing  only  a  slight  dip  south- 
ward. At  several  points  the  process  of  erosion  has  separated  small 
patches  from  the  main  body  of  volcanic  material.  Tbis  is  the  pase  at 
Engineer  Mountain  (station  31, 12,971  feet  high).  A  little  more  than 
one  thousand  feet  of  light-gray  trachyte  caps  the  dark-colored  Carbon- 
iterons  sandstone.  The  shape  of  the  mountain  is  that  of  an  elongated 
pyramid,  with  two  very  steep  sides,  the  one  of  th^m  nearly  vertical. 
On  the  latter  side  the  trachyte  shows  a  decidedly  columnar  struc- 
ture, which  contrasts  sharply  with  the  stratification  of  the  sandstones 
below.  Lithologically  the  rock  belongs  to  No.  4.  It  is  a  light-gray 
crystalline  paste,  containing  crystals  of  oligoclase  dispersed  through  the 
material.  Upon  weathering,  the  feldspar  decomposes  and  falls  out,  giv- 
ing it  a  vesicular  appearance^  Small  particles  of  mica  are  distributed 
sparingly.  West  of  Engineer  Mountain  a  sharp  ridge  extends  from 
north  to  south,  again  showing  the  capping  of  trachyte  upon  sedimentary 
beds.  With  this  the  consideration  of  the  continuous  area  of  volcanic 
material  may  be  regarded  as  completed,  but  there  are  several  isolated 
eruptions  occurring  in  the  district  surveyed.  One  of  the  largest  and 
most  p^minent  is  the  Mount  Wilson  group  (station  35),  of  which  the 
highe8t'\)eak  reaches  an  elevation  of  14,280  feet.  Immediately  north- 
east of  ihis  mountain  is  the  probable  point  of  outflow,  spreading  from 
there  tr*the  east  more  particularly.  Two  of  the  highest  spurs  running 
from  tb  ^  main  mass  are  formed  by  the  flows  from  Mount  Wilson,  and 
rest  upon  sedimentary  strata.  Lithologically  the  trachyte  of  these 
spars  w  >uld  be  referred  to  No.  3.  East  of  the  main  peak  is  a  curious 
luonument  of  trachyte,  an  obelisk-like  mass  of  stone  placed  upon  a  nat- 
ural pe<'  stal,  of  symmetrical  form.  The  formation  of  this  monument, 
wbich  iJi  .s  named  *^  Lizard's  Head,''  is  owing  chiefly  to  the  tendency  to 
columnar  structure  shown  by  the  rocks.  Its  height  amounts  to  290  feet, 
while  at  the  base  its  diameter  is  scarcely  over  60  feet.  Its  summit  is 
13,160  f  \t  above  sea-level.  Toward  the  outer  edges  of  the  group  the 
t^^^  material  is  stratified,  while  on  the  highest  point,  Mount  Wil- 
sOkT  .  eflnite  stratification  can  be  observed.  On  the  summit  a  rock 
occurc  ^at  may  be  referred  to  the  Doleritic  group.  The*rock  is  dark- 
gray  to  lack,  containing  a  feldspar  that  very  closely  resembles  labra- 
dorite.  >mall  nodules  occur  in  it  that  seem  to  be  composed  of  minute 
hombler  e  crystals,  varying  somewhat  in  color. 

Anotki.  *  isolated  group  is  the  one  upon  which  station  36  is  located. 
On  the  sc  -ith  side  of  the  Bio  Dolores  a  quantity  of  volcanic  material  is 
ft  und,  forming  in  shape  a  figure  similar  to  that  of  the  horseshoe.  Sta- 
tion 36  is  one  of  the  high  points  of  that  flow  or  series  of  flows,  having 
An  elevation  of  12,554  feet.    From  that,  and  probably  two  other  points 


208       GEOLOGICAL  BURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

more  to  the  westward,  the  eraptive  rocks  spread  over  the  highest  por- 
tions of  two  parallel  spars,  couDected  by  a  third  ooe.  Similar  to  the 
rocks  of  Deighboring  localities  we  find  the  lithological  character  of  those 
found  here.  The  main  portion  rests  upon  Carbouiferoas  sandstone, 
while  the  two  disconnected  ends  of  the  horseshoe  have  flown  over  Lower 
GretaceoQs  rocks.  As  is  usaally  the  case  at  the  points  of  ontflow,  the 
rocks  from  different  altitades  vary  considerably  in  their  mineralogical 
composition.  Near  the  summit  of  station  36  the  rock  presents  a  very 
handsome  appearance.  A  greenish  crystalline  paste  contains  innnmer- 
able  white  crystals  of  oligoelase,  which  are  set  off  to  advantage  by  ac* 
companying  black  crystals  of  hornblende.  Sanidite  also  occars.  Six 
hundred  feet  below  the  summit  the  rock  is  very  similar  to  that  descrihed 
from  station  31 ;  a  white  to  light-gray  paste,  inclosing  crystals  of  oligo- 
elase ;  mica  occurring  very  sparingly.  To  the  southwest  of  station 
36  is  station  37,  located  npon  the  above-mentioned  red  sandstone,  but 
having  on  either  side,  north  and  south,  isolated  patches  of  trachytic 
rocks..  Considerable  disturbances  have  taken  place  at  that  locality  at 
onetime,  prior  certainly  to  the  eruption  of  the  volcanics,  but  it  seems 
that  their  appearance  gave  rise  to  new  dislocations,  and  finally  a  third 
era  occurred,  which  was  again  marked  by  displacements.  South  of  sta- 
tion 37  a  series  of  sandstone  strata  that  had  formerly  been  forced  from 
their  normal  position,  were  still  more  disturbed  by  the  intrusion  of  the 
volcanic  mass.  Between  these  strata  of  sandstone,  layers  of  about 
equal  thickness  of  trachyte  are  wedged  in,  forming  apparently  a  por- 
tion of  the  stratified  series.  (See  section.)  A  secondary  dislocation  of 
about  60  feet  vertical  distance,  has  brought  the  layers  of  trachyte  im- 
mediately opposite  those  of  the  sandstone,  and  the  reverse. 

The  La  Plata  group,  at  the  head  of  Junction  Greek,  a  tributary  of  the 
Animas,  is  also  one  of  the  isolated  volcanic  regions.  Several  small 
patches  are  adjacent  to  the  mountains,  covering  either  Carboniferous 
sandstone,  or,  as  was  the  case  at  station  42,  Lower  Cretaceous  sandstone. 
During  the  following  season,  1875,  this  region  will  be  explored  thor- 
oughly, and  more  light  will  be  thrown  npon  the  specific  characters  of 
the  La  Plata  Mountains. 

With  this  latter  locality  the  volcanic  area  of  the  district  surveyed 
during  1874  is  concluded.  Small  cones,  of  basalt  probably,  were  visible 
from  a  distance  in  the  Cretaceous  country,  but  were  not  reached  in  the 
course  of  our  travels.  There  remains  now,  yet  to  be  considered,  the  vol- 
canic area  as  a  whole,  and  the  conclusions  that  may  be  drawn  from  the 
consideration  of  the  stratigraphical  conditions  of  the  rocks. 

It  will  be  observed  that  at  all  points  near  the  border  of  the  volcanic 
area  the  strata  or  flows  show  a  surprising  regularity  in  their  structure. 
Scarcely  ever  does  the  dip  exceed  2^  or  at  most  3°,  unless  some  very 
local  disturbances  have  given  occasion  to  an  increase  thereof.  As  we 
approach^  however,  from  the  outside  of  this  area  toward  the  interior 
portions,  a  marked  change  in  the  stratigraphical  relations  can  be  ob- 
served. We  find  that  the  high  plateaus,  the  long-continuing  bluff's,  and 
the  sfratoid  peaks,  all  show  a  tendency  to  dip  off  from  one  point,  as 
from  the  center  of  a  circle  toward  its  periphery.  With  this  tendency 
the  dip  increases  gradually,  as  we  approach  that  region  near  which  sta- 
tion 10  is  located.  So  far  as  could  be  observed,  the  flows  show  a  dip  off 
from  that  locality  on  every  side  of  it,  except  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood, where  a  number  of  dips  are  noticed,  falling  in  toward  the  depres- 
sion east  of  station  10.  This  feature  is  so  constant,  is,  furthermore, 
unique  throughout  the  entire  district  of  which  this  chapter  treats,  that 
I  could  not  do  otherwise  than  attach  great  importance  to  it.    Taking 


ODUCH.1  VOLCANICS.  209 

into  consideration  primarily  tbe  stratigraphical  relations  as  above  given, 
the  conclusion  will  present  itself  that  tbis  point,  or  very  near  ibis  point, 
mast  have  been  the  main  region  of  ontflow;  that  here  is  the  center  from 
which  tbe  greater  portion  of  tbe  volcanic  material  spread  over  tbe  snr- 
roQoding  country.  In  support  of  tbis  view  are  the  additional  facts 
that,  at  the  locality  in  question,  rhyolite  and  basalt,  two  of  tbe  youngest 
volcanic  rocks  of  that  region,  were  found  in  a-  caHon  in  considerable 
masses,  while  at  all  other  points  they  occupied  either  tbe  summits  of 
peaks  or  of  extensive  plateaus.  It  seems  strange,  however,  that  these 
same  rocks  found  here,  should  occur  el8ewbere  at  such  considerable 
altitudes.  Taking  tbe  evidence  derived  from  stratigraphical  conditions 
it  would  seem  tli»t,  after  tbe  flow  of  volcanic  matter  bad  subsided,  a 
depression  of  the  place  from  where  it  w<)s  issued  took  place. 

Another  point  of  great  interest  and  importance  is  tbat  touching  the 
conditions  of  tbe  country  at  tbe  time  of  tbe  outflow.  It  was  observed 
tbroughout,  tbat  in  the  eastern  portion  of  tbe  district  tbe  lower  num- 
bers of  the  trachyte  prevailed,  ro  the  absolute  exclusion  of  tbe  highest 
ones,  while  in  the  western  localities  this  order  of  things  was  reversed. 
Inasmuch  as  tbe  four  adopted  subdivisions  are  found  occurring  con- 
formably,.one  upon  the  other,  tbe  view  that  they  must  have  originated 
from  one  point,  receives  a  decided  support.  Should  tbis  be  tbe  case, 
then,  tbe  facts  illustrated  by  the  horizontal  distribution  of  the  volcanic 
material  can  best  be  explained  by  tbe  assumption  that  during  the 
period  of  the  earlier  flows  tbe  western  country  was  too  high  to  be  in- 
vaded, while  during  the  later  flows  the  order  of  things  was  reversed, 
and  the  eastern  portion  received  none  of  the  younger  material.  At  the 
time  of  tbe  succession  of  flows,  tbe  region  east  of  station  10  must  have 
had  a  by  far  greater  elevation  than  at  present,  a  fact  which  is  demon- 
strated by  the  occurrence  of  the  youngest  volcanic  rocks  at  higher  alti- 
tudes. It  would  be  extremely  difficult  to  attempt  a  thorough  analysis 
of  tbe  dynamics  involved  in  these  grand  demonstrations  of  volcanic 
activity,  and  particularly  so  after  a  survey  that  has  been  so  limited  in 
time  as  ours.  * 

14  H 


CHAPTER  III. 


SEDIMENTARY  AREA. 

After  leaving  the  area  covered  by  volcanic  rocks,  and  traveling  in  a 
aoutherly  direction,  the  diftbrence  of  geological  formations  can  at  once 
be  recognized  from  the  configuration  of  the  country.  Instead  of  high, 
rugged  mountains,  arranged  in  groups,  without  any  reference  to  chain 
or  range  systems,  we  here  find  a  series  of  approximately  parallel  ridges, 
tapering  oft*  gradually  to  the  southern  plains.  While  a  great  portion  of 
the  volcanic  district  reaches  above  timber-line,  the  mountains  or  hills  of 
the  sedimentary  region  are  timbered,  and  the  valleys  between  the  ridges 
show  fertile,  grassy  soil.  Although  the  variation  in  the  litbological  tbrma- 
tions  is  not  very  considerable,  it  can,  nevertheless,  be  readily  fecognized 
from  the  orographic  features  of  the  country.  Bordering  immediately 
upon  the  southern  and  western  edges  of  the  metamorphic  area  the  sed- 
imentary beds  begin,  extending  from  there  south  and  westward,  with 
only  small  interruptions  in  the  latter  direction,  caused  by  local  volcanic 
eruptions. 

As  stated  in  the  chapter  on  metamorphics,  the  lowest  members  of  the 
geological  series  have  almost  entirely  disappeared,  leaving  only  small 
remnants  that  cannot  even  be  positively  referred  to  any  definite  group. 
A  portion  of  the  Devonian  rocks  have  escaped  the  influence  that  meta- 
morphosed underlying  beds,  and  offer  an  interesting  field  for  study, 
partly  on  account  of  their  contact  with  the  metamorphosed  material, 
partly  on  account  of  local  features  they  exlHbit.  Above  them  the  Car- 
boniferous formation  set«  in,  greatly  varied  in  its  several  members,  and 
retaining  characteristic  variations  over  a  comparatively  large  area. 
After  this  has  been  passed,  a  gap  occurs  in  the  adopted  succession  of 
geological  formations.  The  Triassic  and  Jurassic  beds  are  wanting  in  our 
district.  Immediately  above  the  Carboniferous  the  Cretaceous  strata  are 
found,  as  it  would  seem  from  some  exposures,  resting  nnconformably 
upon  the  former.  These  continue  for  a  considerable  distance  down  into 
the  plains,  so  far  as  our  survey  was  extended,  without  being  succeeded 
by  Tertiary  deposits. 

SILURIAN. 

Only  at  one  point  a  series  of  strata  was  found  to  crop  oat  that  might 
be  referred  to  this  formation.  Although  no  fossils  were  observed,  and 
the  underlying  formations  had  been  thoroughly  metamorphosed,  the 
overlying  Devonian  beds  determine  the  view  that  they  can  be  placed  as 
belonging  to  this  formation.  To  the  southwest  of  station  3d,  in  tbe 
canon  through  which  Lime  Creek  finds  its  way,  a  succession  of  sand- 
stone strata  were  passed,  to  which  the  above  remarks  refer.  It  is  a 
white,  coarse-grained  sandstone,  deposited  in  thick  strata,  that  dip  at  an 
angle  of  about  ten  degrees  to  the  southward  at  the  point  where  they 
were  seen.  Owing  to  the  densely- wooded  character  of  that  portion  of 
the  district,  no  satisfactory  data  could  be  obtained  regarding  the  dip  at 
other  points.    This  sandstoucj  which  was  observed  at  no  other  locality 

310 


"TOUCH.  J  DEVONIAN.  211 

tbroagbout  the  entire  district,  has  probably  furaished  a  large  portion  of 
the  material  to  which  the  quartzites  of  that  region  owe  their  existence. 
Lithologically  it  is  so  characteristic  that  an  outcrop  at  any  other  place 
mast  necessarily  have  been  identified  with  it ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  explorations  daring  the  summer  of  1875,  during  which  time 
the  eastern  limits  of  the  metamorphic  area  can  be  studied  more  in  de- 
tail, will  throw  additional  light  upon  its  position  in  the  geological  scale. 

DEVONIAN. 

Of  by  far  greater  importance  than  the  preceding  isolated  outcrop  is 
the  area  covered  by  Devonian  strata.  One  feature  adds  greatly  to  tlie 
interest  of  this  group.  It  is  the  fact  that  at  some  points  more  exten- 
sive deposits,  in  a  vertical  direction,  are  found  than  at  others,  both, 
however,  resting  directly  upoh  the  metamorphic  rocks.  In  character, 
both  lithological  and  paleontological,  the  beds,  although  considerable 
distances  apart,  agree  very  well. 

Upon  reaching  the  summit  of  the  pass  that  leads  from  Baker's  Park 
into  the  lower  valley  of  the  Animas,  a  light-blue  to  grayish  limestone 
is  observed,  in  positu^  dipping  to  the  northward.  It  is  very  similar  to, 
if  not  identical  with,  the  limited  outcrop  at  the  head  of  Cunningham 
Gnlch,  where  it  rests  upon  the  shistose  rock,  and  is  covered  by  trachyte. 
This  limestone  formation  continues  along  the  edge  of  the  mountains, 
descending  into  the  caiion  and  keeping  a  coarse  of  outcrop  approxi- 
mately parallel  to  that  of  the  Animas.  Section  II,  given  in  the  discussion 
of  the  Carboniferous^  will  show  the  position  of  the  limestone  with  refer- 
ence to  overlying  and  underlying  strata.  Weathering  in  steep  bluffs, 
of  no  very  considerable  height,  however,  this  rock  presents  a  striking 
appearance  all  along  the  regions  of  Lime  Creek  down  to  the  junction  of 
the  latter  with  Cascade  Creek.  Rhynchonella^  Spirifer^  and  numerous 
remains  of  Crinoids  that  are  found  at  almost  every  point  of  exposure 
facilitate  the  identification.  For  the  entire  series  of  strata  at  tbat  lo- 
cality, a  thickness  of  1,200  to  1,500  feet  may  be  given.  This,  as  will 
be  seen  below,  is  by  far  more  than  the  thickness  of  parallel  beds  at  any 
other  point.  Bat  little  variation  in  the  lithological  and  stratigraphical 
conditions  takes  place.  Above  the  limestones  the  Carboniferous  beds 
begin,  while  they  are  underlaid,  probably  for  a  considerable  distance, 
by  the  Silurian  sandstone.  This  was  observed,  however,  only  at  one 
point.  It  seems  that  the  metamorphosing  agent,  that  thoroughly 
changed  a  large  portion  of  the  Devonian  strata  farther  south,  either 
did  not  reach  to  the  region  that  has  jast  been  discussed,  or  that  an 
abundance  of  material  underlying  the  Devonian  rocks  was  suflicieut 
to  exhaust  its  force. 

A  second  oatcrop  belonging  to  this  formation  occurs  immediately  on 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  metamorphic  area,  running  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  from  station  48.  This  station  is  located  on  an  iso- 
lated  patch  of  Devonian  limestone,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  metamor- 
phic granite.  Besting  immediately  npon  this  granite,  which  showed  a 
very  marked  stratification,  conformable  with  that  of  the  saperincum- 
bent  sedimentary  beds,  a  white  to  red  and  brown  qanrtzite  was  found. 
At  some  points  the  contact  of  the  latter  with  the  granite  was  so  inti- 
mate that  specimens  could  be  obtained,  showing  both  the  granular 
qnartzite  and  the  coarse-grained  granite  on  the  same  piece.  No  definite 
relation  of  the  colors  exhibited  by  the  quartzite  could  be  established, 
save  the  general  rule  that  the  nearer  it  was  to  the  underlying  meta- 
morphic rock,  the  more  intensely  it  was  colored.  Proceeding  in  a  south- 


212       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBEITORIES. 

"westerly  direction  from  station  48,  granite  is  crossed,  and  a  sbort  dis- 
tance beyojid  the  same  stratum  is  found,  bearing  the  same  relations  to 
over  and  under  lying  formations.  It  is  evident,  from  the  stratigraphical 
character  of  the  granite,  and  from  the  position  it  occupies  with  refer- 
ence to  the  sedimentary  beds,  that  at  the  place  to  which  these  remarks 
apply,  it  was  formed  from  sedimentary  deposits  that  have  now  disap- 
peared. Above  the  quartzite  is  a  thin  stratum  of  yellow  siliceous 
shales,  containing  narrow  interstrata  of  softer  shales.  In  these  the  well- 
known  and  characteristic  pseudomorphs  after  salt  were  found.  During 
the  formation  of  the  Devonian  beach  that  now  remains  quartzite  and 
quartzitic  shales,  portions  of  the  water,  that  even  at  so  early  a  geological 
))eriod  contained  sodium -chloride,  were  separated  from  the  main  body. 
Ui)on  eva{)oration  the  mineral  constituents  of  the  water  crystallized.  Sub- 
sequent inundations  of  the  places  that  had  scarcely  been  laid  dry,  brought 
with  them  sand  and  silt,  covering  the  n«wly-formed  crystals.  By  the 
gradual  percolation  of  water  through  the  cover  the  salt  was  dissolved, 
and  a  quantity  of  the  material  composing  the  cover  found  its  way  into 
the  cavities  thus  produced.  It  will  be  noticed,  therefore,  that  whenever 
these  i)seudomorphs  of  sand  after  salt  are  found  in  positUj  the  crystals 
will  be  observed  on  the  /otrer  side  of  stratum  containing  them.  OcQurreuoes 
of  this  kind  are  not  uufrequeut  in  younger  formations  both  of  this 
country  and  Europa  Besides  these  pseudomorphs,  scales  and  frag- 
ments of  bones  are  found,  belonging  to  some  fish  of  considerable  size. 
Too  little  material  could  be  collected  to  admit  of  any  i'^entification, 
even  only  generically.  Small  scutellse  also  occur,  probably  belonging 
to  the  same  animal.  This  stratum,  as  well  as  the  quartzite  underlying 
it,  can  be  traced  on  the  southern   side  of  the  granite  strip. 

Above  this  the  limestones  set  in.  On  station  48  it  presented  a  very 
curious  appearance.  In  every  direction  the  isolated  stratum  is  traversed 
by  vertical  fissures,  sometimes  8  to  10  feet  in  width,  sometimes  only  a 
few  inches.  Throughout  the  entire  mass  innumerable  small  cracks  occur, 
so  thoroughly  breaking  up  the  limestones  that  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to 
obtain  even  small  fossils  that  were  not  already  broken.  The  whole 
phenomenon  was  that  of  the  result  of  a  vertical  force  acting  with  lim- 
ited lateral  pressure.  I  ascribe  it  to  the  same  cause  that  produced  the 
metamorphosis  of  the  underlying  strata.  As  in  the  two  preceding  cases, 
this  limestone  also  continues  farther  south,  forming  an  abrupt  bluft 
toward  the  northeast  and  east.  The  continuation  shows  more  strata 
than  were  observed  on  station  48,  but  the  horizon  for  fossils  remains  the  ^ 
same.  Here  the  evidence  of  decomposing  and  disturbing  influences  is  not 
so  thoroughly  marked,  although  it  can  readily  be  noticed.  Thousands 
of  fossils  were  found  on  station  48  belonging  to  a  few  species  only,  but 
nearly  all  of  them  in  a  very  poor  state  of  preservation,  owing  to  the 
causes  above  given.  At  some  places  the  limestone  was  almost  entirely 
composed  of  the  remains  of  BrtwhiopodSj  while  at  others  they  were 
distributed  more  sparingly.  This  stratum  seems  to  me  to  mark  the  • 
upper  limit  of  the  Devonian  formation  in  that  section  of  country,  and, 
although  no  very  decisive  paleontological  evidence  can  be  adduced  for 
assigning  the  overlying  beds  to  the  Carboniferous,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered how  very  closely  the  organic  remains  of  the  Upper  Devonian  and 
Lower  Carboniferous  are  related  to  each  other  in  our  western  groups 
belonging  to  those  formations.  A  number  of  s{>ecies  were  found  in  the 
limeslone  of  station  48  and  its  continuation  southward,  which  Professor 
V.  B.  Meek  has  kindly  identified.  He  describes,  from  the  material  sub- 
mitted to  him,  a  new  species,*  the  description  of  which  is  given  below. 

*6n11etiii  United  States  Geological  and  Geographical  Sarvey,  second  series,  No.  1,  1875, 
page  46. 


KDucH]  DEVONIAN.  213 

A  suiall  Prodiictm  w^ts  found,  resembling  P.  subaculeaius ;  oe<mr8 
spariugly.  Ortlioceras  is  found,  but  in  a  very  poor  state  of  preservation. 
Athyris  and  Rhynchonella  occur.  Bellerophon  and  Euamphalus  were  col- 
le(;ted  in  imperfect  specimens. 

By  far  the  most  numerous  and  varied  species  occurring  there  is  the 
one  described  by  Professor  Meek  as — 

Ehynchonella  Endlichi,  Meek. 

• 

Shell  attaining  a  rather  large  size,  subtrigonal,  with  breadth  nearly 
or  quite  equaling  the  length,  the  widest  part  being  in  advance  of  the 
middle,  becoming  very  convex  with  age  anteriorly;  posterior  lateral 
luariiins  straight,  or:but  slightly  convex  in  outline,  laterally  compressed 
or  flattened,  and  diverging  from  the  beaks,  in  adult  specimens,  usually 
at  alK)nt  right  angles  or  less;  anterior  lateral  margins  rounding  to  the 
front,  which  is  generally  more  or  less  produced,  and,  as  seen  in  a  direct 
view  tiom  above  or  below,  transversely  truncated  or  a  little  sinuous  at 
the  middle.  Dorsal  valve  very  convex,  particularly  along  the  middle, 
the  elevation  increasing  rapidly  to  the  front,  which  is  raised  so  as  to 
lorm  a  very  prominent,  broad,  rounded,  or  somewhat  flattened,  and 
Klightiy-de fined  mesial  fold,  rarely  traceable  back  to  the  central  region, 
while,  on  each  side,  the  lateral  slopes  descend  abruptly  to  connect  with 
those  of  the  other  valve;  benk  moderately  prominent,  and  incurved  more 
or  letis  nearly  at  right  angles  to  general  plane  of  the  valves ;  interior 
with  a  prominent  mesial  septum  extending  forward  nearly  half  way  to 
the  front.  Ventral  valve  flattened  at  the  umbo,  and  so  broadly  and  pro- 
loandly  sinuous  from  near  the  same  anteriorly  as  to  leave  only  a  promi- 
ueutaugular  margin  on  each  side,  the  sinus  being  broadly  flattened  along 
the  middle,  and  increasing  rapidly  in  depth  to  the  front  margin,  which 
is  carved  npward  more  or  less  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  plane  of  the 
valves,  and  pro^luced  in  the  middle,  in  the  form  of  a  large  extension 
fitting  into  a  corresponding  sinuosity  in  the  middle  of  the  front  of  the 
other  valve;  anterior  lateral  margins  on  each  side  of  the  sinus  meeting 
tbo^ot  the  other  valve  at  acute  angles  ;  posterior  lateral  margins  very 
abruptly  deflected  and  rectangularly  deflected  along  each  side  of  the 
sinus,  to  meet  those  of  the  other  valve;  beak  comparatively  small. 
Surtace  of  both  valves  ornamented  by  numerous  radiating  cost^e,  which, 
on  the  umbone^,  are  ^merely  distinct  raised  lines,  but  increase  in  size 
anteriorly,  particularly  those  in  the  sinus  and  on  the  mesial  fold,  where, 
toward  the  front  of  adult  specimens,  they  become  moderate-sized, 
rounded  ribs,  of  which  four  to  six  or  seven  may  be  counted  in  the  imme- 
diate flattened  bottom  of  the  sinus,  and  two  or  three  more  on  the  fold, 
while  those  on  the  lateral  slopes  bifurcate,  and  continue,  of  smaller  size, 
to  the  anterior  and  antero-jateral  margins.  (Finer  surface-markings 
mikuown). 

Length  of  an  adult  specimen,  1.78  inches;  breadth,  1.53  inches;  con- 
^exiry,  about  1.24  inches. 

This  is  a  fine  s|>ecies,  more  nearly  resembling  some  Devonian  and 
Upi>er  Silurian  forms  than  the  usual  Carboniferous  types.  Its  most 
piarked  features  are  the  large  size  of  its  mesial  sinus,  the  flattening  of 
its  posterior  lateral  slopes,  and  the  angularity  of  the  posterior  lateral 
niargins  of  its  ventral  valve  on  each  side  of  the  sinus,  formed  by  the 
abrupt  flexure  of  those  margins  to  meet  those  of  the  other  valve.  This 
inflection  of  the  posterior  lateral  margins  gives  this  part  of  the  shell  a 
pocaliar  truncated,  rectangular  appearance,  contrasting  strongly  with 
the  very  acute  angles  formed  by  the  connection  of  the  antero-lateral 
margins  of  the  valve. 


214       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  specific  Dame  is  given  in  honor  of  Dr.  £ndlich,of  the  United 
States  geological  survey  of  the  Territories. 

Location  aivd  jMmtion.^— East  of  Animas  River,  Colorado  Territory, 
where  it  occurs  associated  with  a  small  Produciua  of  the  type  of  P.  stdh 
aculeattu.  According  to  Dr.  Endlich's  sections,  as  well  as  from  its 
affinities,  it  would  seem  to  be  most  properly  of  an  Upper  Devonian  spe- 
cies. Fragmeuts  of  it  have  been  brought  in  from  other  localities  in  the 
Bocky  Mountains. 

As  mentioned  before,  the  Devonian  strata  extend  from  station  48  in  a 
northwesterly  direction,  reaching  nearly  to  the  edge  of  a  canon  that 
separates  the  main  mass  of  the  Quartzite  Mountains  from  the  sedimen- 
tary area.  A  number  of  points  along  this  line  of  outcrop  are  the  high- 
est on  the  sedimentary  ridges.  True  to  the  general  character  of  the 
stratigraphy  of  that  region,  the  beds  dip  oft'  to  the  south  aud  southwestv, 
at  an  angle  varying  from  two  to  six  degrees.  So  far  as  could  be  deter- 
mined, the  strata  show  very  nearly  the  same  condition  in  the  other 
portions  of  the  Devonian  area,  as  they  were  describe<l  from  station  4H. 

A  section  taken  from  station  48  to  station  49  (section  1,)  which  is  located 
on  Lower  Giirboiiiferous  strata,  will  show  the  relations  of  the  sedimentary 
beds  to  the  nnderlying  metamorphics.  Under  the  granite  a  shi^tose  rock 
sets  iu,  a,  that  is  merely  a  continuation  of  the  large  masses  occurring  near 
the  borders  of  thequartzites.  Above  it  follows  the  stratoid  grauite  6, 
dipping  off  to  the  south  and  southwest  coniormably  with  the  overlying 
beds.  The  quartzite  sets  in  then  and  continues  to  the  southward,  c. 
Ascending  higher,  we  reach  the  siliceous  shales,  c2,  containing  the  psea- 
domorphs  of  salt  and  the  remains  of  fish.  Blue  limestone,  «,  forms  the 
capping  of  the  small  plateau  upon  which  station  48  is  locnted,  and,  as 
well  as  the  rest,  continues  southward,  growing  thicker,  however.  Above 
this  the  Carboniferous  beds  set  in.  The  entire  thickness  of  the  sediinen- 
taries  at  station  48  amounts  to  about  two  hundred  feet,  while  farther 
south  the  limestone,  e,  alone  reaches  that  figure.  Horizons  tor  fossils^ 
that  were  observed  alongthebluffssonth  of  station  48,  let  itap|)ear  that  the 
stratum  covering  that  point  must  ha  ve  been  either  eroded  or  must  ha  ve  dis- 
appeared in  consequence  of  the  activity  that  produced  the  metamorphic 
rocks.  Comparing  the  thicknesses  we  find  here  with  those  observeil  on 
LimQ  Creek,  the  striking  difference  will  be  observed  at  once.  A  very 
large  portion  of  the  Devonian  strata  has  been  converted  into  coarse- 
grained grauite  near  station  48.  I  see  no  reason  to  assume  that  the  de- 
position at  that  point  wa^  less  in  thickness  than  twenty  miles  farther  to 
the  northwest.  These  two  localities  exhaust  the  out<5ro[)8  of  Devonian 
rocks  in  our  district.  Their  relations  to  overlying  formations  are  very 
simple,  having  a  conformable  stratification. 

CARBONIFEROUS. 

Members  belonging  to  this  formation  cover  a  great  deal  more  gronnd 
than  those  of  the  preceding  group.  It  is  mainly  divided  into  two  divis- 
ions, the  Lower  Carboniferous,  aud  the  Upper,  containing  the  red  sand- 
stone. The  former  crops  out  all  along  the  west  side  of  the  Animas,  down 
to  about  the  middle  of  Animas  Park,  while  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ani- 
mas it  forms  a  part  of  the  higher  ridges  sloping  off  southward  from  the 
Devonian  area  of  that  region.  Throughout  the  area  which  it  covers,  its 
stratigraphical  relations  conform  entirely  to  those  of  the  underlying  De- 
vonian rocks.  Varied  as  the  formation  is,  and  notwithstanding  its  quite 
considerable  vertical  development,  but  few  localities  were  found  where 
characteristic  fossils  afforded  any  definite  evidence  legarding  age.    The 


'  I 


Stazionu 


Library, 


Biouun.l  CARBONIFEROUS.  215 

absence  of  fossils  was  particularly  noticeable  iu  the  npper  division,  iu 
tbe  reel  sandstones.  With  their  aid,  t.  e.,  with  the  aid  of  typical  forms, 
aDy  lingering  doobt  regarding  their  age  could  have  been  cleared  satis- 
factorily. As  it  is^  only  a  few  organic  remains  were  foand,  and  it  be- 
comes necessary  to  employ  stratigraphical  evidence  in  support  of  any 
view  that  may  be  ent<ertained  with  regard  to  their  age. 

While  the  lower  division  of  the  Carboniferous  is  composed  of  a 
series  of  beds,  containing  sandstones,  shales,  and  limestones,  the  up- 
per is  confined  almost  entirely  to  the  massive  beds  of  red  sand- 
stone. In  its  lower  strata  the  former  shows  mainly  yellowish  sand- 
stones, interstratified  with  yellowish  and  gray  shales,  while,  higher 
Dp,  the  blue  limestones  set  in,  containing  characteristic  fossils.  Imme- 
diately above  that  the  red  sandstones  begin,  aud  continue  in  an  un- 
broken series  until  the  white  sandstones  of  the  Lower  Cretaceous  are 
reached.  Trias  and  Jura  are  missing  or  reduced  to  a  minimum  and  only 
exposed  locally.  Of  one  feature  mention  may  be  made,  that  had  a 
great  influence  upon  the  subsequent  configuration  of  the  country  and 
determination  of  the  drainage.  In  the  chapter  on  metamorphics  an 
anticlinal  axis  has  been  alluded  to,  running  through  a  large  portion  of 
the  sedimentary  formations,  and  continuing  from  there  eastward  through 
tlie  Qnartzite  Mountains.  So  tar  as  our  work  extended  westward  the 
traces  of  this  disturbance  could  be  observed.  The  line  it  pursues  is 
approximately  from  west  to  east,  with  a  number  of  small  curves.  A 
Hiiort  distance  west  of  station  37  it  was  first  noticed,  running  a  little 
northward  past  that  station ;  it  then  makes  a  curve  toward  the  south, 
and  croSvses  over  to  station  36,  from  there  over  to  Cascade  Creek  and 
station  31,  crossing  slightly  to  the  north  of  it;  tbilowing  the  same 
direction,  it  runs  south  of  station  38,  and  enters  the  metamorphic  area. 
Its  eastern  termination  seems  to  be  lost  under  the  trachyte,  which 
Kobseqnently  invaded  the  region.  On  its  north  side  the  Cretaceous  beds 
on  the  San  Miguel  and  Rio  Dolores  take  no  part  in  the  dips  produced  by 
the  elevation  along  the  line  given.  Toward  the  west  the  dips  produced 
are  not  so  steep  as  those  farther  east.  It  can  be  seen,  however  that> 
quite  frequently  the  line  of  strongest  upheaval  is  markeil  by  the  courses 
of  creeks,  the  strata  dipping  oft' on  either  side  from  them.  Proceeding 
toward  thequartzites,  however,  this  changes.  Some  of  the  highest  points 
of  that  group  show  their  metamorphosed  beds  dipping  off  on  either 
side  of  the  summit  to  the  north  and  souths  The  course  of  the  an- 
ticlinal axis  is  there  marked  by  a  n»w  of  prominent  peaks,  prominent 
both  on  account  of  their  altitude  and  the  steep  slopes  they  present. 
Throughout  the  entire  older  se<limentary  area,  south  of  the  given  line- 
its  efi'ect  can  be  recognized.  Although  the  Cretace«>us  beds  dip  off*,  ap- 
parently uniformly,  in  the  same  direction,  uncontbrmabiiities  were  no- 
ticed iu  several  instances,  and  it  is  quite  probable,  therefore,  that  their 
dip  is  to  be  explained  by  a  gradual  rising  of  that  portion  which 
then  was  land,  rather  than  to  be  regarded  as  the  result  of  the  same 
upheaval.  The  fact  that  volcanic  material  at  numerous  places  covers 
both  the  metamorphic  and  older  sedimentary  strata,  resting  uuconform- 
ably  upon  them,  shows  that  the  disturbance  must  certainly  have  taken 
place  before  the  time  of  the  volcanic  eruptions.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
will  be  found  that  Cretaceous  beds,  appearing  to  have  suffered  no  im- 
mediate dislocation  from  the  sanie  cause,  are  likewise  covered  by  vol- 
canic rocks  of  the  same  age,  so  that  the  appearance  of  the  latter  upon 
the  surface  could  scarcely  denote  the  extensive  upheaval.  Inasmuch  as 
all  the  Carbon  if isrous  beds  we  have  in  the  district  hare  been  affected 
alike,  it  seems  correct  to  conclude  that  the  anticlinal  axis  in  question 


216       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

< 

was  formed  not  very  long  after  the  deposition  of  the  strata  composing 
that  formation.  As  to  the  causes  to  which  it  owes  its  existence,  I  have 
no  explanation  to  oflfer,  althou[?h  I  think  it  highly  probable  that  its 
occurrence  is  in  intimate  connection  with  the  production  of  the  meta- 
morphic  rocks,  the  formation  of  which  certainly  fell  into  some  period 
subsequent  to  the  Devonian  epoch. 

Overlying  the  last-named  formation,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Animas, 
we  Mnd  the  Carboniferous  beds.    Analogous  to  those  on  the  west  side, 
if  not  identical,  they  commence  with  a  series  of  sandstones  and  shales 
containing  fragments  of  plants.    Isolated  interstrata  of  fossiliferous 
limestones  occur.    Higher  up  the  heavier  limestone  strata  are  reached, 
and  then  follows  the  red  sandstone.    Referring  to  section  I,  given  under 
the  head  of  Devonian,  we  see  that  there  is  a  white,  coarse-grained, 
qiuirtzitic  sandstone,  <)f,  deposited  upon  the  Upper  Devonian  limestone. 
This  1  regard  as  a  good  horizon  to  mark  the  beginning  of  the  Carbouif- 
erons.    Above  it  follow  yellow  to  brown  sandy,  shales,  h,  weathering  in 
small  tabular  fragments,  attaining  higher  up  more  of  the  sandstone 
character,  i  e.,  losing  that  of  shales.    Thin  beds  of  limestone,  contaiuiiig 
corals,  occur  in  the  sandstones.     Upon  the  next  highest  stratum,  i,  sta- 
tion 49  was  located,  at  an  elevation  of  11,700  feet.     It  is  a  dark-blue 
limestone,  containing  Athyris  suhtilida.     Its  thickness  is  not  great, 
amounting  to  80  to  100  feet.    It  is  covered  by  yellow   sandstone,  Z,  in 
which  numerous  fragments  of  plants,  probably  belonging  to  Uqmsetum^ 
were  observed.    Yellow  to  brown   sandy  shales,  m,  and  marls  follow 
above  this,  underlying  the  red  sandstone,  n.    Of  this  but  little  can 
be  said,  inasmuch  as  its  stratigraphical  conditions  are  very  uniform, 
and  the  variations  shown  by   its  single  beds  but  slight.     Some  of 
the  latter  show  more  of   a  shaly  character,  in  that   case   having  a 
darker  color;  others  are    more    coarse-grained    than    is   usually   the 
case.    The   thickness  of  all  these  beds   will    amount  to    over   3,000 
feet,  of  which  nearly  2,000  belong  to  the  red  sandstone.     Station  40 
is  located  ion  this  sandstone,  toward  the  lower  end  of  Animas  Park, 
on   the  ra^t  side  of  the  river.    Dipping  southward    at  an    angle   of 
aliout  6^,  it  does  not  quite  reach  down   to   the   valley,  but   permits 
the  underlying  limestones  and  shales  to  crop  out.    Farther  east  they 
seem  to  pinch  out  and  are  not  cut  by  section  I.    Descending  from  that 
station   Athyria  suhtilida  Wds  found  m positu  in  a  thin,  shaly  stratum 
within    the    red    sandstones,    nearly    one    thousand    feet    above   its 
lower  limits.    A  short  distance  below  the  latter,  blue  limestone  set  in, 
containing  numerous  specimens  of  Prodnctus  senmtriattiSj  Athyris  sub- 
tilidaj  and  Spirifer.    One  Productus  semistriutua  was  found  on  station 
40.  i.  e.y  in  the  highest  third  of  the  red  sandstones.    It'was  not  in  posi- 
tion, however,  and  although  I  cannot  conceive  of  any  plausible  method 
by  which  it  might  have  been  transported  thence,  I   hesitate  to  accept 
it  as  positive  evidence.    A  short  distance  south  of  station  40   the  sand- 
stone reaches  the  valley,  and  the  underlying  beds  are  hidden  from  view. 
The  I  hickness  of  the  Carboniferous  strata  exposed  at  station  40  is  ahout 
eighteen  hundred  to  nineteen  hundred  feet,  nearly  fourteen  hundred  feet 
of  which  are  formed  by  the  red  sandstone.    The  eastern  limit  of  the 
Carboniferous  occurs  near  the  Rio  Vallecito  and  over  toward  Kio  Pioos. 
Owing  to  very  dense  timber,  fewer  observations  could  be  made  than 
might  have  been  desirable,  but  enough  was  seen  to  show  that  both  ver- 
tical development  and  stratigraphy  remain  unaltered.    So  far  as  could 
be  determined,  none  of  the  Carboniferous  strata  were  altered  by  the  ex- 
tensive metamorphosis  that  took  place  farther  north. 
Ascending  from  Baker's  Park  the  pass  that  leads  into  the  lower  val- 


* 


**  •  ^   .   . 


/^, 


KKDUCR.  ]  CARBONIFEROUS.  217 

ley  of  the  Animas,  at  an  elevation  of  10,460  feet  the  sedimentary  beds 
are  soon  reached,  beginning  with  the  Devonian.  Resting  immediately 
npon  it  are  the  Carboniferous  strata,  beginning  again  with  the  lower 
series  of  sandstones  and  shales,  in teratratified  with  limestones.  Sonth 
of  Saltan  Mountain  (station  26, 13,306  feet  high),  the  strata  have  a 
soQtherly  dip,  both  the  Devonian  and  Carboniferous,  while  the  overlying 
trachyte  covers  them,  nearly  horizontally  stratified.  Proceeding  from 
that  point  to  the  southwest,  toward  station  31,  it  will  be  observed  that 
the  dip  changes  into  an  opposite  direction,  producing  a  synclinal  fold. 
Upon  reaching  the  station  mentioned,  however,  it  returns  to  such  a  posi- 
tion as  to  become  parallel  again  with  the  first.  This  latter  change  is  due 
to  the  influence  of  the  main  anticlinal  axis  that  has  been  discussed 
above.  Engineer  Mountain  (station  31)  is  located  upon  an  isolated  i)atch 
of  trachyte  superincumbent  upon  the  red  Carboniferous  sandstones. 
Although  no  very  marked  stratification  can  be  observed  in  the  volcanic 
rock  of  that  small  peak,  its  direction  is  indicated  by  the  vertical  position 
of  the  columns  in  which  the  trach.vte  there  weathers.  The  unconforma- 
bility  between  the  two  is  not  so  marked  as  farther  to  the  northeast,  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  eruptive  material  is  found  almost  directly  on  the 
axis  of  upheaval.  A  clearer  view  of  the  respective  relations  can  be  ob- 
tained from  the  accompanying  section  II.  Starting  from  the  northe{\8t, 
the  metamorphic  rocks,  a,  are  found  to  underlie  the  sedimentaries. 
They  are  covered  by  Devonian  limestones,  &,  containing  numer- 
ons  fragments  of  corals  and  Spirifer,  analogous  to  the  rock  upon 
which  station  48  was  located.  After  that  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series 
sets  in,  c,  composed  of  yellow  to  brown  sandstones  and  shales,  inter- 
stratified  with  beds  of  limestone,  some  of  which  contain  Producfus  semi- 
striatus.  Heavy  beds  of  the  red  sandstone,  </,  follow,  showing  a  very 
considerable  development  of  that  formation.  Toward  station  26  these 
are  capped  for  some  distance  by  trachyte,  e,  running  out  on  the  spurs 
from  the  main  group  of  mountains.  To  the  north  of  station  31  a  liine- 
stone  occurs  above  the  sandstones,  exposed  on  but  a  small  area,  and  »f 
no  considerable  thickness.  The  absence  of  characteristic  fossils  in  these 
strata  is  very  much  to  be  regretted.  Crinoids  and  corals  of  a  decidedly 
Carboniferous  type  were  found  there;  but  such  remains  b^'  which  their 
age  could  have  been  established  definitely  were  not  observed.  Strati- 
graphically  they  are  conformable  to  the  underlying  beds.  During  the 
smnmer  of  1873, 1  fonnd  in  the  red  sandstones  composing  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  JSangre  de  Ciisto  range,  near  their  upper  limit,  beds  of  lime- 
stone that  showed  the  same  fossils.  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  therefore, 
that  these  two  may  be  parallel;  all  the  more  as  I  consider  the  sand- 
stones of  the  two  regions  as  being  of  the  same  age.  Crossing  that  out- 
crop of  limestones,  and  proceeding  northward  toward  the  head  of  Bear 
Oreek,  we  again  descend  into  the  region  of  red  sandstone.  All  along 
Bear  Creek  it  forms  the  high  slopes  on  either  side  nearly  down  to  the 
jnnction  with  Mineral  Creek,  dipping  ofl'  gently  to  the  west.  At  that 
point  the  thickness  of  the  sandstones  amounts  to  about  1,800  feet.  Near 
thejunction,  erratic  bowlders  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  limestones  may 
be  found,  originating  from  a  small  outcrop  of  those  strata  on  the  north 
side  of  the  creek.  While  the  sedimentaries  are  thus  found  in  the  lower 
canons,  volcanic  rocks  form  all  the  high  points.  On  Bear  Creek, 
al>out  two  miles  above  the  junction,  a  conglomerate  may  be  observed 
forming  one  of  the  highest  strata  of  the  sandstone  group.  Immediately 
above  it  the  trachyte  begins.  By  the  action  of  the  latter  it  has  become 
thoroughly  baked;  is  hard  and  well  cemented.  At  no  other  point  was 
a  conglomerate  observed  in  the  same  horizon,  and  it  seems  probable, 


218       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

therefore,  that  it  may  have  been  a  local  formatioD.  The  high  ridge 
npoa  which  station  30  is  located,  dividing  the  waters  of  the  San  Miguel 
from  those  of  the  Animas,  shows  a  volcanic  cap  throughoat  its  entire 
length.  Grossing  Bear  Greek  Pass,  the  red  sandstones  are  again  iboDd 
on  the  west  side  of  the  ridge,  althongh  their  horizontal  distribntion  is 
limited.  As  on  the  east  side,  they  are  covered  by  trachyte,  which  shows 
almost  horizontal  strata,  slightly  unconformable  with  the  underlying 
sedimentary  beds.  Here,  aer  well  as  on  Bear  Greek,  the  sandstones 
show  a  number  of  white  interstrata,  a  characteristic  that  can  be  ob- 
served  throughout,  in  the  same  horizon,  along  the  exposures  on  the 
Animas.  Quite  considerable  metamorphosis  has  taken  place  in  tlie 
upper  strata,  produced  by  the  overlying  trachytes. 

To  the  westward,  opposite  station  30,  an  interesting  point  may  be  ob- 
served, where  apparently  the  Garboniferous  sandstones  overlie  the  Greta- 
ceous  beds.  This  is  one  of  the  instances  of  unconformability  alluded  to. 
The  sandstones  in  question  were  deposited  and  raised*  to  their  present 
position,  erosion  had  taken  place  and  carved  out  much  of  the  present 
sha[)e,  before  Gretaceous  waters  invaded  the  region  and  the  deposits  of 
Greiaceous  Nos.  2  and  3  were  formed.  In  the  cafion  north  of  station  36, 
the  sandstones  again  crop  out,  overlaid  by  Gretaceous  No.  1.  Farther 
down  on  the  Bio  Dolores,  they  form  both  the  bed  of  the  river  and  the 
banks  on  either  side  ibr  some  distance.  In  speaking  of  the  volcanic  area, 
the  isolated  flows  near  stations  36  and  37  have  been  mentioned.  The 
fact  that  they  do  not  stand  in  the  same  relation  as  regards  time  to  the 
preceding  sedimentary  deposits,  receives  an  additional  support,  inasmuch 
as  tlie  trachytes  are  found  to  occur,  covering  the  Lower  Gretaceous, 
which  rests  in  turn  upon  the  sandstones  of  the  Upper  Garboniferous.  A 
number  of  cases  were  observed  where  the  volcanic  material  is  intrusive, 
which  shall  be  referred  to  below. 

Near  station  37,  which  is  located  on  the  red  sandstone  at  an  elevation 
of  12,648  feet,  this  is  the  main  rock,  overlaid  toward  the  north  by  the 
Gretaceous  beds,  extending  southward  for  a  considerable  distance. 
About  one-half  mile  north  of  station  37  the  main  anticlinal  axis  pa^^^ies 
from  west  to  east,  producing  a  considerable  dip,  from  10^  to  18^,  in 
the  strata.  Either  subsequent  erosion,  or  a  breaking  of  the  strata,  has 
caused  the  small  creeks  of  that  locality  frequently  to  find  their  courses 
along  the  line  of  upheaval,  whereas,  in  the  quartzitic  regions,  the 
steepest  peaks  owe  their  formation  to  it.  A  section  taken  through 
station  37,  in  a  direction  of  about  north  30^  east  (section  III),  will  ex- 
plain the  stratigraphical  conditions  of  the  locality.  The  station  itself 
is  located  on  a  shaly  stratum,  2»,  contained  in  the  red  sandstones,  a, 
From  there  the  beds  dip  in  a  southerly  direction,  at  an  angle  of  about 
120.  Traveling  northward,  however,  a  depression  is  soon  reached, 
marking  the  line  of  the  anticlinal  axis,  and  from  that  point  the  strata 
dip  ofi'  to  the  north.  Numerous  bluffs  afford  excellent  exposures  of  the 
beds,  and  the  characteristic  change  of  red  and  white  strata  is  well  cal- 
culated to  demonstrate  the  stratigraphy.  Intrusive  between  the  layers 
of  the  red  sandstone  we  find  a  bed  of  trachyte,  /,  apparently  inter- 
stratified,  but  pinching  out,  as  the  distance  from  the  outcrop  increases. 
Two  other  deposits  of  trachyte  were  seen,/,/,  the  one  capping  a  narrow 
ridge,  the  other  forming  a  small  plateau.  Both  of  them  cover  Gretaceous 
beds.  Immediately  upon  the  red  sandstones  the  white  Gretaceous,  No. 
1,  follows,  composed  of  a  fine-grained,  hard  sandstone,  c.  Whether  or 
not  an  unconformability  exists  there,  was  impossible  to  decide,  as  the 
debris  from  the  latter  sandstone  obscured  the  junction  at  all  points 
visited,  and  dense  timber  prevented  any  extensive  view.    Above  No.  1 


'TV-oAjie 


f 


//.     ' 


\1 


v       ' 


93iXi 


KDucH.;  CARBONIFEROUS.  219 

tbe  gray  shales  of  I^os.  2  aud  3,  d^  follow,  upon  which  the  trachyte  of 
tbe  small  plateaa  rests.  From  there  westward  the  Carboniferous  beds 
crop  out  only  in  the  lower  country,  while  the  higher  shows  Cretaceous 
beds.  This  is  the  case  also  with  the  region  lying  north.  An  interesting 
case  of  volcanic  intrusion  occurs  immediately  south  of  station  37,  of 
which  section  IV  will  give  an  idea.  As  stated  above,  the  station  ih 
located  on  the  red  sandstones,  a,  which  dip  from  there  in  a  southerly 
direction.  Descending  with  them  a  stratum  of  trachyte,  c,  similar  to 
that  described  Irom  station  36,  is  found  imbedded  in  them,  and  after  it  is 
crossed  the  sandstones  again  appear.  Shortly  after  their  first  outcrop 
has  been  passed,  a  trachytic  dike,  d,  is  reached,  ascending  nearly  verti- 
cally through  the  sedimentary  beds.  From  there  a  small  point  is 
ascended,  and  it  will  be  observed  that  three  other  trachyte  beds  are 
iuterstratified  with  tbe  sandstones.  Not  far  from  the  highest  portion  of 
the  hill  a  vertical  fault  has  occurred,  displacing  the  strata  for  the  dis- 
tance of  about  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  By  this  means  the  trachyte  has 
been  brought  immediately  opposite  the  sandstones.  It  was  noticed 
that  the  volcanic  beds  diminished  in  thicicuess  toward  the  south,  some 
of  them  pinching  out  almost  entirely  by  the  time  they  reach  the  opposite 
side  of  the  hill.  A  trachytic  layer  caps  the  entire  series.  From  these 
aud  other  instances  where  intrusion  was  observed,  it  would  seem  that 
the  eruption  of  that  isolated  mass  of  volcauics  had  been  accompanied 
by  considerable  dislocation,  although  the  relative  position  of  the  latter 
to  tbe  sedimentary  beds  precludes  the  probability  of  their  having  had 
any  share  in  the  formation  of  the  main  anticlinal  axis.  Whence  tbe 
intrusive  material  came  is  a  question  that  may  require  more  study  to 
answer,  but  it  seems  to  me,  so  far  as  I  was  able  to  acquaint  myself  with 
the  character  of  the  geognosy  of  that  section,  that  it  must  have  pro- 
ceeded from  station  36.  Both  from  stratigraphical  and  lithological 
evidence  I  am  inclined  to  accept  this  proposition ;  all  the  more  as  the 
Qiineralogical  composition  of  all  the  volcanic  rocks  of  that  entire  group 
is  a  remarkably  uniform  one. 

From  the  localities  just  referred  to,  the  Carboniferous  formation  ex- 
tends down  southward  for  some  distance  on  the  west  side  of  the  Ani- 
mas. All  along  the  river,  from  some  distance  above  station  39  down  to 
station  40,  the  lower  division  of  the  formation  is  exposed  in  the  almost 
vertical  bluffs  that  border  the  Animas  Valley  on  the  west  side.  Litho- 
logically  the  strata  show  tbe  same  characteristics  that  are  exhibited  on 
the  east  side,  and  are,  regarding  the  vertical  distribution  of  beds,  iden- 
tical with  them.  Beginning  again  below  with  the  series  of  yellow  to 
brown  shales  and  sandstones,  the  bluffs  rise  to  a  relative  elevation  of 
1,400  to  1,800  feet  above  the  valley.  Toward  the  top  limestones  set  in, 
containing  some  fossils.  This  formation  extends  westward  and  runs 
lor  some  distance  in  a  line  approximately  parallel  to  the  course  of  the 
Animas.  It  is  soon,  however,  covered  by  the  red  sandstones.  A  num- 
ber of  mineral  springs,  alkaline,  and  containing  soma  iron,  rise  in  the 
lower  division.  One  of  them  is  situated  opposite  Animas  City,  near  the 
top  of  the  bluff.  Two  more  are  found  in  the  valley  near  the  lower  end 
of  Animas  Park,  starting  at  the  base  of  the  bluff.  While  the  one  is 
cold,  the  other,  but  a  short  distance  from  it,  is  warm.  A  deposit,  in 
part  calcareous,  has  been  formed  near  them. 

Resting  upon  these  Lower  Carboniferous  beds  we  again  find  the  red 
sandstone,  occupying,  with  reference  to  the  former,  the  same  position  as 
on  the  east  side  of  Animas.  Although  there  may  probably  be  some 
variation  in  the  thickness  of  the  beds,  increasing  as  we  go  westward, it  is 
not  of  any  great  extent.    A  large  area  is  covered  by  these  red  sand- 


220       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Stones,  extending  from  stations  36,  37,  and  31  southward  along  the  Ari- 
uiosa,  its  western  and  northern  tributaries,  nearly  to  stations  42  and  43. 
Densely  timbered  ridges,  with  only  occasional  exposures  alongsteep  banks 
or  bluffs,  mark  the  horizontal  distribution  ot  the  formation  under  consid- 
eration.   The  drainage  cuts  in  deeply,  leaving  rounded  spurs  and  ridges 
to  direct  the  future  water-courses.    Northwest  of  the  junction  of  the 
A  imosa  with  the  Animas,  the  first  outcrop  of  the  red  sandstone  near 
the  Animas  Valley  is  observed.    There  it  occurs  as  the  capping  of  a 
small  hill,  separated  from  the  main  mass,  further  «oath,  by  the  cauon  of 
the  Arimosa.    About  four  jiiiles  south  of  station  40,  the  sandstones  reach 
the  level  of  the  valley.    From  the  northern  limits  of  the  sedimentary 
formations,  down  to  this  point,  they  have  preserved  an  even  dip  to  the 
south,  varying  from  4^  to  12P.     At  this  point  it  amounts  to  about  5^. 
As  on  the  east  side  ol'  the  river,  the  sandstones  show  mterstrata  of  white 
beds,  arranged  in  the  same  vertical  succession  as  there.    There  can  be  no 
doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  the.  formations  on  either  side  of  thej  river. 
As  soon  as  this  point  is  established,  it  remains  to  be  determined  by 
what  agency  they  were  separated,  so  as  to  give  rise  to  the  formation  of 
a  broad  valley  between  the  two  exposed  walls.    It  has  been  nientione<l 
of  the  Lower  Carboniferous,  that  the  blufifs  it  formed  along  the  valley 
were  nearly  vertical.    A  considerable  amount  of  debris  certainly  ob- 
scures the  exposure  of  the  face  at  the  base,  but  presumably  the  same 
general  direction  is  continuous.    This  fact  holds  good  also  for  the 
red  sandstones  on  one  as  well  as  the  other  side  of   the  Animas, 
luiismuch  as  the  dip  and  strike  of  the  strata  are  about  the  sameon  both 
sides,  the  former  parallel  to  the  general  course  of  the  river,  and  the 
various  beds  reach  the  valley-bottom  opposite  each  other,  it  is  evident 
that  no  disturbances  took  place  by  which  both  sides  were  not  equally 
afi'ected.   Theagenciesby  which  thevalleyof  the  Animas  could  have  lieeu 
ibrmed  are:  (1)  gradual  erosion  by  the  river;  (2)  glacial  action  of  great 
magnitude;  (3)  separation  by  contraction  ;  (4)  separation  by  directly-iict- 
ing  forces.    Gradual  erosion  by  the  river  would  certainly  be  the  first  to  be 
examiuedinto.   There  were  evidences  found,  on  stiition4<l,  that  at  onetime 
small  erratic  fragments,  originating  from  the  quartzitic  group,  were  car- 
ried alongatan  eievationot  nearly  1,800  feet  above  the  present  level  of  the 
valley.    It  is  possible,  however,  that  they  might  have  been  brought  by 
some  of  the  drainage  flowing  into  the  Animas  from  a  northeasterly  di- 
ie(*.rion.    This  view  is  by  far  more  plausible  than  that  they  should  have 
been  carried  there  by  the  Animas  itself.    On  the  west  side  no  such  frag- 
ments were  observed.    In  case  the  valley  had  been  formed  by  gradual 
erosion,  it  would  seem  natural  that  those  formations  yielding  most  read- 
ily to  decomposing  agents,  should  furnish  the  broadest  portion  of  it. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  case,  neither  in  the  npper  nor  lower  pait  of 
the  valley.    In  the  chapter  on  metamorphics,  mention  has  been  made 
of  the  evidences  of  former  glacial  action,  and  the  granitic  rocks  in  the 
Animas  Valley,  resembling  roches  moutonn^esj  near  the  head  of  the  park, 
have  been  alluded  to.    I  am  in  doubt,  however,  whether  the  latter 
owe  their  form  to  any  action  but  that  of  gradual  decomposition  in 
positu.    We  have,  in  this  instance,  a  metamorphic  granite,  stratified  to 
so  considerable  an  extent  that  the  strata  may  easily  be  recognized,    iu 
addition  to  this,  large  crystals  of  feldspar  are  the  predominating  com- 
ponent mineral,  and  the  characteristic  shape  of  this  granite,  now  shown 
at  several  points,  can  readily  be  accounted  for,  as  the  result  of  decx>in- 
])osition  progressing   nnder  circumstances  thus  favorable.    Nowhere 
throughout  the  region  is  there  any  positive  evidence  that  the  glacial 
phenomena  were  anything  but  local,  and  of  small  extent.    Separatiou 


KDucn]  CRETACEOUS.  221 

by  contraction  would  most  likely  have  prodnced  distarbances,  eitber  on 
oue  side  or  the  otber  of  tbe  river.  No  sacb  disturbances  were  observed, 
however.  Tbe  beds  show  no  folding  or  dislocation  from  north  to  south. 
Thronghout  the  region  the  gentle  dip  southward  is  retained.  A  num- 
ber of  facts  speak  for  a  separation  by  directly-acting  forces.  On  both 
sides  of  the  river  the  formations  are  identical,  and  could  the  valley  be 
reduced  to  a  line,  the  two  rows  of  bluffs  on  the  opposite  sides  wonld  be 
fonnd  to  correspond  very  closely.  On  both  sides  the  faces  of  the  bluffs 
are  nearly  vertical,  and  there  seems  to  be  sufficient  evidence  that  they 
have  been  so  for  a  very  long  time.  The  nearly  straight  course  pursued 
by  the  river  since  its*  entrance  intothe  sedimentary  country  points  to 
the  fact  that  the  formation  of  its  first  bed  was  probably  due  to  some 
agent  exercising  a  very  considerable  amount  of  force.  Only  through 
tbe  older  sedimentary  strata  has  thit^  force  made  itself  perceptible,  as 
the  river,  after  leaving  them,  is  obliged  to  cut  its  own  way  through  the 
younger  Middle  Cretaceous  beds. 

About  fourmiles  north  of  the  confluxof  Junction  Creek  with  the  Animas, 
the  Ijower  Cretaceous  strata  overlie  the  red  sandstone  unconformably, 
which  latter  extends  westward  to  the  La  Plata  group.  There  it  iscovered 
by  the  trachy tic  flows,which  have  their  origin  near  the  higher  portions  of 
thegroup,  and  some  of  which  extend  overinto  the  Cretaceous  area.  While 
the  volcanic  rocks  are  stratified  nearly  horizontally,  the  sandstone  still 
retains  its  southerly  dip,  thus  producing  an  unconformability  similar  to 
the  oue  east  of  station  31.  The  western  limits  of  this  formation  were 
not  reached  during  our  work  in  1874,  bnt  will  probably  not  be  found  to 
extend  much  farther  than  the  slope  of  the  higher  ridges. 

A  few  isolated  patches  of  the  red  sandstone  occur  in  the  northwest- 
ern portion  of  the  district,  showing  its  considerable  horizontal  distribu- 
tion. At  the  upper  end  of  the  creek,  a  tributary  of  the  San  Miguel,  and 
nqrth  of  which  station  32  was  located,  it  crops  out  covered  by  trachyti*, 
which  forms  the  higher  portions  of  the  ridge  running  from  station  30 
towards  Mount  Sneffels.  I  did  not  succeed  in  establishing  to  my  own 
satisfaction  the  relation  it  bore  to  the  Cretaceous  beds  of  that  neighbor- 
hood, but  from  all  examinations  that  our  limited  allowance  of  time 
enabled  us  to  make,  it  would  appear  that  it  had  been  deposited  and 
placed  into  its  present  position  before  the  Cretaceous  waters  reached 
the  locality.  Another  outcrop  of  the  sandstone  occurs  in  the  Uncom- 
pabgreca-non,  about  five  miles  westof  station  10.  Thecaiion  is  considered 
inaccessible,  owing  to  the  precipitous  character  of  its  walls,  the  lower 
portion  of  which  belongs  to  the  formation  above  named.  Trachyte 
covers  it  here  as  well  as  near  station  32.  With  this  the  occurrence  of 
Carboniferous  beds  in  our  district  is  exhausted.  They  are  very  uniform 
in  character,  and  can  readily  be  recognized,  and  although  covering  quite 
a  considerable  area,  show  but  slight  variation  in  vertical  development 

CRETACEOUS. 

This  formation  covers  a  considerable  area  in  the  district.  Joining  on 
to  tbe  southern  boundary  of  the  preceding  one,  it  extends  southward 
beyond  the  limits  of  our  district,  forming  the  characteristic  low  bluffs 
of  that  region.  Some  of  the  highest  points,  where  the  Cretaceous  was 
found,  show  an  elevation  of  10,500  feet,  while  it  reaches  down  below 
6,000.  As  everywhere  in  Colorado,  the  single  groups  are  well  defined 
and  characteristic,  both  regarding  their  lithological  and  orographic 
features.  The  southern  portion,  in  Uie  vfcinity  of  the  Animas,  resembles 
more  closely  in  the  latter  res[)ect  the  parallel  groups  of  other  localities, 


222       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

whereas  tbe  northwestern  outcrops,  along  the  San  Migael,  partake  more 
of  the  character  of  the  western  canon  conntry.  Single  rklges,  extending 
for  miles  along  the  base  of  the  older  sedimentary  mountains,  impart 
to  the  landscape  that  unique  appearance,  that  has  appropriately  been 
styled  '^  Hog- back  country."  Small  streams  or  rivers,  cutting  through 
the  ridges  at  right  angles  to  their  general  trend,  separate  them  into  rows 
of  coffin-shaped  hills,  that  generally  have  sharp  crests,  and  regularly 
sloping  sides.  Oak-brush  and  piiions  comprise  the  greater  portion  of 
tbe  vegetation,  rendering  traveling  a  not  altogether  enjoyable  enter- 
prise. Wherever  sandstones  form  the  highest  part  of  the  hill,  steep 
slopes  will  be  formed  on  the  north  side,  by  virtue  of  the  southerly  dip 
the  strata  exhibit.  Between  the  single  ridges  there  is  generally  a  de- 
pression, sometimes  amounting  to  nearly  Sk)  feet  farther  out  into  the 
sedi  mentary  bluff  conntry,  of  smaller  dimensions,  however.  If  the  dip  is 
gentle,  it  becomes  more  so  the  farther  the  beds  are  removed  toward  the 
south ;  table-shaped  bluffs  are  frequently  formed,  falling  off  steeply  on 
all  sides,  except  the  one  parallel  with  the  direction  of  the  dip.  As  a 
means  for  geognostic  classification  these  ridges  answer  well.  It  will 
be  observed  that  the  same  strata,  capping  any  one  of  them  at  a  given 
point,  extend  to  either  side  without  changing  their  relative  position. 

Differing  entirely  from  the  features  shown  in  this  region,  are  those  of 
the  San  Miguel  neighborhood.  Instead  of  the  hog-backs  and  parallel 
ridges,  the  Cretaceous  there  forms  comparatively  low  ^'  flats,"  rising  on 
the  side  toward  the  volcanic  mountains.  Deep  cailons,  frequently  in- 
accessible to  animals,  contain  the  rivers  and  streams.  In  them  Creta- 
ceous No.  1  is  mostly  exposed,  while  tbe  succeeding  higher  numbers 
overlie  it,  and  form  either  gentle,  grassy  slopes,  or  are  covered  with 
young  growths  of  timber.  After  the  mountainous  region  has  beeo 
passed,  into  which  a  bay  of  these  Cretaceous  beds  extended,  the  bluff 
character  again  appears.  This,  however,  was  beyond  the  limits  set  tor 
our  work  during  the  season  of  1874.  Volcanic  rocks  overlie  these  sedi- 
mentary beds  at  numerous  points  along  the  western  border  of  tbe 
trachitic  area,  and  have  occasioned  considerable  metamorphosis.  Re- 
garding the  shape  and  distribution  of  the  caOons,  as  well  as  the  fiossible 
causes  of  their  formation,  more  shall  be  said  in  the  course  of  this  chap- 
ter. Without  a  comprehensive  knowledge  based  upon  the  observations 
made  over  a  very  large  extent  of  conntry,  all  conclusions  must  neces- 
sarily be  the  result  of  an  argument  based  upon  insufficient  premises, 
and  it  will  not  be  until  the  entire  region  has  been  carefully  surveyed 
and  mapped,  that  questions  of  the  cited  character  can  be  definitely 
answered. 

Cretaceous  No,  1. 

Without  the  appearance  of  either  Triassic  or  Jurassic,  we  find  the  Cre- 
taceous sandstones  belonging  to  No.  1  resting  immediately  upon  the 
red  Carboniferous  sandstone.  No  transitory  formations  whatever  are 
in  sight  between  the  two,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think,  therefore,  that 
tue  Cretaceous  waters  of  other  regions  invaded  this,  on  the  Animas, 
while  perhaps  the  land  at  the  time  was  too  high  to  be  reached  by  those 
of  the  preceding  groups.  From  station  40,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Ani- 
mas, the  bluffs  opposite  present  a  very  good  section,  and  it  was  from 
there  that  the  relations  of  the  different  series  to  each  other  could  be 
well  studied.  As  shown  in  other  sections,  and  treated  of  under  the 
heads  of  ^^  Devonian  "  and  <^  Carboniferous,"  the  sedimentary  beds  imme- 
diately overlie  the  metamorphic  rocks,  dipping  conformably  with  tbe 
stratification  the  latter  exhibit.    Beginning  with  the  Upper  Devonian, 


KDUC1I.1  CRETACEOUS   NO.    1.  223 

we  pass,  ascending,  throngh  the  Lower  Carboniferous,  then  through  the 
red  sandstone,  and  about  three  miles  north  of  the  conflux  of  Junction 
Creek  with  the  Animas,  reach  the  Lower  Cretaceous  beds.  Up  to  that 
point  the  dip  and  strike  have  been  conformable,  but  as  soon  as  the  white  | 
sandstones,  belonging  to  l^o.  1,  are  met  with,  a  change  takes  place. 
Although  the  general  dip  remains  the  same,  its  angle  is  changed  to  the 
extent  of  (>o  toS^.  While  the  lowest  strata  show  a  smaller  angle  of  dip 
near  the  top  of  the  hill  on  which  they  crop  out,  thej  dip  far  more  steeply 
a  short  distance  farther  south.  From  the  point  above  given,  on  the 
western  edge  of  Lower  Animas  Park,  the  lineof  Cretaceous  outcrop  runs 
along  toward  the  northwest,  the  white  sandstones  always  occupying  a 
position  high  up  on  the  hill.  They  are  white  to  3'ellowish  in  color,  mid- 
dle to  finegrained,  sometimes  stained  in  spots  or  stripes  by  hvdrated^ 
sesquioxide  of  iron.  At  stations  42  and  43  their  most  northerly  limit^ 
is  reached,  and  their  elevated  position  tempted  the  Indians  to  use  the 
hills  as  ^Mook-out"  points.  From  there  northward  nothing  but  red  sand- 
stone can  be  iound  until  the  region  of  isolated  trachytic  eruptions  is 
reached.  Almost  due  west  of  station  42,  which  is  located  upon  a  small 
mass  of  trachyte  capping  these  Cretaceous  sandstones,  is  the  La  Plata 
group,  a  portion  ot  whose  volcanics  covers  the  Carboniferous  sandstone. 
To  the  southwest  from  the  station  the  line  of  Cretaceous  outcrop  con- 
tinues, keeping  ofl'  some  distance  from  the  La  Plata's.  Very  little  varia- 
tion is  shown  by  the  sandstones  along  the  entire  line  of  exposure.  Below 
they  are  massive,  weathering  in  heavy,  partly  rounded  bowlders;  wher- 
ever they  form  the  capping  of  some  blulf,  and  are  of  a  more  quartzitic 
character  they  break  into  angular  fragments.  Remains  of  plants,  that 
cannot  be  recognized,  however,  on  account  of  very  poor  preservation, 
are  found  in  them.  Higher  up  the  strata  are  no  longer  so  thick ;  and 
after  a  thickness  of  800  to  1 ,000  ieec  has  been  passed,  a  bed  occurs,  show- 
ing indications  of  coal.  Immediately  above  these  sandstones  the  shales 
of  Nos.  2  and  3  set  in,  producing,  as  a  rule,  a  depression  after  the  prom- 
inent ridge  of  No.  1. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Animas,  the  conditions  under  which  No.  1  oc- 
curs are  very  much  the  same.  It  reaches  the  valley  by  virture  of  its 
southerly  dip  opposite  the  point  where  it  is  reached  by  the  same  forma- 
tion on  the  west  side.  The  succession  of  strata  is  almost  identical,  with 
this  exception,  that  locally  the  indications  of  coal  disappear.  Inasmuch 
as  (heir  presence  is  due  only  to  particularly  favorable  circumstances, 
this  is  by  no  means  surprising,  llere,  as  well  as  on  the  opposite  side, 
the  white  sandstones  form  the  highest  points  of  a  series  of  hills  border- 
ing upon  the  Carboniferous  strata.  Toward  the  top,  again,  the  single 
beds  become  thinner,  containing  interstrata  of  shaly  slates.  On  the 
lace  of  the  bluffs  east  of  the  Animas,  the  noncouformability  was  not  so 
stinking  as  on  the  west,  but  its  existence  is  denoted  by  the  difference 
in  the  angle  of  the  dip.  A  section  taken  from  station  40,  (Section  V,) 
in  the  direction  of  south  15^  west,  past  station  44,  will  give  an  idea  of 
the  arrangement  of  strata.  The  lower  strata  given  in  the  section  be- 
long to  the  older  formations.  Lower  Carbouiierous  beds  are  repre- 
sented, a,  overlaid  by  yellow  shales  containing  strata  of  limestones  and 
sandstones,  &,  c,  d.  In  these  latter,  Carboniferous  fossils  are  found. 
Above  them  follows  a  deposit  of  blue  limestone,  with  numerous  Pro- 
ductus  nemistriatusj  6,  /,  g^  immediately  underlying  the  red  sandstones, 
A,  upon  which  station  40  was  located.  One  prominent  stratum,  of 
white  sandstone,  t,  middle-grained,  readily  decomposing,  is  noticed 
among  the  red,  while  a  uuml^r  of  smaller  layers,  less  important,  impart 
to  the  steep  bluii.a  variegated  appearance.    Upon  this  red  sandstone 


\ 


I    J- i '•  r  „  ,.  „*' 


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/A 


y 


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■KWJCH.1  CRETACEOUS  NO.   3.  225 

at  an  elevation  of  8,934  feet,  T^hile  camp  58,  on  the  Florida,  immediate- 
ly below  the  station,  is  7,530  feet.  The  shales  of  No.  2  have  attained  a 
very  considerable  development  here,  and  are  covered  by  the  yellow 
sandstone,  containing  fragments  of  Inoceramus.  For  uearly  a  mile 
along  the  northwest  face  of  the  very  steep  bluff,  a  series  of  ^'  troughs"  are 
worn  out  in  the  shales,  extending  downward  toward  the  stream.  Nar- 
row strips  of  the  shales,  from  80  to  150  feet  high,  separate  the  single 
"  troughs.''  Where  the  steepest  portioh  of  the  bluff  ceases,  these  nar- 
row strips  show  a  bulging  up  of  their  ridges.  Among  themselves  the 
troughs  are  parallel  and  devoid  of  trees,  except  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
stream.  Probably  they  have  been  produced  by  snow-slides.  An  accu- 
mulation of  any  considerable  amount  of  snow  in  a  region  where  the  sun 
has  great  power,  even  early  in  the  season,  could  produce  slides  from 
these  steep  bluffs  that  would  readily  accomplish  the  destruction  of  veg- 
etation and  give  rise  to  the  formation  of  these  trough-like  depressions. 
In  a  horizontal  direction  the  dip  of  the  upper  sandstone  on  these  bluffs 
varies.  Instead  of  being  almost  due  south,  as  that  of  the  underlying 
strata,  it  shifts  to  east  of  south  on  the  east  of  the  Animas,  and  toward 
the  west  on  the  other  side.  The  older  sedimentary  formations  extend 
southward  in  the  shape  of  a  wedge,  and  the  younger  ones  dip  off  from 
them,  changing  their  strike,  as  the  form  of  this  wedge  may  require. 
BidgeNo.  2  runs  about  22^  south  of  west  from  station  47  toward  the 
Animas,  and  is  then  continued  on  the  other  side.  Station  41  is  located 
upon  a  prominent  point  of  it,  2J  miles  west  of  the  river.  A  section 
taken  through  station  47  (Section  VI),  running  northwest  to  southeast, 
will  show  the  vertical  distribution  of  strata.  Below  the  Cretaceous  beds 
we  find  the  red  Carboniferous. sandstone,  a,  extending  eastward  from 
station  40>    Its  dip  is  about  10^,  a  little  east  of  south. 

Above  it  appears  Cretaceous  No.  1,  &,  beginning  with  white  sandstones, 
of  less  thickness  than  further  west;  but  the  succeeding  strata,  o,  com- 
prising yellow  sandstones  and  shales,  show  a  better  development.  In  our 
section  this  forms  the  bed  of  the  Florida.  Traveling  beyond  the  stream, 
towards  station  47,  a  low  bluff  is  passed,  the  highest  point  of  which  is 
formed  by  a  yellowish  sandstone,  d,  which  closes  No.  1.  Here  the  dip 
has  already  increased  to  about  18^.  Above  this  the  gray  shales,  a,  of 
No.  2  commence;  first  forming  a  gently-rising  slope,  then  a  steep  bluff*, 
which  is  capped  by  two  strata  of  yellow  sandstone,/,  c;  the  lower  one 
is  shaly,  scaling  off  in  thin  plates,  a.nd  contains  numerous  remains  of 
plants,  in  a  very  poor  state  of  preservation,  while  the  upper  is  a  com- 
pact, fine-grained  sandstone,  weathering  in  rounded  forms.  It  is  the 
one  that  forms  the  highest  portions  of  ridge  No.  2,  and  upon  it  station 
47  is  located.  A  depression  occurs  beyond  this,  occasioned  by  sandy 
shales,  h.  Between  this  last  stratum  and  the  one  preceding,  coal  is 
found  in  some  localities,  but  here  none  was  observed.  Overlying  is  a 
bed  of  yellow  sandstone,  i.  Probably  this  might  correctly  be  regarded 
as  the  terminus  of  No.  2,  but  discrimination  between  the  two  groups 
becomes  so  difficult  in  this  region  that  no  positive  assertion  as  to  the 
precise  location  of  the  boundary  can  be  made.  Then  follow  two  beds  of 
yellowish  to  greenish  shales,  2:,  2,  the  lower  one  darker  than  the  upper. 
A  thick  bed  of  yellow  sandstone,  m,  forms  ridge  No.  3,  upon  which  sta- 
tions 44  and  45  were  located,  the  former  3  miles  east  of  the  Animas,  the 
latter  about  6  miles  west.  At  the  point  where  our  section  cuts  this 
ridfse,  it  is  already  of  less  prominence  than  further  west.  Higher  up 
in  the  sucx;ession  of  strata  a  series  of  light-colored  shales,  »,  containing 
strata  of  limestones,  o,  occur,  covered  again  by  the  same  shales,  p. 
These  belong  to  Cretaceous  No.  3,  and  form  very  characteristic  ^^  hog- 

15  H 


226       GEOLOGICAL  SUBVET  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

backs,"  closely  resembliDg  tbose  near  Gafion  City.  From  there  the 
Cretaceous  beds  begin  to  slope  off  very  gently,  forming  low  blnffs  and 
ridges  for  a  considerable  distance.  Our  work  did  not  take  us  beyond 
the  third  ridge.  The  comparative  scarcity  of  fossils  in  the  beds  jast 
mentioned  is  greatly  to  be  regretted,  because,  with  their  aid,  a  more 
strict  classification  of  the  strata  could  have  been  obtained.  During  ths 
summer  of  1875,  in  the  continuation  of  the  geological  and  topograph- 
ical work  in  Colorado  Territory,  this  region  adjoining  the  south  will  he 
explored,  and  more  careful  studies  of  the  higher  Cretaceous  groups  can 
be  made,  than  were  permitted  by  the  limited  time  and  the  plan  of  work 
during  1874. 

West  of  the  Animas  the  ridges,  that  are  no  longer  so  prominent  on 
the  east  side,  have  retained  their  form  and  relative  elevation.  Station 
45  is  nearly  200  feet  higher  than  station  44,  both  being  located  on  the 
same  ridge,  No.  3,  but  the  latter  being  nine  miles  further  east.  From 
there  onward,  however,  the  ratio  of  decrease  is  far  more  rapid.  The 
sandstone  forming  the  summit  of  ridge  No.  2  has  given  protection  to 
the  underlying  shales  to  so  great  an  extent,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  that  a  number  of  ^Hables  "  have  been  formed,  similar  in  shape  to 
tbose  produced  by  a  cap  of  basalt  on  some  readily-decomposing  sedi- 
mentary rock.  On  it  is  located  station  41,  south  of  Junction  Creek.  A 
section  taken  through  this  station,  in  a  direction  of  south  30°  west,  (Sec- 
tion VII,)  will  give  an  idea  both  of  the  orographic  features  of  the  local- 
ity, and  of  the  vertical  distribution  of  strata.  Bed  Carboniferous  sand- 
stone, a,  again  forms  the  lowest  member  of  the  section,  underlying  the 
white  sandstones,  &,  of  Cretaceous  No.  I.  Analogous  to  the  variation 
on  the  east  si^^e  of  the  Animas,  a  series  of  beds  sets  in,  c  dy  comprising 
sandy,  shaly,  and  argillaceous  sandstones.  They  already  show  an  in- 
crease in  the  angle  of  dip  over  that  shown  by  the  lower  sandstone.  A 
yellowish  sandstone,  e,  closes  Cretaceous  No.  1,  immediately  overlying  a 
bed  of  dark  slaty  shales,  that  show  indications  of  coal.  The  gmy  shales, 
/,  of  No.  2  then  follow,  capped  by  the  fine-grained  yellow  to  reddish 
sandstone  of  ridge  No.  2.  The  ridges  of  this  sandstone  are  not  so  reg^ 
ular  here  as  some  distance  either  to  the  east  or  west,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  frequently  **  tables"  wereformed,and  subsequent  erosion  caused  two 
ridges  to  remain,  Itoth  capped  by  the  same  sandstone,  A.  Gray  to  green- 
ish shales,  t,  corres|K)nding  to  k^  of  section  Y I,  follow  this  sandstone. 

This  concludes  the  consideration  of  the  Cretaceous  area  on  the  Bio 
Animas  and  its  tributaries.  The  formation  varies  but  little  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  its  members  from  the  schedule  that  has  been  long  ago 
established  at  other  points,  although  in  vertical  development  changes 
occur  even  within  short  distances.  One  very  interesting  point  was 
studied  here,  the  occurrence  of  coal.  The  conflicting  opinions  regarding 
the  age  of  coal-beds  in  a  number  of  more  easterly  and  northerly  local- 
ities are  too  well  known  to  be  dwelt  upon,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  impor- 
tance, therefore,  that  its  position  here  is  established  beyond  dispute.  In- 
dications of  it,  and  narrow  seams,  occur  near  the  upper  end  of  No.  1, 
below  the  gray  shales,  containing  Inoceramus  and  Oryphcea.  Again,  a 
well-developed  bed  is  found  on  the  sandstone  forming  ridge  No.  2. 
Whether  or  not  this  bed  is  continuous  throughout  the  entire  formation 
I  am  unable  to  say,  but  presume  that  where  it  is  not  actually  developed, 
indications  will  be  found  upon  careful  search.  A  third  bed  was  found 
by  Mr.  Wilson  near  station  45,  the  thickest  thus  far,  resting  near  the 
sandstone  capping  ridge  No.  3.  For  miles  beyond  these  ridges  the  Cre- 
taceous beds  continue  in  regular  succession,  sloping  off  gently  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  so  that  no  doubt  as  to  the  age  of  the  coal  cau  be  enter- 


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Section  Ym. 


ODucfl.]  CRETACEOUS   NO.   2.  227 

tained.  It  will  be  of  great  importance  now  to  obtain  the  relation  of 
these  beds  to  the  coal-tearing  strata  further  east,  which  will  probably  be 
aciioiuplished  daring  1875.  By  that  meansthe  two  horizons,  if  there  are 
two,  can  be  definitely  located,  and  the  question  as  to  theage  of  the  East- 
em  Colorado  coal  can  be  definitely  solved.  Mineralogically  the  coal  is 
a  compact  bitomiuons  one,  burning  with  fiame.  Specimens  obtained 
were  taken  from  the  surface  only,  as  neither  time  nor  facilities  were  at 
hand  to  go  down  upon  them.  Therefore  any  analysis  that  might  be 
given  would  furnish  a  result  that  could  not  be  regarded  otherwise  than 
erroneous. 

Besides  the  Cretaceous  formation  in  this  region,  it  is  developed  on 
the  San  Miguel  and  on  the  Bio  Dolores. 

Ascending  Bear  Creek  up  to  the  pass  leading  over  into  the  San  Mig- 
uel region,  we  pass  through  the  red  Carboniferous  sandstones.  Tra- 
chyte overlying  them  is  next  met  with,  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  divide 
the  Cretaceous  beds  are  reached.  East  of  Moant  Wilson,  Cretaceous 
'So.  1  appears  in  the  canon  of  the  San  Miguel,  and  as  its  dip  is  in  the 
san^  direction  with  the  course  of  the  river,  it  forms  its  beds  for  a  long 
distance.  On  either  side  the  shales  of  No.  2  form  the  soil,  reaching 
eastward  to  the  trachytic  mountains  of  the  main  group,  westward  to 
the  Wilson  group,  and  to  the  north  far  beyond  the  limits  of  our  dis- 
trict. On  the  way  to  Mount  Snefiels,  we  had  occasion  to  traverse  these 
two  Lower  Cretaceous  numbers,  and  to  observe  their  contact  with  the 
volcanic  rocks.  Camp  was  made  on  a  creek  flowing  in  a  southwesterly 
direction  into  the  San  Miguel,  and  there  it  was  observed  that  all  the 
shales  of  No.  2,  as  well  as  the  npi^er  beds  of  No.  1,  had  been  changed 
by  the  action  of  the  volcanic  material.  The  former  were  thoroughly 
baked  and  turned  into  hard  slate,  while  the  upper  sandstones  of  No.  1 
presented  the  apijearance  of  quartzites.  In  that  region  the  Cretaceous 
l)eds  reach  up  into  the  narrow  caiions,  and  are  usually  overlaid  by  tra- 
chyte. In  the  vicinity  of  the  rivers  and  streams,  No.  1  crops  out, 
iorming  the  almost  inaccessible  canons  through  which  they  flow.  A 
section  taken  at  the  junction  of  the  above-mentioned  creek  and  Rio 
San  Miguel  (Section  YIII)  will  give  some  idea  regarding  the  depth  of 
the  caiions  and  the  distribution  of  strata.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the 
creek  at  which  this  section  was  taken  has  flown  scarcely  five  miles, 
and  nevertheless  the  depth  of  its  caiion  amounts  to  1,005  feet,  accord- 
ing to  measurement.  It  seems,  from  the  succession  of  strata,  and  the 
fact  that  Inoceramus  was  found  in  the  lowest  one,  that  not  the  entire 
No.  1  has  there  been  developed.  Beginning  below,  at  the  level  of  the 
San  Miguel,  we  find  first  50  feet  of  dark-blue,  partly  shaly  lime- 
stones a,  containing  compressed  specimens  of  Inoceramus.  Above  that 
iollow  390  feet  of  white  to  light-yellow  sandstones,  fr,  fine-grained, 
and  compact  in  structure,  regularly  stratified,  having  a  straight  dip  to 
the  northwest,  conformable  with  that  of  both  over  and  unoer  lying  beds. 
This  is  covered  by  480  feet  of  light-brown  sandstone,  e,  containing  inter- 
strata  of  greenish  marls,  underlying  40  feet  of  gray  to  yellow  sandstone, 
d^  weathering  in  grotesque  forms.  Above  that  follow  a  series  of  sand- 
stone and  shales,  interchanging.  The  stratum  mark  hj  in  the  section, 
shows  indications  of  coal,  consisting  of  very  narrow  seams  of  jet,  and 
numerous  coaled  remains  of  plants.  Above  this  the  gray  shales  of  No. 
2  occur,  with  Oryphcea  and  numerous  fragments  of  Inoceramus. 

Although  the  question  by  what  agents  these  comparatively  deep 
cafions  were  formed  cannot  be  definitely  decided,  without  a  very  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  all  their  occurrences,  the  presence  of  those  just  men- 
tioned, in  a  region  so  near  the  main  mass  of  mountains,  attracts  atten- 


228       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

tion.  It  seems  incredible  that  a  stream  should  have  been  able  to  erode 
a  cafion  more  than  1,000  feet  in  depth,  when  the  distance  from  its  source 
to  the  point  of  observation  is  bat  tive  miles,  and  it  furthermore  seems  ex- 
tremely improbable  that  such  erosion  should  have  progressed  and  the 
walls  of  the  canon  have  remained  as  steep  as  they  are  at  present.  I  am 
not  prepared  to  defend  any  view  on  the  subject  at  present,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  an  effect  produced  either  by  volcanic  or  plutonic  earthquakes 
might  have  the  same  result. 

About  four  miles  below  San  Miguel  Lake,  the  Lower  Cretaceous  sand- 
stones set  in  in  the  canon,  and  continue  from  there  as  far  as  it  was  sur- 
veyed. Crossing  the  divide  from  the  San  Miguel  to  Kio  Dolores,  the  gray 
shales  are  traversed.  At  that  locality  they  dip  off  to  the  wesL  The  un- 
conformability  between  them  and  the  red  sandstonesof  CarboniferouAa^ 
has  been  mentioned  in  the  chapter  on  Carbonitierous.  From  Moaut 
Wilson  the  volcanic  material  has  flown  eastward,  and  covered  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  gray  shales;  at  the  junction  they  are  somewhat 
metamorphosed,  but  not  to  the  extent  observed  in  the  region  of  Mount 
Sneffels.  To  the  south  of  Mount  Wilson  No.  1  again  crops  out,  in  the 
canon  of  the  Dolores ;  along  a  number  of  the  high  ridges  south  oi  the 
river  the  characteristic  white  sandstones  are  found  overlying  the  red 
sandstones,  covered  in  turn  by  volcanic  rocks. 

From  the  position  the  Cretaceous  beds  along  the  San  Miguel  and  Rio 
Dolores  occupy,  it  is  evident  that  they  have  been  deposited  at  a  time 
long  after  the  upheaval  that  caused  the  formation  of  the  main  anti- 
clinal axis  above  mentioned ;  and  furthermore,  it  is  very  probable  that  a 
considerable  amount  of  time  elapsed  between  the  two  epochs. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


MINES. 


The  accompanying  map  was  kindly  prepared  by  Mr,  Wilson,  to  serve 
as  an  illustration  for  Balletin  No.  3,  second  series  1875.  By  means  of 
lines  running  in  different  directions  the  geology  of  the  region  given  has 
been  represented,  and  an  explanation  thereof  will  be  fonnd  bclow^the  title 
of  the  map.  All  the  volcanic  area,  which  has  been  treated  of  at  some 
length  in  chapter  II  of  this  report,  has  been  left  blank. 

A  number  of  the  lodes  visited  during  the  summer  of  1874  have  been 
indicated  by  heavy  straight  lines.  Starting  from  the  southeast  corner 
of  the  map,  near  station  17,  it  will  be  observed  that  the  metamorphics 
extend  over  from  the  quartzite  mountains  toward  the  volcanic  area. 
They  are  mainly  schistose  at  that  locality,  containing  a  great  deal  of  quartz 
and  some  micaor  chlorite.  At  several  points  their  junction  with  the  over- 
lying trachyte  can  be  seen ;  forin8tance,atthenarr()wridgerunningsouth- 
ward,  about  four  miles  east  of  the  Animas.  Although  the  connection 
has  been  broken  by  overflowing  tracb;ytic  materials,  the  metamorphics 
extend  over  into  Cunningham  Gulch,  w1  ere  they  crop  out.  They  form 
the  great  canon  of  the  Animas,  below  Silverton,  that  for  a  long  time 
was  considered  inaccessible  both  for  man  and  beast.  Another  outcrop 
of  the  same  kind  of  rocks  is  found  to  the  northwest  of  Handie's  Peak 
^station  14),  where  granite  forms  the  lower  portions  of  the  caiiou  lead- 
ing down  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the  mountain.  The  oldest  sedi- 
mentary strata  that  are  found  within  the  area  given  by  this  map  are 
the  Garbonifeix)ns.  Red  sandstone,  belonging  to  the  upper  group  of  this 
formation,  occurs  first  about  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  Animas, 
unconformably  underlying  the  trachyte  that  flowed  from  the  north. 
From  there  it  continues  west  and  northwestward^  and  is  exposed  on 
Bear  Creek.  A  blue  limestone  is  found  covering  it  at  one  point  north- 
east of  station  31.  Cretaceous  covers  a  considerable  area  in  the  west- 
ern portion  of  the  map*  No.  1  is  found  in  the  deeper  caiions,  while  the 
marshy  or  grassy  soil  along  the  San  Miguel  is  composed  of  No.  2.  On 
the  banks  of  the  Dolores  and  a  few  of  its  tributaries  No.  1  crops  out, 
overlying  the  red  Carboniferous  sandstone,  while  it  is  covered  in  turn 
by  volcanic  rocks. 

At  the  time  of  my  visit  at  the  San  Juan  mines,  August  and  Septem- 
ber, 1874,  but  comparatively  little  work  had  been  done.  The  greater 
portion  of  the  miners'  time  and  energy  was  devoted  to  prospecting,  and 
but  a  few  had  then  developed  their  lodes  to  any  extent.  One  difficulty 
under  which  they  labored  was  the  want  of  available  capital,  and  of  a 
place  where  the  ore  might  readily  be  converted  into  cash.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  give  any  fair  estimate  of  the  number  of  men  scattered 
over  the  country  there,  but  I  think  that  usually  given  is  too  high. 

Mining  is  carried  on  at  several  points  in  the  vicinity,  and  on  tribu- 
taries of  the  Animas  Biver.  Near  its  head,  at  the  so-called  '^  Forks,"  is 
a  complex  of  lodes  (one  of  the  early  discoveries),  and  from  it  the  locality 
has  received  the  name  of  "  Mineral  Point."  Traveling  down  the  river  for 
a  distance  of  about  six  miles,  Eureka  Gulch  is  reached,  another  locality 

229 


230       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

considered  by  the  prospectors  as  very  promising.  A  settlement  lias 
been  made  at  Howardsville,  on  the  Animas,  this  being  a  point  more 
favorable,  perhaps,  than  many  others,  having  the  additional  advantage 
of  being  centrally  located  with  reference  to  the  mines.  At  the  bend  of 
the  Animas,  near  the  base  of  Sultan  Mountain,  station  26,  is  Baker's 
Park  proper ;  there  is  a  settlement  called  Silverton.  A  short  distance 
to  the  east  of  Silverton  is  Arastra  Galch,  which  became  well  known 
some  years  ago  by  the  discovery  of  the  *'  Little  Giant '^  mine,  and  now 
contains  a  number  of  others.  In  a  similar  position  to  Howardsville  is 
Cunningham  Gulch,  with  a  number  of  promising  lodes,  as  yet  compara- 
tively undeveloped.  Besides  these  points,  prospecting  and  mining  to  a 
small  extent  are  carried  on  throughout  the  entire  vicinity,  both  on  the 
mountains  and  in  the  caiions.  Smelting- works  were  in  the  coui*se  of 
erection  at  Silverton  when  visited  by  our  party,  but,  as  I  am  informed, 
were  not  completed  satisfactorily. 

Geognostically,  the  northern  portion  of  the  district  just  described 
shows  scarcely  any  important  variation  from  the  general  character  of 
the  surrounding  country.  All  the  rocks  of  that  part,  so  far  as  I  have 
had  occasion  to  observe,  are  volcanic,  exhibiting,  as  at  many  other 
neighboring  points,  a  great  variety  in  texture  and  mineral  constituents. 
From  stations  13  and  14,  the  No.  4  of  our  schedule,  above  given,  extends 
west  and  southwest,  changing  in  lithological  character,  although  the 
stratigraphical  relations  remain  simple.  I  am  inclined  to  attach  con- 
siderable importance  to  this  latter  feature,  all  the  more  so,  inasmuch  as 
a  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  geological  relation  could  otherwise 
only  be  obtained  after  very  careful  detail  studies.  The  rock  upon  which 
station  15  is  located  is  of  a  grayish  to  muddy-green  color,  containing 
small,  irregular  fragments  of  a  triclinic  feldspar,,  and  some  sanidite. 
Cubical  pyrite  crystals,  of  about  0.3™"*  edge,  are  dispersed  throughout 
the  rock,  giving  it,  upon  decomposition,  a  brown  color. 

Similar  in  general  character,  but  varying  in  detail,  are  the  rocks 
composing  the  mountains  on  either  side  of  the  Animas  down  to  Silver- 
ton,  and  a  short  distance  beyond.  They  are  mainly  aggregates,  as 
those  from  station  15,  sometimes  containing  pyrite  as  an  impregnation. 
In  Cunningham  Gulch,  the  lower  portions  are  of  a  dark-gray  color  with 
a  greenish  tinge,  while  the  higher  portions  of  the  hills  bordering  the 
canon  are  capped  by  the  bluish  strata  of  the  higher  No.  4,  as  described 
above  from  Handle's  Peak.  In  Arastra  Gulch  the  rock  containing  the 
lodes  higher  up  on  the  mountain-sides  closely  resembles  that  of  station 
15  at  some  points,  while  at  others,  without  any  great  change  in  the 
vertical  direction,  it  answers  more  to  the  bluish  variety.  From  all  that 
I  could  observe,  however,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  lode- 
bearing  rocks  of  Baker's  Park  belong  to  that  trachyte  series  which  has 
been  designated  as  No.  4. 

This  feature  of  regularity  disappears  when  we  study  Cunningham 
Gulch.  Traversing  the  canon,  whose  walls  rise  3,500  feet  above  the 
creek,  it  will  be  perceived  that  the  dark  colors  of  the  rocks  still  pre- 
dominate, but  that  the  lower  portion  of  the  steep  walls  has  a  tinge  of 
^ray  and  green,  and  is  not  horissontally  stratified.  This  might,  upon  a 
cursory  examination,  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  lower  rocks,  show- 
ing weathering  in  a  vertical  rather  t'jan  horizontal  direction,  were  co- 
lumnar trachyte.  A  short  distaooe  below  the. elevation  at  which  the 
*^  Highland  Mary  "  and  several  other  lodes  are  located,  a  sharply-marked 
horizontal  line  may  be  observed,  very  slightly  inclining  toward  the  west 
Above  that  line  the  rocks  are  horizontally  stratified,  varying  from  a 
bluish  to  a  maioon  color — the  trachyte  No.  4. 


KHDUCH.)  SAN   JUAN   MINES.  231 

Proceeding  to  the  head  of  Cunningham  Greek,  the  volcanic  rocks  are 
seen  only  as  forming  the  crests  of  ridges,  while  the  main  drainage  runs 
over  metamorphic  rocks.  Station  17,  near  the  head  of  the  creek  jast 
mentioned,  is  located  on  gneiss,  and  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  out- 
posts of  the  metamorphic  area  already  mentioned.  From  there  the  line 
of  outcrop  extends  east  and  southeast  on  the  one  side,  west  and  south 
on  the  other.  Local  accumuliMbions  of  mica  or  quartz  change  the  lith- 
ological  character  of  the  rock,  and  the  appearance  of  chlorite  in  it  gives 
rise  to  a  continuation  of  the  metamorphic  area  to  the  southeast  as  chlo- 
rite schist,  the  rock  composing  the  lower  portions  of  the  Cunningham 
walls,  and  containing  a  number  of  ore-veins.  Farther  down  on  the 
Animas,  where  these  metamqrphic  rocks  should  be  expected  to  crop  out, 
within  a  few  miles  beiow  Baker's  Park,  on  the  Animas  Caiion,  we  find 
nothing  but  volcanics.  Along  either  side  of  the  river,  from  Cunning- 
ham Gulch  downward  to  the  point  just  given,  volcanic  rocks  appear  to 
form  the  entire  mass  in  view.  Although  the  lower  portions  of  the  rocks 
exposed  probably  do  not  belong  to  No.  3,  it  is  very  difficult  to  identify 
them  with  any  one  of  the  underlying  groups,  and  they  must  be  referred 
to  a  position  near  to  or  in  intimate  connection  with  No.  4.  Owing  to  a 
large  quantity  of  dSbtis  in  Arastra  Gulch,  the  majority  of  lodes  thus 
far  discovered  have  been  claimed  at  an  elevation  of  more  than  1,000 
feet  above  the  creek.  At  no  point  in  that  gulch  have  I  observed  crop- 
ping out  of  metamorphic  schists,  although  I  have  reason  to  believe  that- 
they  really  do  underlie  the  volcanic  material.  This  suspicion  is  based 
upon  the  character  of  the  Little  Giant  ore,  which  contains  chlorite  and 
none  of  the  minerals  mostly  found  in  the  trachorheites.  Prospecting 
has  also  been  done  farther  down  the  river,  but  as  my  time  was  limited, 
I  bad  no  opportunity  of  visiting  any  of  the  lodes  there  located. 

The  conditions  on  the  west  side  of  the  Animas  appear  to  be  of  a  more 
simple  character,  the  metamorphic  rocks  not  reaching  over  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  crop  out,  although  at  some  depth  they  may  probably  be 
fbnnd.  It  is  possible  that  considerable  erosion  took  place  before  the 
volcanic  flows  invaded  the  regions,  and  before  the  lodes  were  formed — 
a  view  which  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  near  the  head  of  Cunning- 
ham Gulch  a  light  blue  to  white  limestone  crops  out,  which,  according 
to  its  lithological  character,  must  be  referred  to  the  Upper  Silurian  or 
Lower  Devonian  of  that  region,  no  fossils  having  been  found  that  might 
establish  its  age  beyond  a  doubt. 

The  metamorphic  rocks  of  that  region,  in  which  stations  23,  25,  and 
38  are  located,  show  many  variations.  From  a  pure  quartzite  they  pass 
over  into  micaceous  schists,  into  gneiss,  and  at  some  points  intoa  coarse- 
grained granite.  Schists  occur  that  contain  the  characteristic  staurolite 
twins,  scarcely  to  be  distinguished  from  some  eastern  localities.  Nu- 
merous small  and  large  veins  of  white  quartz  traverse  these  schists, 
showing  sometimes  slight  indications  of  ore. 

In  speaking  of  the  lodes  of  the  region  under  consideration,  it  is  nec- 
essary to  state  that  bnt  little  work  bad  been  done  upon  them ;  that 
there  are  existing  no  mines  of  any  appreciable  depth ;  and  that  but 
very  little  time  could  be  spent  upon  their  inspection.  These  facta  ex- 
clude the  possibility  of  deciding  with  any  considerable  degree  of  accu- 
racy the  character  of  the  ore-bodies  at  any  greater  depth.  It  was  nee- 
cessary  to  make  almost  all  studies  on  the  immediate  surface ;  and  as  from 
a  series  of  such  observations  no  law  can  be  derived  exhibiting  the  ratio 
of  development  as  compared  to  the  depth,  it  stands  to.  reason  that  none 
definitely  to  be  relied  upon  can  be  here  given.  The  geological  char- 
acter of  the  veins  under  consideration  is  a  very  interesting  one,  and  I 


232       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITOEIES. 

believe  that  the  data  regarding^  development,  with  depth  of  the  mineSf 
must  necessarily  afford  mach  information  on  the  distribution  and  for- 
mation of  ore-bearing  veins  in  general. 

OCCURRENCE  OF  LOBES. 

Two  systems,  chiefly  of  lodes,  are  found,  the  one  striking  approxi- 
mately northeast  to  soathwest,  the  other  northwest  to  southeast ;  and 
the  two  directions  may  be  observed  to  occur  at  the  same  places,  produc- 
ing a  crossing  of  the  veins. 

At  all  points,  where  none  but  the  volcanic  rocks  crop  out,  the  veins 
run  through  them  in  a  very  regular  course,  showing  but  few  deviations 
from  the  straight  line.  Often  quartz  veins,  containing  but  little  ore, 
were  observed  from  our  high  stations  some  distance  ofif,  keet)iug  a  regu- 
lar course  at  times  for  more  than  a  mile.  As  the  quartz  is  harder  than 
the  surrounding  rock,  it  stands  out  prominently,  while  the  former,  imme- 
diately adjacent,  is  weathered  ofl'.  Decomposing  pyrite  imparts  a  brown 
color  to  the  projecting  ledge.  As  a  rule,  the  walls  may  be  pronounced 
well  defined,  although  near  the  surface  atmospheric  influences  would 
have  the  tendency  to  render  them  less  so.  Frequently  the  veins  can  be 
seen  along  the  face  of  a  rocky  hill  for  several  thousand  feet.  This  was 
the  case  on  a  mountain  opposite  Howardsville,  where  a  number  of  veins, 
some  of  them  claimed,  are  visible  for  a  vertical  distance  of  more  than 
2,000  feet.  The  accompanying  cut  will  illustrate  their  position.  From 
the  north  side  of  the  summit  five  parallel  veins  traverse  the  trachytic 
rock  for  a  yertical  distance  of  1,200  to  1,400  feet,  and  are  in  their  turn 
cut  by  a  large  vein  starting  ik'om  the  southern  side,  the  ^*  Mammoth  lode.'' 
Farther  to  the  south,  beyond  the  last  named,  there  are  several  smaller 
veins,  having  an  almost  vertical  dip.  Debris  covers  the  lower  |K>rtion  of 
the  veins,  hidingthem  out  of  sight.  In  Cunningham  Gulch  the  lodes,  after 
first  running  through  the  metamorphic  rock  at  right  angles  to  its  strike, 
enter  without  apparent  disturbance  or  dislocation  the  horizontally  stniti- 
fied  volcanic  cap.  At  the  shallow  depths  which  have  thus  far  been 
reached,  no  change  in  the  character  of  the  ore  could  be  observed.  The 
stratification  in  Arastra  Gulch  is  not  so  well  marked,  the  rocks  show- 
ing a  more  massive  structure,  although  a  few  miles  beyond  its  head 
they  are  regular  again  in  their  occurrence.  Numerous  other  lodes  al- 
ready located  occur  in  the  volcanic  rocks.  The  strike  approximates  to 
that  above  indicated.  No  definite  relation,  however,  of  their  course  to 
the  structure  of  the  rocks  containing  them  could  be  observed. 

Mineralogically  speaking,  the  veins  belong  altogether  to  one  system, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  in  Arastra  and  in  Bpulder  Gulches,  of  which 
mention  will  be  made  hereafter.  Minerals  of  a  relatively  low  degree  of 
volatilization  form  the  main  bulk  of  the  ore,  others,  however,  not  being 
wanting. 

The  persistency  of  the  veins  in  a  vertical  di/ection  is  a  matter  of  im- 
portance, where  nothing  can  be  learned  by  the  study  of  artificial  depths. 
It  appears  to  me  that  it  may  be  regarded  as  a  rule  that  wherever 
dibris  or  some,  other  similar  cause  does  not  obscui-e  the  view  of  the  out- 
cropping vein,  that  vein  extends  to  considerable  depths.  About  seventy* 
five  lodes  were  located  on  Mineral  Point,  showing  very  promising  ore 
from  the  surface  downward.  Sutficient  work  to  retain  the  claim  had 
been  expended  upon  quite  a  number  of  them.  Several  gentlemen,  G. 
W.  Kingsbury,  J.  R.  Hanson,  A.  W.  Burrows,  O.  H.  Mclntyre,  all  from 
Yankton,  Dakota  Territory,  and  W.  H.  Van  Gieson,  P.  Houghton, 
and  S.  H.  Tuttle,  from  Whitewater,  Wisconsin,  were  continuing  the 


— HXTAlUrBHOUS  VHHS  KXPOSKD  TO  VIKW  K 


■TOUCH.]  SAN  JOAN  MINES.  233 

prospecting  as  well  aa  tbe  fartber  developments  of  tbe  veins  already 
claimed.  On  Mineral  Point  tbe  main  strike  is  nortbwest  to  soatbeast 
approximately,  altbough  several  lodes  cross  eacb  otber,  and  otbers 
occar,  striking  from  nortbeast  to  southwest.  As  a  mle,  tbe  widtb  be- 
tween walls  may  be  stated  at  4  to  12  feet,  bat  larger  veins  occur.  Tbe 
ores  mainly  found  are  galeuite,  middle  to  fine  grained,  containing 
silver,  sphalerite,  from  light  yellow  translucent  to  tbe  brown  varieties, 
pyrite,  cbalcopyrite,  and  fahlerz  (brittle  silver),  which  throaghout  that 
region  appears  to  be  an  antimonial  tetrahedrite,  containing  mainly  sal- 
pbur,  antimony,  copper,  and  silver,  replacements  being  produced  by 
iron  and  zinc.  About  8  to  13  per  cent,  of  silver  may  be  regarded  as  the 
limits  within  which  it  occurs  in  tbe  pure  mineral.  This  variety  of 
tetrdhedrite  has  been  distinguished  as  freibergite. 

The  gangne  appears  to  be  mainly  quartz.  As  some  of  tbe  locations 
of  that  section,  belonging  to  Bureka  district,  I  would  mention  Dakota, 
Mineral  Point,  Red  Cloud,  Little  Twinkle,  Mastodon,  Bond  Mine,  and 
£qnator.  One  of  the  lodes  on  Mineral  Point  shows  a  manganese  de- 
posit on  the  surface  (psilomelane),  while  farther  down  galeuite  forms 
the  main  body  of  tbe  ore. 

In  the  Placer  Gulch,  Burrow's  Park,  Adam's  Park,  and  at  the  head- 
waters of  the  Uncompabgre  a  number  of  lodes  have  also  been  located, 
showing  ore  similar  to  those  from  Mineral  Point  and  tbe  immediate 
vicinity. 

Upon  tbe  mines  of  Eureka  Gulch  no  data  could  be  obtained,  owing  to 
a  lack  of  time. 

Descending  Cunningham  Gulch,  Galena  Mountain  is  found  on  the  right 
hand,  while  Kendall  Mountain  is  on  the  left.  Near  the  bead  of  the  gulch 
and  on  either  side  lodes  have  been  located,  and  worked  to  some  extent. 
As  above  mentioned,  tbe  lower  portions  of  the  caflon  consist  of  chloritic 
schist,  stratified,  but  standin  gon  edge ;  while  the  upper  portions  are  formed 
by  tbe  bluish  volcanic  rocks  of  No.  4.  Several  well-defined  veins  extend 
frnm  the  lower  to  tbe  upper,  and,  as  I  was  informed,  the  continuation 
bad  in  two  instances  been  traced  beyond  the  ridge  of  the  mountain  to 
the  otber  side.  A  considerable  amount  of  debris  precludes  the  possi- 
bility of  following  the  veins  to  the  bottom  of  the  gulch,  but,  judging  from 
analogy,  they  may  be  considered  to  extend  some  distance  farther  down 
beyond  the  point  where  at  present  they  can  be  seen.  This  cation  now 
being  one  of  the  main  routes  of  ingress  and  egress  to  and  from  How-' 
ardsville,  prospectors  bave  been  attracted  more  particularly  to  tbe 
stady  of  its  vicinity,  and  ore  has  been  obtained  from  several  veins, 
yi<  Idiug,  even  when  taken  from  tbe  surface,  a  comparatively  large 
percentage  of  silver. 

Near  the  head  of  the  gulch,  on  tbe  left  hand  descending,  the 

HIGHLAND  HABT 

is  located.  It  has  a  strike  of  north  68°  west,  and  vertical  dip.*  Between 
walk  the  gangue  and  ore  average  from  4  to  5  feet.  To  the  northwest  the 
extension  of  tbe  vein  has  been  found  and  claimed  as  the  '' Robert  Bruce." 
Toward  tbe  gulch  the  Highland  Mary  runs  through  the  horizontally 
stratified  trachytes  of  No.  4,  corresponding  in  character  to  that  de- 
ficribed  from  station  14,  of  a  bluish  color.  The  line  of  junction  between 
this  volcanic  rock  and  the  underlying  metamorphics  is  well  marked  and 
readily  distinguishable.    Without  showing  any  change  in  course  or  widtb, 

*  The  dips  are  given  as  the  variation  from  the  vertical.  • 


234       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

except  a  slight  deflect  Lou  of  about  3  feet,  formiug  a  carve  at  tbat  point, 
the  lode  cau  be  traced  downward  through  the  schista  for  more  than  2i)0 
feet  in  a  vertical  line.  These  schists  are  of  a  greeu  color,  weatheriug 
very  dark.  Quartz  and  chlorite  constitute  the  two  predominating  min- 
erals. Pjrite  occurs  scattered  through  it.  Structure  is  slaty,  with  small 
veins  of  quartz  traversing  at  right  angles  to  the  plane  of  the  schists. 
After  that  debris  sets  in,  and  it  would  require  some  tunneling  or  other 
work  of  a  similar  nature  to  reach  the  vein.  Galeuite,  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  fahlerz  (tetrahedrite),  at  many  points  forms  the  main  body 
of  ore,  and  pyrite,  sphalerite,  andchalcopyritearenot  wanting.  Quartz 
mainly  composes  the  gangue.  The  ore  occurs  in  seams,  from  the  thick- 
ness of  a  needle  to  9  inches,  without,  however, showing  any  symmetry- of 
arrangement.  No  further  ^work  had  been  done  at  the  time  of  my  visit 
than  the  uncovering  of  a  number  of  points  along  tbe  vein,  in  order  to  de- 
monstrate the  continuation  of  ore.  It  is  claimed  that  the  extension  to 
the  southeast  across  the  canon  has  been  found,  but  I  did  not  visit  the 
locality. 

THE  ROBERT  BRUCE, 

as  above  mentioned,  is  the  northwestern  extension  of  the  Highland 
Mary,  keeping  nearly  the  same  course.  It  has  been  prospected  for  some 
distance,  and  the  character  of  ore  appears  to  vary  but  little  from  that 
found  below,  although  the  distribution  of  the  several  minerals  may  not 
be  the  same. 

THE  COMSTOCK  LODE, 

formerly  called  the  Mountaineer,  is  situated  on  the  same  hill,  about  half 
a  mile  nearer  to  the  head  of  the  gulch,  and  south  of  the  Highland  Mary. 
Its  strike  is  a  more  westerly  one— north  75^  west.  As  far  as  could  be 
observed,  it  runs  entirely  in  the  blue  trachyte.  It  may  be,  however, 
that  the  downward  continuation  is  merely  obscured  by  dSbriSj  or  rather 
large  masses  of  broken  rocks.  Between  walls  it  is  on  an  average  4  to 
5  teet  wide,  and  has  a  slight  dip  to  the  south.  Very  little  work  has 
been  done  on  this  lode,  and  mainly  surface-ores,  consisting  of  galenite, 
,pyrite,  &c.,  have  been  obtained. 

THE  YRETEVi. 

is  located  opposite  the  Highland  Mary,  on  the  east  side  of  the  gulch. 
It  strikes  a  few  degrees  more  to  the  west  than  the  latter,  and  has  the 
schists  as  wall  on  either  side.    Farther  down  the  caiion,  on  Green  Mouut- 
•ain,  the 

GREEN  MOUNT  Am  LODE 

»is  situated,  striking  almost  north  45^  west.  Lower  down  it  runs 
tthrough  the  schists,  cutting  the  strike  of  the  latter  at  an  angle  of  about 
80^.  It  continues  upward  through  them,  and  enters  the  trachyte, 
without  showing  any  perceptible  change  of  course.  The  ore  of  all  the 
lodes  in  Cunningham  Gulch  is  of  the  same  mineralogical  character, 
notwithstanding  the  quantity  and  distribution  of  each  specific  mineral 
may  frequently  vary. 

THE  PRIDE  OF  THE  WEST 

is  also  located  on  Green  Mountain,  and  has  an  approximate  course  of 
north  45^  west.    Though  it  cannot  with  certainty  be  said  to  reach  down 


ETOUCH.]  SAN   JUAN  MINES.  235 

into  the  schists,  this  yet  appears  very  probable.  Three  hundred  feet 
above  the  Pride  of  the  West  is  the  Equator  ;  150  feet  below,  the  Astor ; 
both  ruuning  nearly  parallel  with  tbe  iirst. 

Besides  these,  there  are  a  number  of  otber  lodes  on  the  Cunningham 
already  claimed,  but  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  notes  on  them  all,  inas- 
much as  the  inspection  of  each  would  require  nearly  an  entire  day. 
This  latter  fact  is  owing  to  the  distance  at  which  the  mines  are  located 
from  any  available  camping-place,  and  from  the  fact  that,  besides  be- 
ing far  apart,  they  are  uiostly  at  a  considerable  elevation  above  the 
creek. 

We  have  on  the  (3unningham  a  series  of  silver  lodes,  wliich,  so  far  as 
surface-indications  may  be  relied  upon,  do  not  change  the  character  of 
their  ore  when  leaving  the  one  and  entering  the  other  geognostic  forma- 
tion. At  another  locality,  of  which  mention  shall  presently  be  made, 
veins  containing  gold-ores  are  found.  Higher  up  the  mountains  veins 
appear,  carrying  very  small  quantities  of  tbis  metal,  but  showing  spe- 
citic  silver  minerals. 

In  Arastra  Gulch,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  down  the  Animas  from 
Howardsville,  at  the  mouth  of  Cunningham,  gold-miniug  was  carried  on 
first.  The  gold  was  washed  out  by  various  methods,  until  the  '^  Little 
Giant "  was  discovered.  This  discovery  led  on  to  prospecting,  and  after 
some  time  a  large  number  of  veins  had  been  found  and  claimed.  In 
former  times  t  he  settlement  there  was  one  of  good  promise.  It  decreased 
after  the  abandonment  of  gulch-mining,  but,  under  the  influence  of  these 
Dewlydiscovered  silver  lodes,  is  again  reviving.  Although  I  spent  as 
uucb  time  as  I  couhl  u\>ou  the  decision  of  the  question  whether  tbe 
metamorphic  rocks  underlaid  the  trachytes  containing  the  lodes,  I 
could  find  no  point  where  a  satisfactory  outcrop  occurred.  Judging, 
bowev*r,fron)  the  close  proximity  of  these  rocks,  Irom  their  trend  toward 
tbe  region  under  consideration,  and  from  the  fact  that  the  ore  of  the 
Little  Giant  is  associated  with  chlorite,  being  one  of  the  lowest  mines  in 
tbe  gulch,  I  think  it  bighly  probable  that  they  do  extend  through^  and 
that  tbe  veins  probably  run  into  them.  The  veins  observed  on  tbe 
bigber  iM>rtions  of  tbe  mountains  forming  the  walls  of  the  short  canon  run 
in  trachyte,  belonging  to  No.  4,  and  have  as  a  rule  a  course  of  east  10^ 
to  50^  south.  A  number  of  veins  occur  that  vary  from  this,  but  tbe 
niiijority  preserve  a  parallelism  among  themselves.  At  the  same  time 
they  show  no  material  deflection  from  the  course  of  neighboring  veins. 

THE  LITTLE  GIANT, 

as  stated,  is  a  gold-bearing  vein,  situated  on  the  northeast  side  of 
Arastra  Gulch,  with  a  course  of  about  north  40^  west.  It  it  well  known 
as  one  of  the  oldest  mines  of  the  region,  and  has  yielded  profits.  A 
tunnel  is  driven  in  from  the  southwest,  striking  the  lode.  A  short 
distance  from  the  mouth  of  this  tunnel  crushing- works  have  been  erected, 
crashing  the  ore  to  a  powder,  and  as  such  it  is  then  treated  by  amalga- 
mation. Central  and  Dexter  are  two  gold-mines  east  of  the  Little 
Giant. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek,  HazeUon  Mountain  rises  to  a 
relative  elevation  of  3,600  feet,  and  it  is  upon  the  north  and  northeast 
face  of  this  mountain  that  a  number  of  lodes  are  located. 

EXCELSIOB  LODE. 

Upon  this  lode  more  work  has  been  done  than  upon  most  others.  A 
shaft  30  feet  in  depth  was  smik,  and  a  quantity  of  ore  taken  ont^  now 


236       OEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

formiug  a  sinall  damp  at  tbe  month  of  the  shaft.  Its  course  is  east 
390  south,  and  the  width  between  walls  3^  feet.  On  either  side  tbe 
walls,  even  at  that  slight  depth,  are  well  detiued,  and  composed  of  tra- 
chyte, belonging,  as  in  Cunningham  Oulch,  to  No.  4.  Tbe  ore  mainly 
consists  of  galenite,  middle  to  fine  grained,  sphalerite,  pyrite,  chaloo- 
pyrite,  and  lahlerz,  almost  identical  with  the  tetrahedrite  mentioued 
above. 

THE  PROSPECTER 

is  another  lode,  near  the  preceding  one,  having  a  strike  of  east  3P 
south,  and  a  dip  of  18^  to  the  southwest.  Wall-rocks  on  either  side 
are  the  usual  trachyte,  and  the  ore  analogous  to  that  of  Excelsior. 

THE  PELICAN  LODE 

has  a  course  of  east  54^  south,  with  a  dip  of  15^  to  the  southwest 
Two  shafts  of  18  feet  each  have  been  sunk  upon  tbe  lode.  For  1,500 
ffet  tbe  outcrop  has  been  followed  and  uustripped.  Among  a  number 
of  other  lodes  that  might  be  mentioned  are  McGregor,  east  36^  south, 
with  a  dip  of  3(P  southwest^  Aspen,  east  55^  south,  having  reached  a 
depth  of  40  feet ;  a  shaft  sunk  on  the  lode;  Pathfinder,  east  30^  south; 
curving  a  little  southward  in  its  course. 

A  tunnel  has  been  driven  from  Arastra  Gulch  sonthwestward  into 
the  north  face  of  Hazelton  Mountain,  with  a  view  to  cutting  some  of  the 
lodes  cropping  out  on  the  surface.  Work  is  being  pushed  at  the  above- 
mentioned  mines,  although  but  few  hands  are  being  employed.  The  gen- 
eral character  of  ore  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Cunningham  mines,  with  tbe 
exception  of  those  located  lower  down  in  the  caiion.  Other  lodes  are 
located  in  different  portions  of  the  gulch,  but  I  had  no  opportunity  to 
visit  them. 

Boulder  Gulch  is  situated  opposite  Arastra,  on  the  north  side  of  tbe 
Animas,  and  contains  one  lode,  the  Crystal,  that  shows  gangue-rock 
very  similar  to  that  of  the  Little  Giant.  In  so  far  as  this  can  be  taken 
as  an  indication  regarding  the  possible  presence  of  the  schists  at  some 
depth,  it  is  important.    Gold  is  the  main  paying  metal  in  tbe  Crystal. 

Several  localities  occur,  besides  those  mentioned,  where  prospecting 
has  been  done  and  lodes  have  been  opened. 

On  G(K)dwin  Creek,  about  seven  miles  above  its  junction  with  Lake 
Fork,  a  number  of  veins  have  been  claimed,  and  ore  was  taken  out.  On 
the  15th  of  June,  1874,  the 

Bia  CASINO 

was  located  at  that  point  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  and  a  shaft 
sunk.  The  vein  runs  entirely  in  trachyte,  w*hich  is  thoroughly  impreg- 
nated with  pyrite.  Ore  has  been  found  from  the  surface  down,  eom« 
posed  of  galenite,  sphalerite,  pyrite,  and  fablerz.  The  ganguerock,  as 
usual,  is  quartz.    On  the  other  side  of  the  creek,  the 

OXTELAY 

is  situated,  yielding  ore  of  the  same  character,  running  in  the  same 
rock.    Both  lodes  have  good  walls,  and  are  worked  for  silver. 

Near  Baker's  Park,  on  Mineral  Creek,  about  four  miles  west  of  the 
park,  is  the  Silver  Court,  having  a  strike  of  about  north  80^  east.  It  is 
situated  approximately  at  1,000  feet  above  the  creek,  and  shows  tbe 
usual  ores  of  that  region. 


]  SAN  JUAN  MINES.  237 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  meDtion  that  near  Lime  Greek,  some  distance 
down  the  Animas,  proceeding  from  Bakei's  Park,  prospecting  has 
l>een  done  for  chloride-ores,  in  the  Devonian  limestones  of  that  region, 
altbongh  without  any  decided  success.  Almost  all  the  mountains  in 
tbe  immediate  vicinity  of  Bakei^s  Park,  and  the  regions  north  of  it, 
contain  veins ;  frequently,  however,  without  the  remunerative  metals. 
They  have  been  found  of  almost  incredible  width,  and  extending,  well 
defined,  for  miles.  In  a  country  where  so  large  an  amount  of  mineral 
substance  is  present  as  in  that  which  formed  the  field  of  our  labors  dur- 
ing tbe  summer  of  1874,  it  cannot  be  astonishing  that  veins  or  even  ores 
should  be  found  at  any  place  where  the  conditions  for  their  segrega- 
tion and  accumulation  were  in  the  least  favorable. 

Owing  to  the  rugged  character  of  the  country,  to  the  sharply-cut 
avails,  inclosing  canons  of  considerable  depth,  and  lastly  to  the  regularity 
of  tbe  veins  in  course  and  dip,  mining  can  be  carried  on  at  compara- 
tively slight  expense  should  the  veins  eventually  prove  as  remunera- 
tive as  their  surface  indications  might  justify  us  in  presuming.  A  well- 
re^ilated  system  of  sinking  shafts  and  driving  tunnels,  either  to  or  on 
the  same  vein,  wonld  afford  facility  for  the  regulation  of  water  and  air, 
as  well  as  for  the  first  transportation  of  ore,  that  ought  not  to  be  over- 
]ooke<l.  Frequently  the  same  vein  can  be  taken,  in  work  from  above 
in  a  vertical  direction,  while  1,000  feet  below  a  tunnel  driven  will 
afford  tbe  facilities  above  indicated,  besides  furnishing  valuable  iuCor- 
ination  as  to  the  constancy  of  the  ore,  both  in  character  and  distribu- 
tion. Timber  exists  in  sufficient  quantities  to  la«t  for  many  mines. 
One  unfavorable  circumstance  is  the  short  duration  of  the  season  dur- 
ing which  active  work  near  the  surface  can  be  accomplished.  After  the 
mines  have  reached  a  certain  development,  however,  so  that  their  interior 
will  be  but  little  affected  by  the  outside  influence  of  atmospheric  changes, 
a  great  portion  of  this  trouble  will  be  obviated. 

In  summing  up  all  that  has  been  observed  during  the  short  time  that 
could  be  allowed  for  investigation  of  this  interesting  mining-region,  it 
becomes  necessary  not  to  overlook  the  difficulties  that  had  to  be  over- 
come. Above  all,  the  fact  that  all  the  mines  were  but  in  their  infancy 
will  tend  to  cast  a  shadow  over  the  conclusions  that  may  have  been 
drawn  with  reference  to  many  important  features.  In  consequence  of 
this  fact,  no  reliable  data  with  reference  to  the  vertical  distribution  of 
the  ore  can  be  given,  and,  although  outcrops  along  uumerons  points  of 
any  lode  may  everywhere  show  favorable  indications,  nothing  but  a 
future  development  of  the  new  mines  can  disperse  all  doubt.  Eegard- 
ing  tbe  persistency  of  the  veins  in  a  vertical  direction,  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  observations  have  been  made  to  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  their 
general  character  in  that  respect  is  satisfactory.  The  ores  contained  in 
the  veins  are  of  such  composition  that  they  will  ofl'er  no  serious  obstacles 
in  any  smelting  establishment  that  may  be  founded  upon  principles  that 
are  not  totally  at  variance  with  chemical  and  physical  laws. 

Geologically,  the  veins  of  our  district  are  very  young,  probably  having 
been  formed  at  tbe  close  of  the  Cretaceous  or  the  beginning  of  tbe  Ter- 
tiary period.  The  enormous  eruptions  of  the  trachy  tic  lava,  covering  a 
continuous  area  of  more  than  five  thousand  square  miles,  must  have 
taken  place  at  tbe  geological  period  above  indicated.  In  the  beginning 
of  this  paper  particular  stress  was  laid  upon  the  impregnation  with 
mineral  matter  of  certain  volcanic  strata — a  phenomenon  that  occurs 
over  a  large  t^act  of  country.  This  shows  that  at  tbe  time  of  the 
eruptions  such  conditions  existed  as  were  favorable  to  the  formation  of 
that  class  of  minerals  generally  termed  ores.    It  is  furthermore  to  be 


238       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEEKITORIES. 

observed  that  theee  impregnations  occnr  mainly  in  the  younger  strata. 
Althoagh  the  inference  cannot  be  drawn  that  the  fissures  were  formed 
at  the  same  time,  or  shortly  after  the  deposition  of  the  trachyticlava,it 
is  allowable  to  assume  that  at  such  a  period  the  material  for  tilling  these 
fissures  was  existing  near  the  locality  where  but  lately  so  thorough  an 
impregnation  had  taken  place.  The  fact  that  the  fissures  extend,  at  a 
number  of  points,  downward,  through  the  older  metamorphic  rocks, 
makes  it  improbable  that  they  should  have  been  formed  by  contraction 
of  the  cooling  masses.  Singular  as  it  may  seem,  these  lodes  are  devoid 
of  that  ore  which  is  generally  classed  rs  surface  ore.  Immediately  from 
the  surface  the  perfectly  fresh  minerals  are  taken  out.  The  gangue  is 
hard  and  solid.  An  exception  is  made,  of  course,  although  only  to  a 
slight  extent,  by  pyrite,  which  decomposes  very  readily  when  exposed 
to  the  action  of  atmospheric  influences.  This  characteristic  may  be 
explained  in  various  ways — by  the  rapid  decomposition  and  breaking  off 
of  the  wall-rockS)  carrying  with  them  portions  of  the  gangue  and  ore;  by 
the  less  intense  eifects  of  atmospheric  agencies;  by  the  character  of  the 
minerals  composing  the  ore,  and  by  the  comparatively  short  time  that 
these  fissures  have  been  filled.  The  latter  view  is  the  one  that  would 
to  me  appear  as  the  most  acceptable. 

A  difficult  question  arises,  when  a  decision  is  to  be  made,  as  to  the 
causes  that  have  produced  the  formation  of  the  fissures  that  were  after- 
ward filled.  Accepting,  as  I  have  always  done,  the  theory  that  vol- 
canic or  plutouic  earthquakes  have  probably  produced  the  larger  num- 
ber of  all  lode  systems — and  such  we  have  in  this  case — it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  find  whence  came  the  requisite  force.  Along  the  highest  por- 
tion of  the  Quartzite  Mountains  we  have  an  anticlinal  axis  which  can 
be  traced  westward  for  nearly  forty  miles,  an  upheaval  that  must  hare 
a  very  perceptible  efiect  on  regions  adjoining.  The  idea  at  first  pre- 
sented itself  that  this  might  have  given  rise  to  the  formation  of  the 
fissures,  but  evidence  subsequently  discovered  demonstrates  that  long 
before  the  eruption  of  the  trachyte  this  disturbance  had  occurred. 

About  twenty  miles  west  from  the  center  of  the  mining  region  is  a 
series  of  isolated  groups  of  volcanic  peaks.  The  highest  one  of  these, 
Mount  Wilson,  reaches  an  elevation  of  14,285  feet  above  sea-level, 
about  5,000  feet  above  the  valley.  Lithologically  these  groups  must 
be  considered  younger  than  the  lode-bearing  rock  of  the  Animas,  and 
must,  therefore,  have  become  eruptive  later.  It  seems  quite  possible  that 
the  disturbance  produced  by  these  eruptions  may  have  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  the  present  fissures,  which  subsequently  were  filled  from 
that  source  which  supplied  so  much  mineral  matter  to  other  neighbor- 
ing rocks  in  the  form  of  impregnation.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  de- 
cide questions  of  this  kind,  involving  so  many  different  factors,  after 
having  made  any  but  the  most  complete  investigation  into  the  subject 
I  therefore  only  offer  this  explanation  as  a  suggestion,  without  any  fur- 
ther elaboration. 


CONCLUSION. 


lu  the  district  which  has  been  considered  in  the  above  pages,  we  have 
a  comparatively  regular  arrangenieut  of  the  various  geological  forma- 
tions.   A  continuation  of  the  volcanic  area  first  observed  in  1873,  has 
been  examined,  and  its  southwestern  borders  liave  been  determined. 
Adjoining  that  on  the  south  is  an  extensive  metamorphic  region.  Flank- 
ing both  the  south  and  west  are  the  sedimentary  formations.     Al- 
though it  is  impossible  in  this  case  to  retain  any  but  the  general  ontlines 
of  a  classification  heretofore  used  in  the  determination  of  volcanic  rocks, 
we  are  nevertheless  enabled,  by  the  regularity  of  occurrence,  to  parallel- 
ize them  to  a  certain  exteut.    It  is  a  notable  feature  that  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  volcanic  region  is  the  older,  while  the  western — the  higher 
one — is  younger.    In  connection  tBerewith,  probably,  is  the  fact  ob 
served  that  all  outcrops  of  strata  covered  by  the  volcanfcs  are  un- 
changed sedimentaries  in  the  eastern,  wbile  theyaremetamorphicsin 
the  western  portion.    This  fact  alone  would,  probably,  prov^e  to  be  a- 
8troug  argument  in  favor  of  searching  for  the  point  or  points  of  outflow 
iu  the  we|tern  region.    Considerable  change  in  the  niveau  of  the  coun- 
try must  nave  taken  place,  to  which  allusion  has  been  made  in  chapter 
li.  Although  so  many  features  of  interest  are  presented  at  almost  every 
locality  of  the  area,  the  larger  portion  of  it,  i)robably,  centers  in  the 
mining  region.    We  have  there  the  case  of  ore-veins  of  certainly  Post- 
Cretaceous  age,  traversing  old  metamorphic  rocks,  passing  through  them 
and  entering  the  volcanic  beds  that  are  regarded  as  Tertiary.    Too  lit^ 
tie  is  known  as  yet  of  the  vertical  distribution  of  ore  in  these  veins  to 
admit  of  any  generalizations  on  the  subject,  but  it  seems  probable  that 
characteristic  features  regarding  occurrence  and  frequency  of  the  differ- 
ent minerals  constituting  the  ores  will  eventually  be  observed.    The 
regularity  and  uniformity  in  most  characteristics  that  these  veins  pre- 
sent, the  rarity  of  dislocations  or  faults,  point  to  their  having  been 
formed  either  at  or  very  nearly  the  same  time.    Since  making  the  ex- 
aminations in  Baker's  Park,  the  mining  district  of  Lake  Fork  has  been 
more  fully  developed,  and  the  discovery  of  a  limited  number  of  lodes 
has  been  followed  by  many  others  that  show  fair  indications  of  satisfac- 
tory results. 

Difficult  to  study  as  the  center  of  the  metamorphic  area  may  seem, 
sufficient  evidence  has  been  obtained  near  its  borders  to  admit  of  a 
reasonable  explanation  of  their  origin.  It  appears  that  the  entire  Silu- 
rian series,  and  at  many  places  a  portion  of  the  Devonian  have  furnished 
the  material  for  their  formation.  Pure  sandstones  would  then  produce 
the  quartzites  that  have  given  the  name  to  that  prominent  group  of 
mountains,  while  other  rocks  with  more  alumina,  magnesia,  &c.,  account 
for  the  granites  and  schists.  Were  it  possible,  on  account  of  time  and 
the  rugged  character  of  the  country,  together  with  its  superabundance 
of  rain,  to  make  the  requisite  detail  investigations,  I  think  the  question 
might  be  fully  solved  and  much  applicable  information  gained. 

Mention  has  been  made  of  the  glacial  phenomena  observed  in  the 
Quartzite  group.  Although  they  are  limited  to  small  areas  their  influ- 
ence on  shaping  the  drainage,  and,  by  changing  the  surfaceof  the  ground, 
producing  1akes*and  swamps,  has  been  quite  considerable. 

More  varied  in  its  single  members  than  the  preceding  group  is  the 
sedimentary  poition  of  the  district.    Stratigraphically  it  is  quite  simple. 

239 


240       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

A  few  local  disturbances  occur,  but  besides  those  only  the  great  anti- 
clioal  axis  is  an  object  of  interest.  Although  the  Cretaceous  beds  of 
the  southern  and  western  portion  have  the  same  general  direction  of 
dip  as  the  older  ones,  several  localities  have  furnished  evidence  tbat 
the  disturbances  affecting  the  Devonian  and  Carboniferous  must  have 
occurred  betore  the  deposition  of  the  Cretaceous.  It  is  possible  that 
to  this  fact,  to  the  higher  relative  position  at  the  time,  the  absence  ot 
Triassic  and  Jurassic  beds  may  be  attributed. 

Begarding  the  different  members  of  the  older  sedimentary  formations 
much  might  be  said  about  their  mutual  affinities.  The  highest  Devonian 
has  a  decidely  Carboniferous  aspect,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  lowest 
Carboniferous  shows  affinities  to  the  Devonian.*  I  have  considered  it 
best  to  draw  the  line  of  distinction  there  where  we  have  character- 
istic fossils  to  aid  discrimination  in  the  future.  Of  the  red  sandstone 
referred  to  the  Carboniferous  mention  has  often  been  made  in  the  pre- 
ceding pages.  Based  mainly  upon  stratigraphical  evidence,  wbicb,  it 
is  true,  is  supported  by  meager  paleontological  proof,  I  regard  that 
series  of  sandstones  as  a  member  of  the  Upper  Carboniferous  formation. 
It  is,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  determine,  the  same  that  in  1873  I  distin- 
guished as  Arkansas  sandstone. 

During  the  coming  field-season  (1875)  I  hope  to  see  more  of  this  group, 
and  may  succeed  in  establishing  its  age  beyond  doubt. 

Some  doubts  have  arisen  as  to  the  classification  of  the  Cretaceous  beds 
in  the  southern  portion,  along  the  Animas.  Inasmuch,  however,  as  I 
have  not  yet  seen  the  entire  series  there,  and  will  probably  have  occa- 
sion to  do  so  during  the  next  field-season,  I  shall  postpone  the  dis- 
cussion of  this  subject. 

*  Compare :  Report  Uuited  States  Geological  and  Geographical  Survey,  1873,  page  34L 


EEPOET  OF  SAMUEL  AUGHEY,  Ph.  D. 


16  H 


241 

I 

i 


THE  SUPERFICIAL  DEPOSITS  OF  NEBRASKA. 


By  Samuel  Auohey,  Ph.  D. 


The  casaal  observer,  passing  over  Nebraska,  little  saspects  the  mar^ 
velous  histories  treasured  up  in  the  rocks  beneath  his  feet.  These  nn- 
derlying  rocks  represent  foar  great  divisions  of  geological  history.  Gom- 
mencing  at  the  southeastern  part  of  the  State,  and  going  westward 
and  northwestward,  these  divisions  are,  Upper  Carboniferous,  Per- 
mian, Cretaceous,  and  Miocene  and  Pliocene  Tertiary.  The  reader  is 
referred  to  the  geological  map  found  in  Hayden's  final  Beport  on  the 
Geology  of  Nebraska,  for  the  boundaries  and  extent  of  these  deposits. 
In  Hayden's  reports  will  also  be  found  the  descriptions  of  these  deposits 
and  the  story  of  the  extraordinary  life  of  past  times  which  they  unfolds 

The  purpose  of  this  paper  is  only  to  give  some  of  the  prominent  fea< 
tnres  of  the  surface  geology  of  the  State  ;  and,  therefore,  the  older  rocks 
are  only  referred  to  in  the  case  of  the  Miocene  and  Pliocene  dei)osit8, 
where  they  constitute  the  surface  in  the  bad  lands  in  the  northwestern 
corner  of  the  State.  Nebraska  owes  the  peculiarity  of  its  surface  and 
its  great  fertility  mainly  to  three  deposits,  namely,  the  Drift,  Loess,  and 
Alluvium.  The  poorer  portions  are  principally  produced  by  the  sand* 
hills,  bad  lands,  and  alkali  lands.  These  deposits  will  be  considered 
in  the  order  mentioned. 

THE  DRIFT. 

The  Drift  is  the  most  widely-diffused  geological  deposit  in  the  State. 
It  constitutes  the  surface-soil  in  some  places,  but  generally  it  is  found 
directly  below  the  Loess.  In  rare  instances  it  seems  to  have  been  re- 
moved from  the  uplands  by  denudation  before  the  Loess  was  formed. 
Sometimes  where  it  is  exposed  at  the  surface  it  is  so  mingled  with  the 
Loess,  Alluvium,  and  organic  matter  as  to  escape  the  attention  of  any 
one  save  a  practical  geologist.  It  ranges  in  thickness  from  a  few  inches 
to  seventy-five  feet.  It  may  be  much  thicker,  but  if  so  I  have  seen  no 
exposures  that  indicate  it.  Nowhere  does  it  come  to  the  surface  over 
wide  areas.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  State  it  occasionally  constitutes 
the  surface,  in  the  southern  part  of  Dixon  County,  in  the  northern  part 
of  Wayne,  and  in  portions  of  Cedar,  Knox,  Pierce,  Antelope,  and  Holt 
Counties.  In  townships  30  and  31  north,  range  1  and  2  east,  in  Cedar 
County,  semicircular  rows  of  Drift  pebbles  and  bowlders  even  yet  extend 
across  narrow  valleys,  that  lie  on  the  flanks  of  high  bluffs  in  the  form  of 
terminal  moraines  of  glaciers,  the  marks  of  which  unnumbered 
centuries  have  not  been  able  to  efface.  In  this  region  some  ot  the  gla- 
cier-marked bowlders  are  of  great  size,  weighing  many  tons.  One  of  the 
most  remarkable  lies  near  the  quarter-section  stone,  between  sections 
25  and  36,  in  township  30  north,  range  1  east.  It  lies  on 
top  of  the  highest  bluff  in  this  region,  from  which  there  is  a  mag- 
nificent view  of  the  whole  country  around.  It  is  a  granitic  quartzose 
rock,  about  four  feet  square.  On  the  level  top-surface  there  is  a  beau- 
tiful engraving  of  a  child's  foot,  a  half-moon,  a  grape-vine,  and  other 

.243 


244  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OP   THE   TEERITOKIES. 

hieroglyphics.  The  engraving  of  the  child's  foot  is  cut  in  its  deepe.^t 
)>art,  three-foarths  of  an  inch  into  the  hardest  rock,  and  for  fidelity  to 
nature  it  would  do  honor  to  the  work  of  a  Greek  artist.  Previous  to  my 
discovery  ot  this  relic  of  the  past  (1869),  no  one  in  that  region  had 
heard  of  its  existence.  It  may  have  been  the  work  of  the  mound-build- 
ers, as  their  peculiar  pottery  and  mounds  are  found  near  by,  but  what 
implements  enabled  them  to  carve  these  symbols  in  this  hard  rock,  as 
well  as  the  purpose  of  such  a  monument  at  such  a  jTlace,  will  probably 
always  remain  a  mystery. 

South  of  the  Platte  the  Drift  creeps  to  the  surface  on  some  of  the  hill- 
sides of  Lancaster,  Saunders,  Saline,  Butler,  Gage,  Seward,  Johnson, 
Pawnee,  and  Jefferson  Counties.  In  fact,  there  are  few  counties  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  State  where  the  Drift  is  not  occasionally  exposed  by 
denudation.  Four  miles  northwest  of  Nebraska  City,  on  the  farm  of 
Hon.  J.  F.  Kinney,  is  a  granitic  bowlder  as  large  as  a  small  hoase,  on 
whose  top  smooth  holes  have  been  worn  by  the  Indians  in  grinding  ar 
poauding  corn.  This  bowlder  m  imbedded  in  a  Loess  deposit,  through 
which  it  extends  from  the  Drift  below.  Here,  as  in  most  other  regions, 
the  Drift  varies  a  great  deal  in  character.  As  already  intimated,  it  has 
here  been  so  modified  by  subsequent  lacustrine  agencies  as  generally  to 
be  capable  of  high  caltivation.  Eecently  I  have  made  a  special  exam- 
ination of  the  modified  Drift  in  Johnson  County.  Where  the  gronnd 
was  covered  with  pebbles,  the  spade  showed  that  the  soil  beneath  was 
composed  largely  of  Loess  materials,  mingled  with  Drift  sand  and  clay« 
and  organic  matter.  Here  it  is  often  in  layers,  showing  that  it  is  gen- 
uine modified  Drift.  This  modified  Drift  soil,  during  the  last  season, 
where  it  was  well  cultivated,  yielded  sixty  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre- 
It  is  only  inferior,  if  inferior  at  all,  to  the  Loess,  which  will  be  considered 
in  the  next  section.  Where  this  Drift  is  the  purest,  it  is  composed  of 
bowlders,  some  of  which  are  of  large  size,  pebbles,  gravel,  sand,  and  a 
small  per  cent,  of  alumina.  In  places  the  Drift  contains  considerable 
lime,  which  was,  no  doubt,  produced  by  the  disintegration  daring  glacial 
times  of  the  Niobrara  division  of  Cretaceous  rocks.  Sometimes  fiug* 
ments  of  these  Cretaceous  rocks  are  found  in  the  Drift.  Generally  tl^ 
pebbles  and  bowlders  are  composed  of  the  primary  rocks,  such  as 
quartz,  quartzose,  granite,  greenstone,  syenite,  gneiss,  porphyry,  actino- 
lite,  &c.  Occasionally  the  near  presence  of  the  Drift  is  indicated  by 
large  bowlders  sticking  up  through  soil  composed  of  very  different  mate- 
rial. In  such  cases  I  have  learned  by  experience  to  look  for  the  modi- 
fied Drift  which  is  so  valuable  in  the  agriculture  of  this  State.  In  tiie 
few  localities  where  all  the  finer  matter  has  been  removed  l>y  water 
agency,  numbers  of  the  different  forms  of  variegated  agates,  carnelians, 
jaspers,  sardonyx,  onyx,opals,  andpetrified  wood, &c., are  found.  Agates 
and  petrified  wood  are  specially  abundant.  The  latter  is  found  aloiost 
in  every  exposure  of  the  Drift.  Some  of  the  agates  vie  in  beauty  with 
those  obtained  from  the  mt^st  celebrated  localities  in  the  moautaiBS. 
Judging  from  the  remains  of  the  matrix  still  attached  to  some  of  them, 
they  were  originally  formed  in  the  primary  rocks,  from  which  they  were 
separated  by  the  disintegration  to  which  they  were  subjected  by  the 
wear  and  tear  of  the  elements  in  glacial  times. 

The  scratchings  on  top  of  the  rocks  along  the  Platte  and  other  rivers 
where  I  have  l^en  able  to  examine  them,  indicate  that  the  general 
direction  of  the  glaciers  v^sls  from  19^  to  27^  east  of  south.  The  only 
exception  to  this  direction  that  I  have  found  was  in  Stoutfs  stone-qaarry, 
twelve  miles  southeast  of  Lincoln,  on  the  Nebradca  Bailroad,  where  th» 
motion  seems  to  have  been  13.5^  degrees  east  of  south. 


« 


AiGiiET.]  ,         THE   LOESS   DEPOSITS.  245 

A  brief  description  of  a  remarkable  section  through  the  Drift  on  Oak- 
Creek,  Lancaster  County,  will  not  be  out  of  place,  A  few  miles  from 
Lincoln  the  terrace  on  this  creek^  compo^d  of  Loess  materials,  ap- 
proaches the  creek  very  closely.  In  this  well  the  Loess  deposit  was  fifteen 
ieet  in  thickness,  then  came  two  feet  of  Drift,  then  two  feet  of  compact 
peat,  then  clay  and  black  soil,  and  then  Drift  again.  The  lower  Drift 
here  probably  represents  the  period  of  the  first  glacial  advance.  The 
clay,  black  soil,  and  peat  represent  the  middle  period  when  the  glaciers 
had  retreated  and  a  new  forest-bed  covered  the  State.  The  Drift,  imme- 
diately on  top  of  this,  marks  the  second  advance  of  the  glaciers.  The 
Loess  on  top  represents  the  final  retreat  of  the  glaciers,  and  that  era  of 
depression  of  the  surface  of  the  State  when  the  greater  part  of  it  con- 
stitnted  a  great  fresh- water  lake  into  which  the  Missouri,  the  Platte,  and 
the  EepubUcan  Elvers  poured  their  waters. 

THE  LOESS  DEPOSITS. 

The  Loess  deposits  first  received  this  name  from  Lyell,  who  observed  it 
closely  along  the  Mississippi  in  various  places.  Hay  den  frequently  calls  it 
the  bluff  formation,  because  of  the  peculiar  configuration  that  it  gives  to 
the  uplands  which  border  the  flood-plains  of  theri  vers.  He  also  frequently 
calls  them  marl-beds.  This  deposit,  although  not  particularly  rich  in 
organic  remains,  is  in  some  respects  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  the 
world.  Its  value  for  agricultural  purposes  is  not  exceeded  anywhere. 
It  prevails  over  atjeast  three-fourths  of  the  surface  of  Nebraska.  It 
ranges  in  thickness  from  five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Some  sec- 
tions of  it  in  Dakota  County  measure  over  two  hundred  feet.  At  North 
Platte,  300  miles  west  of  Omaha  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
some  of  the  sections  that  I  measured  ranged  in  thickness  from  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  From  Crete,  on  the 
Borllngton  and  Missouri  River  Bailroad,  west  to  Kearney,  on  the  Union 
Pacific  Kailroad,  its  thickness  for  90  miles  ranges  from  forty  to  ninety 
feet.  South  of  Kearney,  and  for  a  great  distance  west,  along  the  Union 
Pacific  Bailroad  as  far  as  to  the  Eepublican,  there  is  a  great  expanse  of 
territory  covered  by  a  great  thickness  of  this  deposit.  I  measured  many 
sections  in  wells  over  this  region  and  seldom  found  it  less  than  forty, 
and  often  more  than  sixty  feet  in  thickness.  Along  the  Eepublican  I 
traced  the  formation  almost  to  the  western  line  of  the  State,  its  thick- 
ness ranging  from  thirty  to  seventy  feet.  One  section  north  of 
Kearney,  on  Wood  River,  showed  a  thickness  of  50  feet.  The  same 
variation  in  thickness  is  found  along  the  counties  bordering  on  the  Mis- 
souri. One  peculiarity  of  this  deposit  is  that  it  is  almost  perfectly 
homogeneous  throughout,  and  of  almost  uniform  color,  however  thick  the 
deposit,  or  far  apart  the  specimens  have  been  taken.  I  have  compared 
many  specimens  taken  300  miles  apart,  and  from  the  top  and  bottom  of 
the  deposits,  and  no  difference  could  be  detected  by  the  eye  or  by  chemicai 
analysis. 

Over  80  per  cent,  of  this  deposit  is  very  finely  comminuted  silica. 
When  washed  in  water  left  standing,  and  the  water  poured  off,  and 
the  coarser  materials  have  settled,  the  residuum,  after  evaporation  to  dry- 
Bess,  is  almostentirely  composed  of  fine  siliceous  powder.  So  fine,  indeed, 
are  the  particles  of  silica  that  its  true  character  can  alone  be  detected 
by  analysis  or  under  a  microscope.  About  10  per  cent,  in  composed  of 
the  carbonates  and  phosphates  of  lime.  These  materials  are  so  abundant 
Id  these  deposits  that  they  spontaneously  crystallize,  or  form  concretious, 
from  the  size  of  a  shot  to  that  of  a  walnut;  and  these  are  often  hollow 
or  contain  some  organic  matter,  as  a  fossil,  around  which  the  crystaliiza- 


246 


6E0L0QICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITOKIES. 


tion  took  place.  Almost  anywhere,  when  the  soil  is  turned  over  by  the 
plow  or  in  excavations,  these  concretions  may  be  foond.  Often,  after  a  rain 
lias  washed  newly-tbrown-op  8oil,*the  ground  seems  to  be  literally  cov- 
ered with  them.  Old  gopher  hills  and  weather-beaten  hillsides  foroish 
these  concretions  in  unlimited  quantities  for  the  geologist  and  thecariosity 
hunter.  When  first  exposed,  most  of  these  concretions  are  soft  enough 
to  be  rubbed  fine  between  the  fingers,  but  they  gradually  harden  by  ex- 
posure to  the  atmosphere.  Tliis  deposit  also  contains  small  amounts  of 
alkaline  matter,  iron,  and  alumina.  For  the  purpose  of  showing  the 
homogeneous  character  and  the  chemical  propertiesof  the  Loessdeposits, 
I  have  made  five  new  analyses  of  this  soil.  !No.  1  is  from  Douglas 
County,  near  Omaha;  No.  2  from  the  blnfi's  near  Kearney;  No. Sis 
from  the  Lower  Loup ;  No.  4  from  Sutton,  and  No.  5  from  the  Bepub- 
lican  Valley,  near  Orleans,  in  Harlan  County. 


Insoluble  (sUioeoas)  matter 

Ferric  oxide 

AlamLoa   

Lime,  carbonate 

Lime,  phosphate 

Magnesia,  carbonate 

Potawa 

Soda 

Organic  matter 

Moisture 

LofcSin  analysis 


No.  I. 

No.  8. 

No.  3. 

No.  4. 

Xo.& 

81.28 

81.33 

81.35 

8L30 

8I.» 

3.86 

3.87 

3.83 

3.85 

3.86 

.75 

.■55 

.74 

.rj 

.74 

&07 

&C6 

B.03 

6.05 

&(• 

3.56 

3.59 

3.58 

3.57 

a» 

1.29 

1.28 

1.31 

1.31 

1.89 

.27 

.29 

.35 

.34 

.33 

.15 

.16 

.14 

.16 

.16 

1.07 

).G6 

1.05 

1.06 

1.06 

1.C9 

1.C8 

1.09 

1.08 

1.09 

.59 

.54 

.53 

.55 

.47 

100.00 

100.00 

loaoo 

loaoo 

icaoi 

Since  making  the  above  analyses  I  have  received  from  Dr.  Hayden 
his  Final  Beport  on  the  Geology  of  Nebraska.  This  report,  on  page  12, 
contains  two  analyses  of  the  Loess  deposit,  from  Hannibal,  Missouri, 
made  by  Dr.  Litton.  According  to  this  analysis,  from  one  hundred  parts 
there  were — 


Silica 

Alumina  and  peroxide  of  iron 

Lime 

Magnesia 

Carbonic  aeid 

Water 


No.  I. 


76.98 

77.08 

11.54 

I&IO 

3.87 

ass 

1.68 

1.63 

Not.  detenninecL 

S.83 

2l01 

9.43 

96.17 


KOL  S. 


99.96 


According  to  this  analysis  the  Loess  contains  more  clay  in  Missouri 
than  it  does  in  Nebraska. 

For  the  purpose  of  comparison,  I  here  reproduce,  from  ITayden's  re- 
port, Bischoff 's  analyses  of  the  Lacustrine  or  Loess  of  the  Rhine  : 


Silioioacid 

Alumina 

Peroxide  of  iron 

Lime , 

Magnesia 

Poiaah 

Soda 

Carbonate  of  lime 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 
Leas  byignltien 


No.  of  analysis. 


1. 


58.97 
9.97 
4.25 
0.02 
0.04 
0.11 
a  81 

90.16 
4  21 
1.37 


79.53 
13.45) 

4.8t> 

0.03 

0.r6 

1.05) 

1.145 


7&61 
15l26 


0.09 
3.31 


L89 


62.43 
7.51 
9l14 


a  21 

1.75 

11.63 

&31 


61.04 
9l75 
iL67 


asr 


▲uiBHR.]  THE  LOESS  DEPOSITS.  247 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  analyses  of  Biscboff  tbat  Nos.  3  and  5, 
in  tbe  quantity  of  silica  and  otber  elements  tbat  are  present,  come  very 
near  tbe  Loess  of  Nebraska.  Tbe  principal  difference  is  tbe  larger  quan- 
tity of  alumina  present  in  tbe  samples  analyzed  by  Biscboff.  Gbemi- 
(sally  tbe  deposits  of  tbe  Bbine  Valley,  as  Hayden  remarks,  are  not 
easentially  different  from  tbose  of  tbe  Loess  soils  along  tbe  Missouri. 

As  would  be  expected,  from  tbe  elements  wbicb  cbemical  analysis 
shows  to  be  present  in  tbese  deposits,  it  forms  one  of  tbe  best  soils  in 
the  world.  In  fact,  it  can  never  be  exbausted  until  every  hill  and  valley 
of  wbicb  it  is  composed  entirely  worn  away.  Its  drainage,  wbicb  is  tbe 
best  possible,  is  owing  to  tbe  remarkably  finely-comminuted  silica  of 
wbicb  tbe  bulk  of  tbe  deposit  consists.  Where  the  ground  is  cultivated 
the  most  copious  rains  soon  percolate  through  tbe  soil,  wbicb,  in  its 
lowest  depths,  retains  it  like  a  huge  sponge.  Even  the  unbroken  prairie 
absorbs  much  of  the  heavy  rains  that  fall.  When  droughts  come  the 
moisture  comes  up  from  below  by  capillary  attraction.  And  when  it  is 
considered  that  tbe  depth  to  the  solid  rock  ranges  generally  from  five 
to  two  hundred  feet,  it  is  seen  bow  readily  the  needs  of  vegetation  are 
sapplied  in  the  driest  seasons.  This  is  the  main  reason  why  over  all  the 
region  where  tbese  deposits  prevail  tbe  natural  vegetation  and  the  well- 
cultivated  crops  are  rarely  dried  out  or  drowned  out  I  have  frequently 
observed  a  few  showers  to  fall  in  April,  and  then  no  more  rain  until 
June,  when,  as  will  be  considered  farther  on,  there  is  generally  a  rainy 
season  of  from  two  to  four  weeks'  continuance.  After  these  June  rains 
little  more  would  fall  till  autumn;  and  yet,  if  there  was  deep  and 
thorough  cultivation,  tbe  crops  of  corn,  cereals,  and  grass  would  be 
most  abundant.  This  condition  represents  the  dry  seasons.  On  the 
otber  hand,  the  extremely  wet  seasons  only  damage  tbe  crops  over  the 
low  bottoms,  subject  to  overflow.  Owing  to  the  siliceous  nature  of  the 
soils  they  never  bake  when  plowed  in  a  wet  condition,  and  a  day  after 
heavy  rains  the  plow  can  again  be  successfully  and  safely  used. 

Tbe  physical  properties  of  the  Lacustrine  deposits  are  also  remark- 
able. In  tbe  interior,  away  from  the  Missouri,  hundreds  of  miles  of 
tbese  Lacustrine  deposits  are  almost  level  or  gently  rolling.  Not  unfre- 
quently  a  region  will  be  reached  where,  for  a  few  miles,  tbe  country  is 
bluffy  or  hilly,  and  then  as  much  almost  entirely  level,  with  intermedi- 
ate forms.  The  bluffs  that  border  the  flood-plains  of  the  Missouri,  the 
Lower  Platte,  and  some  otber  streams  are  sometimes  exceedingly  pre- 
cipitous, and  sometimes  gently  rounded  off.  They  often  assume  fantas- 
tic forms,  as  if  carved  by  some  curious  generations  of  the  past.  But 
now  they  retain  their  forms  so  unchanged  from  year  to  year,  affected 
neither  by  rain  nor  frost,  that  they  must  have  been  molded  into  their 
present  outlines  under  circumstances  of  climate  and  level  very  differ- 
ent from  tbat  which  now  prevails. 

For  all  purposes  of  architecture  this  soil,  even  for  tbe  most  massive 
structures,  is  perfectly  secure.  I  have  never  known  a  foundation  of  a 
large  brick  or  stone  building,  if  commenced  below  the  winter  frost-line, 
to  give  way.  Even  when  the  first  layers  of  brick  and  stone  are  laid  on 
top  of  the  ground  tiiero  is  seldom  such  unevenness  of  settling  as 
to  produce  fractures  in  the  walls.  On  no  other  deposits,  except 
the  solid  rocks,  are  there  such  excellent  roads.  From  twelve  to 
twenty-four  hours  after  the  heaviest  rains  the  roads  are  perfectly 
dry,  and  often  appear,  after  being  traveled  a  few  days,  like  a  vast  floor 
formed  from  cement,  and  by  tbe  highest  art  of  man.  The  drawback  to 
this  picture  is  that  sometimes  during  a  drought  the  air  along  the  high , 
ways  on  windy  days  is  filled  with  dust.    And  yet  the  soil  is  very  easily. 


248       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITOBIES. 

worked,  yielding  readily  to  the  spade  or  the  plow.  Excavatiou  is 
markably  easy,  and  no  pick  or  mattock  is  tbongbt  of  for  sach  purposes. 
It  might  be  expected  tbat  sacb  a  soil  readily  yielded  to  atmospberic  in- 
fluences, but  sucb  is  not  tbe  case.  Wells  in  tbis  deposit  are  frequently 
walled  up  only  to  a  point  above  the  water-line^  and  ou  the  remainder 
the  spade  marks  will  be  visible  for  years.  Indeed,  the  traveler  over 
Nebraska  will  often  be  surprised  to  see  spade-marks  and  carved-oat 
names  and  dates  years  after  they  were  first  made,  where  ordinary  soils 
would  soon  have  fallen  away  to  a  gentle  slope.  This  peculiarity  of  the 
soil  bas  often  been  a  God-send  to  poor  emigrants.  Such  often  cut  oot  of 
the  hillsides  a  shelter  for  themselves  and  their  stock.  Many  a  time 
when  caught  out  on  the  roads  in  a  storm,  far  away  from  the  towns,  kavo 
I  found  shelter  in  a  '^dug-out"  with  an  emigrant's  family,  where,  oozy 
and  warm,  there  was  perfect  comfort,  with  little  expenditure  of  fuel  oa 
the  coldest  days.  In  summer  such  shelters  are  much  cooler  than  frame 
or  brick  bouses.  I  shall  never  forget  one  occasion  in  1866,  when  be* 
wildered  by  a  blinding  snow-storm  I  came  to  a  ^^  dug-out,"  and  alUiongh 
all  the  chambers  were  carved  out  of  the  soil  (Loess)  they  were  perfectly 
dry.  The  walls  were  bidden  and  ornamented  with  Harper's  Weekly^ 
with  the  emanations  of  Nast's  genius  made  to  occupy  the  conspicuous 
corners.  My  hostess,  whose  cultivated  intellect  and  kindly  nature 
made  even  this  abode  a  charming  resort,  was  a  graduate  of  an  eastern 
seminary.  Her  husband,  after  a  failure  in  business  in  Kew  York,  came 
here  to  commence  life  anew  on  a  homestead  by  stock-raising.  To  get  a 
start  with  young  stock  no  money  could  be  spared  for  a  house.  Eight 
years  afterward  I  found  the  same  family  financially  independent  and 
living  in  a  beautiful  brick  mansion,  hut  I  doubt  whether  they  had  any 
more  substantial  happiness  than  when  they  were  looking  for  better  days 
in  the  old  temporary  ^'dugout."  Thousands  who  are  still  coming  into 
this  land  of  promise  are  still  doing  the  same  thing.  So  firmly  does  the 
material  of  this  deposit  stand  that  after  excavations  are  made  in  it,  un- 
der-ground passages  without  number  could  be  constructed  without  meet- 
ing any  obstacles  and  without  requiring  any  protection  from  walls  and 
timber. 

Cati9€  of  theie  peculiariHe$. 

These  peculiarities  of  the  Loess  deposits  are  chiefly  owing  to  the  fact 
that  the  carbonate  of  lime  has  entered  into  slight  chemical  combination 
with  the  finely  comminuted  silica.  There  is  always  more  or  less  carbonic 
acid  in  the  atmosphere  which  is  brought  down  by  the  rains,  and  this 
dissolves  the  carbonate  of  lime,  which  then  readily  unites  with  silica,  but 
only  to  a  slight  extent,  and  not  enough  to  destroy  its  porosity.  Though 
much  of  the  silica  is  microscopically  minute,  it  has  largely  preserved  its 
angular  structure,  and  tbis  of  course  aids  the  slight  chemical  union  that 
takes  place  between  it  and  tbe  carbonate  of  lime.  Bad  there  been  more 
lime  and  iron  in  this  deposit,  and  had  it  been  subjected  to  greater  and 
longer  pressure  from  superincumbent  waters,  instead  of  a  slightly  chemi- 
cally compacted  soil  it  would  have  resulted  in  a  sandstone  formation 
incapable  of  cultivation.  There  is  not  enough  clayey  matter  present  to 
prevent  the  water  from  percolating  through  it  as  perfectly  as  through 
sand,  though  a  great  deal  more  slowly.  This  same  peculiarity  causes 
ponds  and  stagnant  water  to  be  rare  within  the  limits  of  this  deposit 
Where  they  do  exist  in  slight  depressions  on  the  level  plain,  it  is  found 
that  an  exceptionally  large  quantity  of  clayey  matter  has  been  accumu* 
lated  in  the  soil  on  the  bottom.  In  Clay,  Fillmore,  York,  and  a  few  other 
counties  there  are  considerable  numbers  of  ponds,  covering  from  a  few 
acres  to  half  a  section  of  land,  grown  up  around  the  border  with  reeds 


jkv^psT.]  FRUIT  OK  THE  LOE88  DEPOSITS.  249 

and  coarse  grasses  and  sedges,  and  where  the  water  is  deeper,  with 
arrow-leaves,  poDd-lilies,  and  other  water-plants.  In  every  instance 
where  I  had  opportunity  to  examine  them,  there  was  a  thin  bed  of  clayey 
matter  mixed  with  organic  materials,  from  a  few  inches  to  a  foot  or  more 
in  thickness,  lying  on  the  bottom,  and  on  top  of  the  Loess  deposit.  This 
clayey  matter  was  probably  deposited  there  before  the  waters  finally 
retired  from  the  old  lake-bed  in  which  this  soil  originated.  In  the  stiller 
I>ortion3of  the  lake,  or  in  eddies,  about  the  time  it  commenced  to  become 
dry  land,  when  portions  were  already  cut  off  from  the  main  lake,  except 
io  flood-time,  in  these  isolated  pools  all  the  clay  in  solution  would  be 
precipitated  to  the  bottom,  before  the  next  annual  rise  of  the  waters. 
This  I  propose  as  a  provisional  explanation  of  this  phenomenon. 

Fruit  on  the  Loess  deposits. 

In  these  Loess  deposits  are  found  the  explanation  of  the  ease  with 
which  nature  produces  the  wild  fruits  in  Nebraska.  So  dense  are  the 
thickets  of  wild  grapes  and  plums  along  some  of  the  bottoms  and  bluffs 
of  the  larger  streams  that  it  is  difficult  to  penetrate  them.  Over  twenty 
varieties  of  wild  plums  have  been  observed,  all  of  them  having  originated 
either  from  Prunus  amerieanOy  P.  ehiolcasa,^  or  P.  permiHo.  Only  two 
species  of  grapes  are  clearly  ontlined,  namely,  Vitis  aestimlis  and  F. 
cardifolia^  but  these  have  such  interminable  variations  that  the  botanist 
becomes  discouraged  in  attempting  to  draw  the  lines  between  them,  and  to 
define  the  range  and  limit  of  the  varieties.  The  same  remark  could 
be  made  of  the  strawberries.  Raspberries  and  blackberries  abound  in ' 
many  parts  of  the  State.  The  buffalo-berry  {Shepheriia  canadensis)  is 
common  on  many  of  the  Missouri  and  Bepublican  River  bottoms. 
Man3'  other  wild  fruits  abound,  and  grow  with  wonderful  luxuriance 
wheiever  timber  protects  them  and  prairie-fires  are  repressed.  A  a 
would  be  expected,  these  deposits  are  also  a  paradise  for  the  cultivated 
fruits  of  the  temperate  zones.  They  luxuriate  in  a  soil  like  this,  which 
has  i)erfect  natural  draiuage,  and  is  composed  of  such  materials.  No 
other  region,  except  the  valleys  of  the  Nile  and  of  the  Bhine,  can,  in 
these  respects,  compare  with  the  Loess  deposits  of  Nebraska.  The  Loess 
of  the  Bhine  supplies  finrope  with  some  of  its  finest  wines  and  grapes. 
The  success  that  has  already  attended  the  cultivation  of  the  grape,  in 
Southeastern  Nebraska,  at  least,  demonstrates  that  the  State  may 
likewise  become  remarkable  in  this  respect.  For  the  cultivation  of  the 
apple  its  superiority  is  demonstrated.  Nebraska,  although  so  young 
in  years,  has  taken  the  premium  over  all  the  other  States  in  the  porno- 
logical  fairs  at  Bichmond  and  Boston.  Of  course  there  are  obstacles 
here  in  the  way  of  the  pomologist  as  well  as  in  other  favored  regions. 
Bat  what  is  claimed  is,  that  the  soil,  as  analysis  and  experience  prove, 
is  eminently  adapted  to  grape,  and  especially  to  apple*tree  culture.  The 
chief  obstacle  is  particularly  met  with  in  the  interior  of  the  State,  and 
results  from  the  climate.  In  mid-summer  occasional  hot,  dry  winds 
blow  from  the  southwest.  These  winds,  where  the  trunks  of  apple-trees 
are  exposed,  blister  and  scald  the  bark  on  the  south  side,  and  frequently 
kill  the  trees.  It  is  found,  however,  that  when  young  trees  are  caused 
to  throw  out  limbs  near  to  the  ground,  they  are  completely  protected, 
or  if  that  has  not  been  done,  a  shingle  tacked  on  that  side  of  the  tree  pre- 
vents all  damage  from  that  source.  Many  fruit-growers  also  claim  that 
Cottonwood  and  box-elder  groves  on  the  south  side  of  orchards  is  all 
that  is  necessary  to  protect  them  from  these  storms.  I  mention  this 
here  to  put  any  new  settler,  who  may  read  this  and  who  has  not  learned 
the  experience  of  fruit-growers  in  this  State,  on  his  guard. 


250       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TEBRITORIES. 

Scenery  of  the  Loess  d^osits. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  ^'no  sharp  lines  of  demarkation  separate  the 
kinds  of  scenery  that  produce  the  emotions  of  the  grand  and  the  bean- 
tiful."  This  Is  eminently  true  of  some  of  the  scenery  produced  by  the 
Loess  formations.  Occasionally  an  elevation  is  encountered  from  whose 
summit  there  are  such  roagniflcent  views  of  river,  bottom,  forest,  and 
winding  bluffs  as  to  produce  all  the  emotions  of  the  sublime.  One  such 
elevation  is  Pilgrim  Hill,  in  Dakota  County,  on  the  farm  of  Hon.  J. 
Warner.  From  this  hill  the  Missouri  bottom,  with  its  marvelous,  weird- 
like  river,  can  be  seen  for  twenty  miles.  Dakota  City  and  ISioux  City, 
the  latter  distant  sixteen  miles,  are  plainly  visible.  If  it  happens  to  be 
Indian  summer,  the  tints  of  the  woods  vie  with  the  hazy  splendor  of  the 
sky  to  give  to  the  far  outstxetched  landscape  more  than  an  oriental  splen- 
dor. I  have  looked  with  amazement  at  some  of  the  wonderful  canons 
of  the  Eocky  Mountains,  but  nothing  there  more  completely  filled  me 
and  satisfied  the  craving  for  the  grand  in  nature  than  did  this  view  from 
Pilgrim  Hill.  Another  view  equally  majestic  is  on  the  Missouri,  back  of 
lona,  in  Dixon  County.  My  attention  was  directed  to  it  by  John  Hill, 
esq.,  who  took  me  to  the  West  point  for  observiug  the  river,  which  can 
here  be  seen  for  a  great  distance.  The  alternations  of  lofty  bluff  and  bo^ 
torn,  woodland  and  prairie,  give  a  picture  worthy  the  pencil  of  the  most 
gifted  artist,  and  of  all  who  love  the  grand  and  picturesque  in  nature. 
It  is  true  that  suchscences  are  rare,  but  then  there  are  many  landscai)e3 
which,  if  not  grand,  are  still  of  wonderful  beauty.  This  is  the  case  along 
mostof  the  bluffs  of  the  principal  rivers.  In  Northern  Nebraska  these 
bluffs  often  reach  two  hundred  or  more  feet  in  height,  and  this  perhaps 
gives  this  portion  ot  the  State  the  most  varied  scenery.  At  some  points 
these  bluffs  are  rounded  off  and  melt  beyond  into  a  gently-rolling  plain. 
But  they  constantly  vary,  and  following  them  you  come  now  into  a  beau- 
ful  cove,  now  to  a  curious  headland,  then  to  terraces,  and,  however  far 
you  travel,  you  in  vain  look  for  a  picture  like  the  one  just  passed.  Nu- 
merous rounded  tips,  with  strangely  precipitous  sides,  are  seen  in  every 
hour's  travel,  and  these,  as  they  form  bold  curves,  rampart-like,  stretch 
away  into  the  distance  and  form  images  of  the  most  impressive  beauty. 
Indeed  the  bluffs  of  the  Loess  deposits  are  unique,  and^  Buskin  cannot 
exhaust  the  subject  of  the  beautiful  until  he  sees  and  studies  the  hills  of 
Nebraska. 

Origin  of  the  Icieuatrine  deposits. 

The  geological  discoveries  .of  the  last  decade,  and  especially  those  of 
Dr.  Hayden,  indicate  that  there  have  been  no  breaks  in  geological  his- 
tory, if  this  view  is  correct,  then  the  Glacial  age  was  not  suddenly 
inaugurated,  as  was  once  held.  At  least,  during  the  latter  portion  of  tbe 
Pliocene  age,  the  temperature  was  steadily  falling  from  year  to  year. 
It  may  have  been  so  slow  as  to  be  only  perceptible  in  the  course  of  cen- 
turies. Finally,  however,  glaciers  formed  in  tbe  polar  regions.  Grad- 
ually, by  the  continually-falling  temperature,  these  glaciers  crept 
southward  from  the  polar  regions,  until,  in  the  course  of  ages,  tbey 
covered  the  whole  land  down  to  perhaps  the  thirty-fifth  degree  of  north 
latitude.  It  was  during  this  period  tbat,  x)eihaps,  most  of  tbe  glacial 
scratches  and  other  markings  of  these  times,  so  familiar  to  the  geologist, 
were  made  all  over  the  north  temperate  zone,  from  the  thirty-fifth  de- 
gree towards  the  pole.  After  the  glaciers  had  done  their  work,  during 
a  period  whose  length  is  undetermined,  a  new  change  of  level  and  o( 
climate  was  inaugurated,  and  the  ice-fields  began  to  wane  and  gradually 


AUGHTT.)  ORIGIN   OF   THE   LACUSTRINE   DEPOSITS.  251 

to  disappear.    This  eatlre  region  becaine  so  depressed  tbat  the  greater 
part  was  submerged.    How  long  this  subniergence  lasted  is  an  unsolved 
problem.    As  the  land  in  the  course  of  ages  emerged  again  from  the 
waters,  under  the  influence  of  a  milder  climate,  it  gradually  became 
covered  with  a  vast  forest.    The  bed  of  this  old  forest  is  often  struck  in 
digging  wells  in  many  parts  of  the  West.    It  is  often  found  in  the  gla- 
cial Drift,  and  separates  it  into  two  portions.    It  is  composed  of  black 
soil,  and  where  I  have  measured  it,  its  thickuess  ranged  from  six  inches 
to  three  feet.    It  often  contains  partially  decayed  and  partially  or  en- 
tirely petrified  wood.    Over  this  old  and  now  buried  forest-bed  the  ele- 
phant {Elephas  ainerieanus)  and  mastodon  {Mastodon  amerieanm)  roamed 
in  company  with  the  i-eindeer  and  musk-ox.    A  back  molar  of  the  left  side 
of  the  lower  jaw  of  an  elephant,  obtained  from  this  old  bed  in  Saline 
County; which  is  in  the  university  cabinet,  measures  seventeen  inches  from 
frolit  to  rear.    But  the  slow  upward  movement  of  the  land,  accompanied 
by  a  gradually-falling  temperature,  inaugurated  a  second  advance  of  the 
glaciers,  which  '^  wiped  out"  the  forests  that  covered  the  land.    This 
period  was  followed  by  a  still  greater  subsidence  of  the  land  toward  the 
north,  when  the^  glaciers  began  to  disappear  the  second  time.    Accord* 
ing  to  Professor  Newberry,  who  has  profoundly  studied  this  question,  all 
that  region  north  of  the  Ohio,  and  westward  beyond  the  Missouri,  which 
is  now  less  than  eleven  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  Lake  Erie,  was 
covered  with  water.    The  depression  was  greatest  toward  the  north,  so 
that  in  the  east  the  Allegbanies,  and  their  dependent  foothills,  and  a 
wide  area  of  low  country  toward  the  south  and  west,  formed  a  shore- 
line to  the  interior  sea  of  the  period.    This  sea  was  often  covered  with 
floating  icebergs,  which,  melting,  dropped  their  imbedded  sand,  gravel, 
and  bowlders  to  the  bottom.  The  old  controversy  concerning  the  method 
by  which  the  glacial  Drift  was  formed  had  on  both  sides  some  elements 
of  truth.    It  was  formed  exclusively  by  neither  glaciers  nor  icebergs, 
but  by  both  operating  at  different  times  in  their  own  peculiar  way. 

From  this  submergence  the  land  slowly  arose,  and  when  the  Missouri, 
the  Platte,  and  the  Republican  Eivers  in  their  upper  courses  resumed 
their  worK  the  Lacustrine  age  commenced.  There  is,  of  course,  no 
exact  line  where  the  one  ends  and  the  other  begins,  but  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  the  later  centuries  of  this  great  subsidence  witnessed  the  deposi- 
tion of  the  Loess  deposits.  When  it  commenced,  the  greater  part  of  Iowa 
had  become  dry  land.  What  was  left  of  this  great  sea  was  the  western 
portion  of  Iowa,  a  large  portion  of  Nebraska,  and  the  various  lakes 
along  the  Missouri^  in  the  States  through  which  it  flows  on  its  way  to 
the  Gulf.  The  Missouri,  and  sometimes  the  Platte,  haVe  been  among  tbe 
mmldiest  streams  in  the  world.  If  we  go  up  the  Missouri  to  its  source, 
and  carefully  examine  the  character  of  the  deposits  through  which  it 
passes,  we  cannot  be  surprised  at  its  character.  These  deposits  being  of 
Tertiary  and  Cretaceous  ages,  are  exceedingly  friable  and  easy  of  disin- 
tegration. The  Tertiary,  and  especially  the  Pliocene  Tertiary,  is  largely 
siliceous,  and  the  Cretaceous  is  both  siliceous  and  calcareous.  In  fact, 
in  many  places  the  Missouri  and  its  tributaries  flow  directly  over  and 
through  tbe  chalk-beds  of  the  Cretaceous  deposits.  From  these  beds 
the  Lacustrine  deposits  no  doubt  received  their  large  per  cent,  of  the 
phosphates  and  carbonates  of  lime.  Flowing  through  such  deposits 
for  more  than  a  thousand  miles,  the  Missouri  and  its  tributaries  have 
been  gathering  for  vast  ages  that  peculiar  mud  which  filled  up  their 
ancient  lakes,  and  which  distinguishes  them  even  yet  from  most  other 
streams.  Being  anciently,  as  now,  very  rapid  streams,  as  soon  as  they 
emptied  themselves  into  these  great  lakes,  and  their  waters  became 


252       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEERITOBIES. 

quiet,  the  sediment  held  suspended  was  dropped  to  the  bottom.  While 
this  process  was  going  on  in  the  earlier  portion  of  this  age,  the  last  of  the 
glaciers  had  probably  not  retreated  farther  than  the  headwaters  of  the 
Platte,  the  Missoari,  and  the  Yellowstone.  The  tremendous  force  of 
these  mighty  rivers  was,  for  a  while  at  least,  aided  by  the  erosive  action 
of  ice,  and  therefore  must  have  been  vastly  more  rapid  at  times  than 
anything  of  the  kind  with  which  we  are  now  acquainted.  The  follow- 
ing analysis  of  Missouri  River  sediment  taken  at  high  stage  will  show, 
by  comparison  with  the  analyses  of  the  Loess  deposits,  what  a  remark- 
able resemblance  there  is  even  3'et  between  the  two  substances. 
In  one  hundred  parts  of  Missouri  River  sediment,  there  are  of-— 

Insoluble  (siliceous)  matter 82.01 

Ferric  oxide 3.10 

Alumina 1.70 

Lime,  carbonate 6.50 

Lime,  phosphate 3.00 

Magnesia,  carbonate 3 .10 

Potassa , 50 

Soda 22 

Organic  matter IJiO 

Loss  in  analysis 67 


100.00 


Two  other  analyses  which  I  made,  the  one  from  sediment  at  high 
water  and  the  other  at  low  water,  differ  somewhat  from  this,  but  in  es- 
sential particulars  are  the  same.  This  identity  of  chemical  combina- 
tions also  points  to  the  remarkable  sameness  of  conditions  that  have 
existed  for  long  periods  in  the  Upper  Missouri  and  Yellowstone  regions. 

After  these  great  lakes  were  filled  with  sediment  (Missouri  mud),  they 
existed  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time  as  marshes  or  bogs.  Isolated  iK>r- 
tions  would  first  become  dry  land,  and  as  soon  as  they  appeared  alK>ve 
the  water  they  were,  no  doubt,  covered  with  vegetation,  which,  decay- 
ing from  year  to  year,  and  uniting  under  water  or  at  the  water's  ed^ 
with  the  deposits  at  the  bottom,  formed  that  black  soil  so  characteristic 
of  Nebraska  prairies.  For  it  is  well  known  that  when  vegetable  matter 
decays  in  water  or  a  wet  situation  its  carbon  is  retained.  In  dry  aitua- 
tious  it  passes  into  the  atmosphere  as  carbonic-acid  gas.  After  the  fir»( 
low  islands  appeared  in  this  old  lake,  they  gradually  increased  from  year 
to  year  in  size  and  numbers.  The  ponds  and  sloughs,  some  of  which 
could  almost  be  called  lakelets,  still  in  existence,  are  probably  the  last 
remains  of  these  great  lakes.  These  ponds,  where  they  do  not  dry  up 
in  midsummer,  swarm  with  a  few  species  of  fresh-water  shells,  espe* 
cially  of  the  JAmnass^  Fkyaws^  and  Plauarbij  which  to  me  is  strong 
proof  of  this  theory  of  tbeir  origin.  The  rising  of  the  land  oontinaingy 
the  rivers  began  to  cut  new  channels  through  the  middle  of  the  old  lake- 
beds.  This  drained  the  marshes  and  formed  the  bottom-lands,  as  the 
river-beds  of  that  perioil  covered  the  whole  of  the  present  flood-plains 
from  bluff  to  bluff.  It  was  then  that  the  bluffs  which  now  bound  these  flood- 
plains  received  those  touches  from  the  hand  of  nature  that  gave  them 
their  peculiar  steep  and  rounded  appearance.  Newer  and  more  plastic, 
because  less  compactly  bound  and  cemented  together,  the  rains  and 
floods  easily  molded  them  into  those  peculiar  outlines  which  they  have 
since  preserved*  The  Missouri,  during  the  closing  centuries  of  the  I^ 
custrine  age,  must  have  been  from  five  to  thirty  miles  in  breadth,  forming 
a  stream  which  for  size  and  majesty  rivaled  the  Amazon.    The  Platte, 


AUGBfiT.]  LEKGTH   OP   THE   LOESS  AGE.  263 

the  ^Niobrara,  and  the  Bepnbliean  covered  their  respective  flood-plains  in 
the  same  way.  In  the  smaller  streams  of  the  State,  those  that  origin- 
ated within  or  near  the  Lacustrine  deposits,  such  as  the  Elkhorn,  Loap, 
IBawj  Bine,  and  the  Nemahas,  we  see  the  same  general  form  of  flood- 
plain  as  on  the  larger  rivers,  and  no  doubt  their  entire  bottoms  were 
alao  covered  with  water  daring  this  period.  Hayden,  in  his  first  reports, 
has  already  expressed  the  same  opinion  as  to  the  original  size  of  these 
rivers.  Only  a  few  geologists  will  dissent  from  this  view.  The  gradu- 
ally melting  glaciers,  which  had  been  accumulating  for  so  many  ages  at 
the  sources  of  these  great  rivers,  the  vast  floods  of  water  caused  by  the 
Beoesaarily  moist  climate  and  heavy  rains,  the  present  forms  and  mate- 
rials of  the  river-bottoms,  are  some  of  the  causes  which  in  my  opinion 
would  operate  to  produce  such  vast  volumes  of  water. 

The  changes  of  level  were  not  all  upward  during  this  age.  The  ter- 
races along  the  Missouri,  Platte,  and  Bepnbliean  indicate  that  there 
were  long  periods  when  this  portion  of  the  continent  was  stationary. 
Ouce,  nt  least,  the  movement  was  downward.  Along  the  blufiTs  in  the 
Kepublican  Valley,  at  a  depth  varying  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  from  the 
top,  there  is  a  line  or  streak  of  the  Loess  mingled  with  organic  matter. 
It  is,  in  fact,  an  old  bed,  where  vegetation  must  have  flourished  for  a  long 
period.  It  can  be  traced  from  Orleans  upward  in  places  for  seventy- 
five  miles.  It  indicates  that  after  this  bed  had,  as  dry  land,  sustained 
a  ^owth  of  vegetation,  an  oscillation  of  level  depressed  it  sufficiently 
to  receive  a  great  accumulation  of  Loess  materials  on  top  of  it.  I  hare 
found  traoes  of  this  movement  in  many  other  portions  of  the  State. 

Length  of  the  Loess  age. 

The  bases  for  speculation  concerning  the  length  of  the  Loess  age  are 
of  course  uncertain,  yet  an  approximate  estimate  may  perhaps  be  made 
by  comparison  with  the  present  deposits  of  the  Missouri.  The  great 
lakes  of  the  Loess  age  extended,  with  few  interruptions,  almost  to  the 
Gulf,  and  some  of  them  covered  an  area  of  at  least  75,000  square  miles. 
Now,  were  all  the  sediment  which  is  at  present  brought  down  the  Mis- 
souri spread  over  such  a  vast  area,  the  thickness  of  the  deposit  would 
be  less  than  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch.  Probably  the  yearly  accumula- 
tions of  sediment  during  the  Loess  age  amounted  to  that  much,  owing  to 
the  then  greater  volume  of  the  Missouri  and  the  aids  to  erosion  from 
the  greater  prevalence  of  ice  near  its  sources.  In  many  places  along 
the  Missouri  there  are  small  lakes,  formed  from  the  old  river-bed,  where 
there  has  been  a  cutoff.  Even  where  these  little  lakes  receive  the 
overflow  of  the  river  each  year,  it  often  requires  at  least  a  century  to  fill 
them  up,  even  when  aided  by  the  sands  which  the  winds  waft  into  them. 
I  have  attempted  to  measure  the  sediment  left  by  the  river  in  these 
lakes,  which  are  seldom  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  it  rarely  amounted 
to  half  an  inch  in  a  season.  The  winds  are  a  much  more  efficient  agent 
for  filling  up  small,  narrow  lakes,  but  in  Loess  times,  where  there  were 
such  immense  bodies  of  fresh  water,  their  effects  could  only  have  been 
appreciable  along  the  sandy  shore-lines.  The  highest  bluffs  represent 
the  original  level  of  the  Loess  deposits  before  the  tremendous  denuding 
agencies  which  removed  so  much  of  their  materials  had  done  their 
work.  Now,  in  places  these  sediments  are  even  yet  200  or  more  feet  in 
thickness,  so  that  it  would  be  safe  to  estimate  the  average  thickness  of 
the  original  deposit  at  100  feet.  A  yearly  increase  of  one-sixteenth  of 
an  inch  in  thickness,  would  at  this  rate  have  required  19,200  years  to 
form  these  deposits.  This  I  consider  a  low  estimate  for  the  length  of 
the  Loess  age. 


254       GEOLOGICAL  SUB  VET  OF  THE  TEBBITOBIES. 

lAfe  of  the  Loess  age. 

At  the  «Io8e  of  this  article  will  be  found  a  list  of  ike  land  and  fresh- 
water shells  that  I  have  found  and  identified  in  the  Loess  deposits.  It 
will  be  seen  that  the  list  of  land  shells  is  qnite  large.  These,  no  doabt^ 
were  brought  into  this  old  lake  during  flood-time.  I  have  occasionally 
found  large  numbers  of  these  shells  where  drift-wood  had  evidentlj 
lodged  and  decayed.  The  fresh-water  and  land  shells  are  mainly  socb 
as  are  still  to  be  found  in  the  same  region,  the  exceptions  bein^  the 
prevalence  of  a  large  number  of  southern  forms  at  one  horizon  of  these 
deposits.  As  will  be  seen,  the  species  belong  to  quite  a  large  number  of 
genera. 

Occasionally  I  have  found  the  teeth  and  a  stray  bone  of  fish,  bat 
have  not  been  able  to  identify  any  species.  The  remains  of  rabbits, 
gophers,  otters,  beavers,  squirrels,  deer,  elk,  and  buffalo,  are  frequently 
found.  Through  the  entire  extent  of  these  deposits  are  many  remains 
of  mastodons  and  elephants,  whose  last  vigorous  life,  as  Newberry  re- 
marks, expired  in  high  northern  latitudes.  Lancaster  County  is  specially 
rich  in  these  proboscidian  remains.  They  are  frequently  found  in  this 
deposit  in  digging  wells.  In  Lincoln  they  have  been  found  in  at  least 
twenty  wells  that  have  been  dug  in  and  around  the  city.  This  town  is 
near  what  appears  to  have  been  the  western  shore-line  of  the  Misnonri 
lake  of  the  period.  Between  it  and  the  Blue  River,  at  Crete,  there  is  a 
high  divide  covered  by  Drift  materials.  These  huge  animals  no  doubt 
often  here  came  down  to  the  shore  to  drink,  and  playing  in  the  water 
became  mired  in  the  mud.  One  tusk  found  in  a  well  on  P  street,  east  of 
Twelfth,  must  have  been  at  least  eleven  feet  long  when  entire.  It  was 
so  far  decayed  that  it  fell  to  pieces  on  exposure. 

For  years'  I  have  been  closely  watching  for  human  remains  in  the 
Loess  deposits.    Five  years  ago,  three  miles  east  of  Sioux  City,  lowa^ 
in  a  railroad-cut  I  found  a  small  arrow-head  in  these  deposits.    I  was 
looking  for  mollusks,  and  was  digging  after  them  with  a  large  knife 
when  I  struck  something  hard,  and,  laying  it  bare,  to  my  great  surprise 
and  joy  found  it  to  be  an  arrowhead.    So  far  as  I  knew,  this  was  the 
first  mark  that  had  yet  been  discovered  of  the  presence  of  man  during 
this  age.    From  that  time  onward  I  have  seized  every  opportunity  for 
exploring  these  deposits  for  human  remains.    The  same  year  I  ionnd 
some  flint  chips  in  the  bluffs  back  of  Jackson,  in  Dakota  County,  but  it 
was  not  absolutely  clear  that  these  were  of  human  origin.    My  next  find 
was  about  two  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Omaha,  in  a  railroad-cut, 
where  I  found  a  lar^e  coarse  arrow  or  spear  head.    This  last  was  found 
two  years  ago.    It  was  found  twenty  feet  below  the  top  of  the  Loess, 
and  at  least  six  inches  from  the  edge  of  the  cut,  so  that  it  could  not  have 
slid  into  that  place.    The  first  found  was  filteen  feet  below  the  top  of 
the  deposit.    Figure  No.  I  is  the  arrowhead  found  east  of  Sioux  City, 
and  No.  2  found  southeast  of  Omaha.    It  appears,  then,  that  some  old 
races  lived  around  the  shores  of  this  ancient  lake  and  paddled  their 
canoes  over  its  waters,  and  accidentally  dropiied  their  arrows  in  its 
waters  or  let  them  fly  at  .a  passing  water-fowl.    It  is  possible  also  that 
these  arrows  came  into  this  old  lake  by  drift-wood.    I  once  found  au 
arrow  sticking  in  a  log  that  came  down  the  Missouri,  and  if  it  had  con- 
tinued on  to  the  Gulf  it  might  have  been  unearthed  in  the  far-off  future, 
when  that  portion  of  the  continen't  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  had 
become  dry  land.    Thirteen  inches  above  the  point  where  the  last-named 
arrow  was  found,  and  within  three  inches  of  being  on  a  line  with  it^  in 
undisturbed  Loesis,  there  was  a  lumbar  vertebra  of  an  elephant  {Elqfkoi 


ATCBKT.l  UPE  OP  THE  LOE88  AGE.  255 

americaniu).  UDfortoaately  this  vertebra  itartially  fell  to  pieces  on  ex- 
posDre.  It  appears  clear  from  tbis  conjunction  of  a  fanmaD  relic  and 
prolNWcidiaii  remains  that  man  here  as  weil  as  in  Europe  was  the  cotetn- 
poniiy  of  the  elephaot  in  at  least  a  portion  of  the  Miasoari  Valley. 


I^^l 


Arrows  found  in  tite  Loeag. 

No.  1.  Foand  thre«  miles  east  of  Sioaz  City,  Iowa,  fifteen  feet  below 
the  sarface. 

No.  2.  Found  two  miles  and  a  half  soatheast  of  Omaha,  Nebr.,  twenty 
feet  below  the  surface  and  beueath  a  vertebra  of  au  elephant. 

The  trlimate  probably  varied  coDsiderably  daring  the  progress  of  this 
age.  What  iuclioes  me  to  that  view  is  the  fact  that  about  the  middle 
horizon  au  unusually  large  number  of  southern  species  of  moUnsks  are 
found.  This  indeed  is  uot  conclusive,  as  this  region  ia  at  this  time  re- 
markable for  tbe  presence  Of  southern  forms  of  insects  and  fresh-water 
mollasks.*  Yet  it  appears  to  me  that  the  unusual  number  of  southern 
forms  at  this  horizon  of  tbe  Loess  must  indicate  some  modiflcatiou  of 
cUmate  at  that  period.  It  may  have  been  only  oa  the  eastern  shore  of 
this  great  lake,  and  caused  by  the  even  temperature  which  so  large  a 
body  of  freah  water  produces  on  tbe  side  toward  which  the  prevailing 
winds  from  tbe  lake  blow.  We  have  sucb  a  phenomenon  at  the  present 
day  on  the  east  shore  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  Mississippi  Valley  is  by  its 
contour  emiueotly  favorable  to  the  emigration  northward  of  sontfaem 
Biiecies. 

These  Loess  deposits,  which  have  done  so  much  to  enrich  Nebraska, 
have  received  profound  attentiou  and  study  from  some  of  the  ablest 
geologists.  But  in  more  than  one-half  of  the  counties  of  the  State  they 
have  not  yet  been  investigated.  Much  tobediscoveredmnst  yet  remain 
in  them.  Though  myself  long  engaged  in  their  investigation,  I  nirely 
examine  a  new  section  in  a  well,  ravine,  or  railroad-cut  without  finding 
something  new. 

*  Hftjdeo'i  Beport  for  1870,  p.  K7. 


256  GEOLOGICAL   6tTRT£Y   OF  THE  TERBITOBIES. 

ALLtrVltJM. 

I^ext  to  the  Loeiss  deposits,  in  an  economical  point  of  view,  the  Alia- 
vinm  formations  are  the  most  important.  The  valleys  and  flood-plains 
of  the  rivers  and  smaller  streams,  where  these  deposits  are  fonod,  are  a 
prominent  feature  of  the  surface  geology  of  the  State.  All  the  rivers  of 
the  interior,  snch  as  the  Platte^  the  Republican,  the  Niobrara,  the  Bow,  the 
Elkhoru,  the  Blues,  the  Nemahas,  and  their  tributaries,  have  broad 
bottoms,  in  the  center  or  on  one  side  of  which  the  streams  have  their 
beds.  The  width  of  these  bottoms  seems  to  be  dependent  on  the  char- 
acter of  the  underlying  rock-formation.  Where  this  is  soft  or  yielding 
the  bottoms  are  broad,  but  where  it  is  hard  and  compact  they  contract. 
This  is,  no  doubt,'  one  reason  why  the  bottoms  on  the  middle  or  upper 
courses  of  some  of  the  rivers  are  wider  than  farther  down.*  These  broad 
bottoms,  as  we  have  already  seen,  represent  the  ancient  river-beds 
toward  the  close  of  the  Lacustrine  age.  It  required  many  ages  to  drain 
this  mighty  ancient  lake-bed ;  and  when  the  present  rivers  were  first 
outlined,  the  greater  part  of  it  was  yet  a  vast  swamp  or  bog.  But, 
gradually,  as  the  continent' rose  to  a  higher  level,  the  rivers  cut  deeper 
and  deeper,  filling  the  whole  flood-plain  from  bluff  to  bluff.  Not  until 
the  drainage  of  this  region  was  completed  and  the  continent  had  reached 
nearly  its  present  level  was  the  volume  of  water  so  much  diminished 
that  the  rivers  contracted  their  currents  and  cut  new  beds  somewhere 
through  the  present  bottoms.  The  terraces,  which  are  so  numerous 
along  many  of  the  river- bottoms,  indicate  the  slowness  with  which  the 
land  assumed  its  present  form.  They  mark  those  stages  of  elevation 
when  the  land  was  stationary.  The  upper  terraces  were'  dry  bottom 
when  all  the  rest  of  the  valley  was  yet  a  river-bed.  It  is  probable 
that  some  of  these  bottoms  were  excavated  during  sub-glacial  times, 
and  afterward  were  filled  up  with  dSMs  when  the  continent  had  reached 
its  lowest  level.  The  great  depth  of  sand  and  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Missouri,  being  from  forty  to  one  hundred  feet  below  low  water  alon^  the 
Nebraska  line  before  solid  rock  is  reached,  indicates  an  elevation  of  this 
region,  when  this  was  accomplished,  far  greater  than  it  reached  at  any 
period  during  Loess  times.  When  this  great  lake  commenced  to  be 
drained  the  waters  naturally  took  the  direction  and  place  of  least 
resistance,  which  was  the  original  bed  of  the  river.  If  the  Bocky 
Mountain  system  continues  to  rise,  as  it  is  believed  to  be  doing,  at  the 
rate  of  a  few  feet  to  the  century,  although  degradation  may  be  equal  to 
elevation,  a  time  must  come  in  the  distant  future  when  the  Missouri  will 
again  roll  over  solid  rock  at  its  bottom. 

As  typical  of  the  river-bottoms,  let  us  look  at  the  formation  of  the 
Platte  Valley.  The  general  direction  of  this  great  highway  from  the 
mountains  to  the  Missouri  is  from  west  to  eaBt.  This  valley  is  ftom 
three  to  fifteen  miles  wide  in  Nebraska,  and  over  fire  hundred  miles  long. 
All  the  materials  that  once  filled  up  this  trough,  from  the  top  of 
the  highest  hills  on  each  side,  have  been,  since  the  present  rivers  were 
outlined  toward  the  close  of  the  Lacustrine  age,  transported  by  the 
agency  of  water  to  the  Missouri  and  the  Gulf.t  Here,  then,  are  several 
thousand  miles  in  area  of  surface  entirely  removed  by  denudation.  Now 
the  Platte  comprises  only  a  fraction  of  the  river-bottoms  of  Nebraska. 
The  Eepublican  alone  for  two  hundred  mites  has  a  bottom  ranging 
from  three  to  eight  miles  in  breadth.  The  combined  length  of  the  main 
bottoms  of  the  Blues,  Elkhorns,  and  the  Loups  would  be  over  a  thou- 

*  See  on  this  subject  Hayden*s  Beport  ibr  1670. 
t  Hayden's  Beport  for  1870.   • 


AuoBBT.l  ALLUVIUM   OF  NEBRASKA.  257 

sand  miles,  and  their  breadth  ranges  from  one  to  ten  miles.  The 
Maba«  and  the  Bows,  and  portions  of  the  Niobrara,  also  add  a  great 
deal  to  the  area  of  bottomlands.  All  these  rivers  faave  numerous  trib- 
utaries, which  have  valleys  in  size  proportionate  to  the  main  rivers, 
and  these  more  than  double  the  areas  of  bottom-land.  The  Missouri 
has,  also,  in  some  counties,  like  Dakota  and  Burt,  contributed  large 
areas  of  bottomland  to  the  soil  of  the  State.  These  Missouri  bottoms 
in  Nebraska  are  exceptionally  high,  so  that  few  of  them  have  been  over- 
flowed since  the  settlement  of  the  country.  The  one  element  of  uncer- 
tainty about  them  is,  wheu  located  near  the  river  the  danger  of  being 
gradually  washed  away  by  the  undermining  action  of  the  water.  Some- 
times during  flood-time,  when  the  current  sweeps  the  bank,  it  is  so  insid- 
iously undermined  that,  for  several  rods  in  length  and  many  feet  in 
breadth,  it  tumbles  into  the  river.  This  cutting  of  the  rivev  is  greatest 
when  it  commences  to  fall.  Where  the  bank  is  removed  on  one  side  it 
generally  is  built  up  on  the  other.  The  old  town  of  Omadi,  in  Dakota 
County,  is  an  instance  of  this  kind.  So  rapidly  did  the  river  cut  into 
the  bank  tnat  many  of  the  houses  could  not  be  removed,  and  fell  victims 
to  the  flood.  The  river  cut  far  enough  to  the  west  of  the  old  site  to  leave 
it  and  its  own  bed,  after  being  blown  full  of  sand,  to  be  grown  up  into  a 
forest  of  Cottonwood. 

When  now  we  bring  into  our  estimate  all  the  river-bottoms  of  Ne- 
braska, and  the  tributaries  of  these  rivers,  and  reflect  that  all  these 
valleys  were  formed  in  the  same  way,  within  comparatively  modern 
geological  times,  the  forces  which  water-agencies  brought  into  play 
almost  appall  the  mind  by  their  very  immensity.  So  well  are  these 
bottom-lands  distributed  that  the  emigrants  can,  in  most  of  the 
counties  of  the  State,  choose  between  them  and  the  uplands  for  their 
future  home.  In  some  of  the  few  counties,  like  Fillmore,  where 
bottom-lands  are  far  apart,  there  are  many  small,  modern,  dried-up 
lake-beds,  whose  soil  is  closely  allied  to  that  of  the  valleys.  Not 
unfrequently  is  the  choice  made  of  portions  of  each,  on  the  sup- 
position that  the  bottom-lands  are  best  adapted  for  the  growth  of 
large  crops  of  grasses.  But  all  the  years  of  experience  in  cultivating 
uplands  and  bottoms  in  Nebraska  leave  the  question  of  the  superiority 
of  the  one  over  the  other  undecided.  Both  have  their  advocates.  The 
seasons  as  well  as  the  location  have  much  to  do  with  the  question. 
Some  bottom-lands  are  high  and  dry,  while  others  are  lower  and  contain 
so  much  alumina  that  in  wet  seasons  they  are  difficult  to  work.  On  such 
lands,  too,  a  wet  spring  interferes  somewhat  with  early  planting  and 
sowing.  All  the  uplands,  too,  which  have  a  Loess  origin,  seem  to  pro- 
duce cultivated  grass  as  luxuriantly  as  the  richest  bottoms,  especially 
where  there  is  deep  cultivation  on  old  breaking.  Again,  most  of  the 
bottom-lands  are  so  mingled  with  Loess  materials,  and  their  drainage  is 
so  good  that  the  cereal  grains  and  fruits  are  as  productive  on  them  as 
on  the  high  lands.  The  bottom-lands  are,  however,  the  richest  in  or- 
ganic matter.  The  following  analyses  of  these  soils  will  give  a  better  idea 
of  their  chemical  and  physic^  character.  The  samples  were  taken  from 
what  are  believed  to  be  average  soils.  The  first  is  from  the  Elkhorn, 
the  second  from  the  Platte,  the  third  from  the  Bepublican,  and  the 
fourth  from  the  Blue  Biver.  The  fifth  is  irom  an  exceptionally  wet  and 
sticky  soil,  about  two  miles  southeast  of  Dakota  Cttty. 

17  H 


258 


OEOLOOICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITOBIES. 


Ko.1. 

No.  2. 

No.  3. 

No.  4. 

■ 

So.  5. 

TnRolablp  ^Ailicpoafl)  matter .,......,t.r-,,,T---.T.-,r 

63.07 

3.85 

8.41 

7.08 

.») 

1.41 

.5«» 

.49 

.?}» 

14.(0 

50 

63. 7») 

2.25 

7.76 

7.99, 

.83 

I.4.S 

.54 

.52 

.70 

li.45 

.79 

63.01 

2.40 

8.36 

8.01 

.99 

1.39 

.61 

..M 

.71 

laui 

.97 
100.00 

• 

62  99 
2.47 
8.  (.8 
7.  8.) 
94 
1.40 
.67 

.r8 
.*;9 

13.27 
.96 

l>1.^3 

pBrrlo  oxide ............ ....................... 

5L><2 

Alumina ,m 

111  52 

I^lmf-.  curhonntfl m...r,-r,-.-,r -r,,T-,-, 

7.19 

tiime.  nhoBnhate  ............................................. 

.48 

Mmnieain.  cOifboiiHtfl ......................................... 

l.itd 

Potash                                ...u .....rr 

.6) 

Soda 

.w 

SQlDhuric  acid - 

.(» 

OrarflDic  matter 

13.4»J 

liOMin  aiiftlysbi 

.Itt 

( 

ICO.  00 

100.00 

ICO.  00 

ICKi.00 

It  is  well  kDowD  tlmt  many  soils  vary  a  great  deal  in  chemical  prop- 
erties that  are  taken  only  a  few  leet  apart,  and  therefore  analynes  often 
fail  to  give  a  con-ect  ideii  of  their  true  character.  Bat  from  the  above 
analyses,  taken  from  widely  distant  localities,  it  is  at  least  evident  that 
ohetnically,  allavium  diiiers  from  the  Loess  deposits,  principally  in  having 
more  organic  matter  and  alumina,  and  less  silica.  The  depth  of  the 
alluvium  varies  greatly.  Occasionally  sand  and  drift  materials  predomi- 
nate in  the  river-bottoms,  especially  in  the  subsoil ;  sometimes  the  alla- 
vium is  of  unknown  depth,  atid  again  in  a  few  feet  the  drift  pebbles 
and  sand  of  the  subsoil  are  struck.  This  is  especially  the  case  in  soma 
of  the  western  valleys  which  were  worn  down  to  the  dritt,  and  were 
not  again  subsequently  filled  up,  though  sach  cases  are  not  often 
met  with.  There  must  have  been  a  f>eriod  of  longer  or  shorter 
duration,  when  the  bottoms  were  in  the  condition  of  swamx>s  and 
bogs;  and  during  this  period  the  greater  part  of  that  organic  mat- 
ter, which  is  a  distinguishing  feature  of  these  lands,  accumulated  in  the 
sorfacesoil.  It  would  be  easy  to  select  isolated  spot«i,  where  the  soil 
has  forty  per  cent,  of  organic  matter ;  where,  in  fact,  it  is  composed  of 
semi-peat.  When  we  reSect  that  this  black  soil  is  often  twenty  feet 
thick,  it  is  apparent  that  the  period  of  its  formation  mast  have  been 
exceedingly  long.  There  are  still  some  few  localities  where  that  forma- 
tive condition  has  been  perpetaated  to  the  present  time — as,  for  ex- 
ample, the  bogs  that  are  yet  met  with  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Elk- 
horn  and  the  Logan,  along  the  Elk  Creek,  on  the  Dakota  bottom,  and  on 
Stinking  Eiver,  one  of  the  tribatarles  of  the  Republican.  In  fact^  along 
these  tributaries  all  the  intermediate  stages  from  perfectly  dry  bot- 
tom to  a  bog  can  yet  be  found.  But,  so  much  has  the  volume  of  water 
been  lessened  in  all  the  rivers  of  Nebraska  through  the  inflnence  of  geo* 
logical  canses,  thai  tbere  are  few  places  where  now,  even  in  flood-time, 
they  overflow  their  banks.  A  curious  phenomenon,  illnstratingthroag'h 
what  changes  of  level  and  other  conditions  these  river-bottoms  have 
passed,  before  reaching  their  present  form,  is  the  occurrence  at  vanonsi 
depths,  of  from  ten  to  fifty  feet,  of  great  masses  of  timber  in  a  semi- 
decayed  condition.  One  snch  de{>osit  on  the  Blue  River  iHiitom,  near 
the  mouth  of  Turkey  Oi«ek,  successfully  interrupted  the  digging  of  a 
well.  So  many  thicknesses  of  logs  o<M;nrred  that  it  was  found  l^st  to 
abandon  the  work  already  done  for  a  new  place.  I  have  frequently  ob- 
served trees,  with  trunks  twenty  to  sixty  feet  long,  sticking  out  from  un- 
der the  banks  of  the  Missouri,  where  the  soil  had  been  freshly  removed. 
It  is  possible  that  this  timber  accnmnlate<l  in  these  places  during  the 
period  when  the  rivers  yet  covered  their  entire  bottoms,  and  when  num- 
berless trees  must  have  been  carrie<l  down  during  flood-time,  and  either 
stranded  on  the  ancient  sand-bars  and  mud-banks,  or  sunk  to  rise  uo 


AucHET.l  NEBRASKA — THE  SAND-HILLS.  259 

more  in  the  deeper  pools  and  eddies  which  were  rapidly  filled  op.  The 
species,  so  far  as  I  have  yet  been  able  to  determiQe,  from  an  examina- 
tion of  the  half-decayed  wood,  are  the  same  as  yet  grow  in  this  region. 
They  are  principally  cottonwood,  elm,  cedar,  maple,  and  walnat. 

THE  SANDHILLS. 

The  sand-hills  are  an  often-mentioned  portion  of  Nebraska.  They 
are  found  in  certain  sections  of  the  western  portion  of  the  State.  South 
of  the  Platte  Valley  they  ran  parallel  with  the  river,  and  are  from  one- 
half  to  six  miles  in  breadth.  A  few  are  also  found  on  the  tributaries  of 
the  Bepnblican.  Occasionally  slightly  sandy  districts  are  found  as  far 
east  as  the  Elkhom,  but  they  rarely  approach  even  a  small  hill  in  mag- 
nitude. North  of  the  Platte,  from  about  the  month  of  the  Calamus  on  to 
the  Niobrara,  they  cover  much  larger  areas.  They  are  also  found  over  a 
limited  area  north  of  the  Niobrara.  Hayden  (Heport  for  1870,  p.  108) 
estimates  the  area  of  the  sand-bills  at  about  20,000  square  miles.  From 
exploring  the  same  region,  I  should  not  estimate  them  as  so  extensive, 
unless  the  fact  be  kept  in  mind  that  they  are  not  continuous  over  the 
whole  region.  They  are  indeed  found  all  the  way  for  100  miles  west 
from  the  mouth  of  Bapid  Biver,  but  in  many  places  from  eight  to  twenty 
miles  south  of  the  Niobrai*a  there  are  spots  where  the  soil  seemed  to  be 
a  mixture  of  Drift  and  Loess,  and  of  high  fertility,  as  was  indicated  by 
tbe  character  and  rankness  of  the  vegetation.  Sometimes  these  hills 
are  comparatively  barren,  and  then  again  they  are  fertile  enough  to 
sustain  a  scant  covering  of  nutritious  grasses;  so  that  this  region  is  by 
no  n^eans  the  utterly  barren  waste  that  it  is  sometimes  represented  to 
be.  It  has  been  a  favorite  range  for  buffalo,  and  still  is  for  antelope 
and  deer ;  and,  judging  from  their  condition,  the  conclusion  would  be 
natural  that  this  region  could  be  used  for  stock-raising.  A  great  deal 
of  the  vegetation  is  peculiar  to  sandy  districts.  Some  of  the  hills  seem 
to  have  their  loose  sands  held  together  by  the  Toca  angmtifoliaj  which 
sends  its  roots  down  to  a  great  depth.  It  probably  marks  a  certain 
stage  in  their  history.  After  this  plant  has  compacted  and  given  to  the 
sands  organic  matter,  the  grasses  come  in  and  partially  clothe  the  hills. 
The  materials  of  these  sand-hills  are  almost  entirely  sand,  pebbles,  and 
gravel,  of  varying  degrees  of  fineness.  The  sand  always  predominates. 
Occasionally  it  is  more  or  less  modified  by  the  presence  of  other  mate- 
rials, such  as  lime,  potanh,  soda,  alumina,  and  organic  matter.  These 
hills  are  in  some  places  stationary,  and  so  covered  by  vegetation  that 
their  true  character  is  not  suspected  until  closely  examined.  In  other 
places  again,  especially  in  portions  of  the  Loup  and  tlie  Niobrara  region, 
they  are  so  loosely  compacted  that  the  wind  is  ever  changing  their  form, 
and  turning  them  into  all  kinds  of  fantastic  shapes.  The  most  common 
appearance  is  that  of  a  plain,  undulating,  or  hilly  region,  covered  with 
conical  hills  of  drifting  sands.  The  smaller  elevations  frequently  show 
striking  resemblance  to  craters.  One  such  curious  hill  I  found  south  of 
the  Calamus,  where  the  crater-like  basin  seemed  to  be  compacted  at 
once,  and  grown  over  with  a  species  of  wire-grass. 

Some  eminent  geologists  have  sought  to  account  for  these  hills  by 
the  theory  that  the  winds  in  the  coarse  of  ages  have  blown  the  sand 
from  the  bars  on  the  rivers  until  their  accumulation  caused  these  pecu- 
liar elevation^  There  are  many  difiBculties  in  the  way  of  this  theory. 
East  of  Columbus  no  sand-hills  are  found,  and  it  is  hard  to  conceive 
how  they  should  come  to  be  limited  to  the  western  portion  of  the  State 
if  t^ey  were  formed  in  this  way.    In  some  places  at  least  the  hills  are 


2S0  GEOLOGICAL  8UBTEY  OF  THE  TEBRITOBIES. 

partly  composed  of  large  iiebbles  and  stones  that  could  not  bave  been 
moved  by  the  winds.  This  is  especially  the  case  in  some  of  these  hills 
south  and  east  of  Kenesa.w,  in  Adams  County.  I  suggest,  as  a  pro- 
visional explanation,  the  probability  that  south  of  the  Platte  the  lines  of 
sand-hills  show  the  track  of  a  current  in  the  old  lake  that  produced  the 
Loess  deposits.  It  is  well  known  that  fine  sediment  is  deposited  in  still 
water,  but  coarse  materials,  such  as  sand  and  pebbles,  in  the  borders 
and  in  tracks  of  currents.  As  the  whole  country  rises  toward  the 
west,  the  water  here  may  have  been  very  rapid,  and  the  land  in  pro- 
cess of  drying  up  when  it  was  yet  deep  at  lower  levels.  Both  cansesi 
the  currents  and  the  winds,  may  have  co-operated  to  produce  these  de- 
posits. I  am  also  satisfied  that  in  some  localities  the  sandhills  are 
nothing  more  than  modified  Loess  deposits.  They  are  Loess  deposita, 
with  all  the  alumina,  organic  matter,  and  finest  sands  washed  oat  of 
them.  This  at  least  seems  to  be  the  origin  of  some  of  the  sand-hills 
on  the  Lower  Loup,  where  they  occupy  a  lower  level  than  the  Loess  de- 
posits. These  two  deposits  so  often  shade  into  each  other  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  sandhills,  rendering  it  impossible  to  tell  where  the  one 
begins  and  the  other  ends,  that  the  theory  of  their  common  origin 
best  explains  the  phenomena  of  these  formations.  After  the  western 
portion  of  the  Loess  deposits  first  became  dry  land,  water-agencies  were 
yet  so  powerful,  especially  in  flood-times,  that  much  of  it  most  have 
been  remodified,  and  the  coarser  materials  left  to  form  sand-hills.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  sand-hills  on  the  Upper  Loup  and  the  Niobrara 
probably  derive<lthe  bulk  of  their  materials  directly  from  Pliocene  Ter- 
tiary deposits,  which  were  mainly  loosely-compacted  sands.  This  old 
Pliocene  lake  was  probably  peri>etnated  here  down  through  Loess  times 
to  the  borders  of  our  own  era.  Even  yet  lakelets  are  nnmeroos  over 
portions  of  this  region,  some  of  which  are  alkaline  and  others  fresh- 
water. The  latter  can  easily  be  distinguished  from  the  former  at  sight,  by 
the  thick  vegetation  growing  around  their  margins,  of  which  the  former 
have  very  little,  and  sometimes  not  a  trace.  It  is  at  least  evident  that 
these  freshwater  lakes  have  had  some  common  origin.  Their  faona 
would  prove  it.  The  same  species  of  fish  and  fresh-water  mollnsks  are 
found  in  most  of  the  large  ones,  even  where  there  is  no  perci'ptible 
present  outlet. 

Although  opposed  to  the  views  of  eminent  scientists,  I  have  no  doabt 
that  many  of  these  hills  are  capable  of  cultivation  and  some  day  will  be 
cultivated.  Not,  indeed,  until  the  rich  lands  that  border  them  are  im- 
proved. But  when  better  lands  become  scarce  and  costly,  advances 
will  gradually  be  made  on  the  sand-hills.  Already  it  has  been  proved 
that  they  produce  sweet-potatoes  and  other  root-crops  equal  at  least  to 
the  New  Jersey  sands.  The  rich  marl-beds  in  their  vicinity  will  supply 
an  inexhaustible  source  for  fertilizing  them. 

Much  as  has  been  done  by  Hayden  and  others  in  exploring  these  sand- 
hills, still  much  more  remains  for  the  geologist  before  all  the  causes 
that  produ<^  them  are  thoroughly  understood. 

ALKALI  LAin)8. 

Every  one  in  Nebraska  will  sooner  or  later  hear  of  the  so-ealled  alkali 
lands.  They  are  not  confined  to  any  one  geological  fiHmatioD,  but  are 
foAud  sometimes  on  the  Drift,  Alluvium,  or  the  Loess.  They  increase  in 
numbcff  ftom  theeastern  to  the  western  portions  of  the  State.  Yetone-half 
of  the  counties  of  the  State  do  not  have  any  such  lands,  and  often  there 
are  only  a  few  in  a  township  or  county.    Where  they  have  been  doeely 


AU6HET.] 


NEBRASKA — THE   BAD  LANDS. 


"261 


examined  they  are  fo'nnd  to  vary  a  great  deal  in  chemical  oonstitnents. 
Generally,  however,  the  alkali  is  largely  composed  of  soda  compound:^, 
with  an  occasional  excess  of  lime  and  magnesia  or  potash.  The  follow- 
ing analysis  of  these  soils  shows  how  variable  they  are.  The  first  is 
taken  from  the  Platte  bottom,  sooth  of  North  Platte ;  the  second  from 
near  old  Fort  Kearney,  and  the  third  two  miles  west  of  Lincoln. 


Ini^luble  (slllceoiu)  matter 

Ferris  oxid« 

AlomiDa 

Ijime,  carboDAte 

JAme,  ptaotpbate 

Ma^eida,  carbonate 

Pota»h 

Soda,  carbonate  and  bicaiboaate 

Sodinm,  ralpbate 

Sfointore 

Organic  matter 

LosNin  ADoljiiU 


74.00 

3.f)0 

2.C8 

6.01 

1.70 

1.89 

1.68 

!kl7 

.70 

.99 

l.SO 

.78 


106.00 


73.10 

3.73 

8.89 

4.29 

1.40 

1.39 

1.80 

7.33 

.89 

.98 

8.10 

.80 


loaoo 


73.90 

3.69 

8.10 

3.90 

1.49 

1.47 

3.69 

4. 91 

.89 

.98 

8.10 

.88 


loaoo 


The  specimens  for  analyse  were  not  taken  from  soils  crasted  over 
with  alkaline  matter,  bat  from  spots  where  the  ground  was  covered 
with  a  sparse  vegetation. 

Many  of  the  alkali  lands  seem  to  have  originated  from  an  accumu- 
lation of  water  in  low  places,  where  there  is  an  excess  of  alamina  in 
the  soil  or  snbsoil.  The  escape  of  the  water  by  evaporation  left  the 
valine  matter  behind,  and,  in  the  case  of  salt  (sodiam  chloride),  which 
all  waters  are  known  to  contain  in  at  least  minute  qaantities,  the  chlo- 
rine, by  chemical  reactions,  separated  from  the  sodium ;  which  latter, 
uniting  immediately  with  oxygen  and  carbonic  acid,  formed  the  soda 
compounds. 

These  alkali  spots  are  often  saccessfaily  cultivated.  The  first  steps 
toward  jtheir  renovation  must  be  drainage  and  deep  cultivation.  The 
Bext  step  is  the  consumption  of  the  excess  of  alkali,  which  can  be 
effected  by  crops  of  the  cereal  grains  in  wet  seasons.  In  such  seasons 
these  alkali  lands,  if  deeply  cultivated,  often  produce  splendid  crops  of 
grain.  Wheat  is  especially  a  great  consumer  of  the  alkalies;  axid  these 
being  partly  removed  in  this  way,  and  the  remaining  excess  mingled 
with  the  deeply-cultivated  soil,  renders  it,  in  many  instances,  in  a  few 
years  capable  of  being  used  for  the  other  ordinary  crops  of  Nebraska. 
Treated  in  this  way,  these  alkali  lands  often  become  the  most  valuable 
portions  of  the  farm.  There  are  comparatively  few  alkali  lands  in  the 
State  that  cannot  be  reclaim^  in  this  way. 

THE  BAD  LAJB^DS. 

The  bad  lands  do  not  really  belong  to  the  surface-deposits,  as  they 
constitute  a  peculiar  formation,  where  most  of  the  soil  capable  of  being 
cultivated  has  been  removed  by  denudation.  As  they,  however,  comprise 
nearly  all  that  there  is  of  the  surface  in  a  part  of  the  northwest  45orper 
of  the  State,  they  deserve  mention  in  this  place.  They  are  mostly  found 
between  Spoon  Hill  Greek  and  the  Niobrara  Biver,  and  they  extend 
down  from  the  White  River  in  Dakota  Territory.  They  belong  to  what 
Hayden  calls  the  White  River  group  of  Tertiary  rocks.  They  are  be- 
lieved to  be  of  Miocene  age.  This  region  has  long  been  known  as  the 
bad  lands — mtmvaises  terresj  or,  in  the  Dakota  language,  ma-koo-H'tchay 
which  means  a  difficult  conntiy  to  travel,  because  the  sur&ce  is  very 
broken,  and  there  is  little,  if  any,  good  water,  wood,  or  game.*    The 

'  Hayden  United  States  Geological  Survey,  1870. 


262       GEOLOGICAL  SUBVEY  OF  THE  TEEBITOBIES. 

materials  of  the  deposits  are  white  and  yellowish  indurated  clays,  sands, 
marls,  and  occasional  thin  beds  of  lime  and  sand  stones.  When  going 
through  these  bad  lands,  I  observed  these  lime  and  sand  stones  to  appear 
and  disappear  in  the  most  unexpected  manner,  indicating  great  variety 
in  the  conditions  under  which  they  were  formed.  The  world  is  indebted 
to  Hayden  for  investigating  and  making  known  these  wonderful  beds. 
His  descriptionsof  them  are  correct  in  every  particular;  and  yet  it  is  hard 
to  realize  their  grandeuranduniquenesswithout  personally  visiting  them. 
This,  at  least,  was  the  case  with  myself.  The  geologist  never  tires  of  in- 
vestigating these  deposits  and  their  curious  remains.  The  almost  ver- 
tical sections  of  variously^cotored  rock  have  been  chiseled  by  wat^ 
agencies  into  unique  forms.  Indeed,  viewed  from  a  short  distance  they 
remind  the  explorer  of  one  of  those  old  cities  which  only  exhibit  their 
ruins  as  reminders  of  theirancient  greatness.  Among  these  grand  deso- 
lations the  weird,  wild  old  stories  of  witchery  appear  plausible  and  pos- 
sible. It  is  in  the  deep  caiions  at  the  foot  of  stair-like  projections  that  the 
earliest  of  those  wonderful  fossil  treasures  are  found  which  have  done 
so  much  to  revolutionize  our  notionsof  the  progress  of  life  and  of  Tertiary 
times.  In  the  lower  beds  of  this  deposit  are  found  remains  of  Ehinoceri 
and  Hyppopotami^  which  were  river-horses  much  like  the  Hpppopotamiof 
modern  times.  Higher  up  in  the  deposits  are  found  countless  numbers  of 
turtles,  mingled  with  the  remains  of  land-animals,  i  was  especially 
amazed  at  the  number  of  these  turtles  in  a  light  reddish-coloreil  marl- 
bed.  They  seemed  in  a  few  localities  to  constitute  almost  the  entire  de- 
posit. Among  these  animal-remains  none  are  more  curious  than  the 
Oreontid(ej  which  Leidy  calls  ruminating  hogs,  because  their  cutting  teeth 
and  canines  and  their  t^t  were  like  those  of  the  swine  family,  while 
their  molars  were  patterned  after  those  of  the  deer,  and  the  upper  por- 
tions of  the  head  much  like  that  of  the  camels.  According  to  Hayden, 
they  existed  in  great  numbers  of  species  and  individuals,  and  con- 
gregated in  great  herds,  like  the  buffaloes  in  their  palmy  days.  Here 
also  are  found  the  remains  of  many  species  of  horses  and  a  few  camels, 
a  beaver,  &c.  The  vast  numbers  of  these  animals  were  kept  within 
bounds  by  gigantic  carniverous  animals,  such  as  saber-toothed  tigers, 
Hyaenodons^  foxes,  wolves,  &c. 

Agriculture  in  such  a  region  as  this,  where  often  nothing  is  now  grow- 
ing is,  of  course,  out  of  the  question.  Whether  there  ever  will  be  such 
an  increased  rain-fall  as  to  start  vegetation  in  this  region  and  make  its 
surface  capable  of  cultivation,  is  a  problem  of  the  future.  Regions  as 
rough  have  been  cultivated  by  hand.  Here  some  of  the  deposits,  like 
the  marls,  possess  the  elements  of  fertility  in  a  high  degree,  butmoisture 
is  entirely  lacking.  Though  this  region  is  so  unattractive  to  the  utilita- 
rian, 1  doubt  whether  any  other  equal  area  of  Nebraska  will  be  of  more 
benefit  to  mankind,  simply  because  here  we  have  outlined  so  marvelonsly 
the  old  life  of  Miocene  times,  and  it  must  ever  be  a  stimulus  to  geologi- 
cal studies,  and  those  grand  results  which  scientific  culture  produces. 
Na  novel  can  be  as  interesting  to  a  thoughtful  mind  as  Hayden's  descrip- 
tions of  these  bad  lands  and  their  animal  remains. 

FUEL  FROM  THE  8UBPAOE-DEPOSITS. 

It  is  not  yet  absolutely  settled  how  much  dependence  can  be  placed 
on  the  coal-supplies  of  the  Carboniferous,  Cretaceous,  and  Tertiary  de- 
posits, in  each  of  which  thin  beds  have  been  found  and  worked  to  a 
limited  extent.  Hayden  and  Meek  incline  to  the  opinion  that  no  beds 
of  coal  thick  enough  and  of  sufficiently  good  quality  to  be  profitably 


AUOHET.]  FUEL  FROM  THE   SURFACE-DEPOSITS.  2  63 

worked  will  be  fonnd  in  the  State.  (Hayden's  Report  for  1870,  p.  134,  &c.) 
There  is,  however,  do  qoestion  aboat  the  great  quantity  of  peat  in  Ne- 
braska. Hay  den  mentions  many  localities  where  it  is  found.  (Report  for 
1867, 1868,  and  1869.)  It  is  also  found  on  the  tributaries  aud  head- 
waters of  the  Logan,  the  Eikhorn,  the  Blue,  and  on  Stinking  River,  and 
other  tributaries  of  the  Republican.  One  peat-bog  ou  the  Ix)gan  (town- 
ship 28  north,  1  and  2  east)  is  five  or  six  miles  in  length  and  of  vari- 
al>le  breadth.  I  could  find  no  bottom  to  this  bog  with  a  fifteen-foot 
|K>]e.  This  peat  I  personally  tested  and  found  to  be  of  excellent  quality. 
In  fact,  nearly  all  the  peat  that  I  have  tested  in  the  State  is  fully  up  to 
theaveragein  quality.  A  singularly  good  article  is  found  at  Pittsburgh, 
on  the  Blue  River,  where  tbe  deposit  is  also  quite  extensive.  Among 
the  animal-remains  submitted  to  me  for  examination  from  this  bed  was 
u  molar  tooth  of  the  gigantic  beaver  {Castor  ohioeMis),  proving  that  this 
animal  existed  in  Nebraska  in  times  geologically  recent.  The  most  of 
the  peat-beds  that  I  have  examined  seem  to  have  been  formed  in  lake- 
lets that  gradually  became  bogs  by  an  accumulation  of  vegetable  mat- 
ter derived  irom  coarse  grasses,  sedges,  rushes,  polygonums,  duck- weeds, 
pond-weeds,  arrow-weed,  &c.,  lilies,  &c.  Sphagnum,  which  seems  to 
form  the  mass  of  organic  matter  in  peat-bogs  oF  granitic  and  siliceous 
diatricts,  only  occurs  in  Nebraska  in  a  bog  near  Curlew,  in  Cedar  County, 
and  one  or  two  other  places  in  the  same  region.  At  legist  I  found  it  no- 
where else.  Many  of  these  peatbogs  are  now  so  far  advanced  as  to  be 
dry  enough  to  be  wagoned  over  in  midsummer,  but  through  the  mid- 
dle of  which  a  stream  of  water  is  still  flowing.  Others  have  no  visible 
outlet,  but  retain  the  water  poured  into  them,  when  the  spring  and  June 
rains  fall,  during  the  remainder  of  tbe  year,  and  thus  supply  the  condi- 
tions necessary  for  the  peculiar  vegetation  of  such  formations.  Some- 
times, too,  depressions  in  the  surface  where  peat  is  forming  are  supplied 
with  moisture  from  ever-flowing  springs.  The  beginnings  of  many  of 
these  peat-beds  date  back  at  least  to  the  close  of  tbe  Loess  age,  so 
that  sufficient  time  has  elapsed  for  the  accumulation  of  great  quanti- 
ties of  this  material.  Peat  can  be  cheaply  taken  out  of  a  bog  with  a 
spade,  and  laid  up  like  cord-wood  under  cover  to  dry,  when  it  is  ready 
for  use.  The  objections  to  using  it  thus  prepared  is  its  liability  to  crum- 
ble. Unfortunately,  to  prepare  it  by  molding  and  pressing  requires 
some  capital  for  apparatus,  and  this  is  one  reason  why  these  beds  have 
not  yet  been  worked.  In  some  places,  too,  wood-fuel  is  yet  cheap,  and 
in  others  coal  irom  abroad  is  easily  obtained,  and  these  causes  have  also 
operated  to  delaiy  the  use  of  peat  for  fuel.  But  such  treasures  cannot 
remain  unused  forever.  Eventually  this  peat  must  be  utilized,  and,  if 
it  is  cheaply  furnished,  as  it  can  be,  the  State  will  be  supplied  for  a  long 
time  from  its  own  territory  for  manufacturing  purposes  and  domestic 
use  with  all  the  fuel  needed.  (For  an  able  discussion  of  peat  in  Ne- 
braska, see  Hayden's  Final  Report  of  Geological  Survey  of  Nebraska, 
p.  69.) 

WATER  BESOUBOES  OF  NEBRASKA* 

• 

Running  streams  are  an  evidence  of  tbe  degree  of  moisture  in  a  region, 
and  with  these  Nebraska  is  well  supplied.  Any  good  map  of  the  State 
will  show  numerous  rivulets  flowing  into  the  larger  creeks  and  rivers. 
But  no  map  that  I  have  yet  seen  does  or  can  do  full  justice  to  the  num- 
berless small  streams  that  are  found  in  the  State.  Having  traveled,  as 
a  naturalist  and  explorer,  over  a  large  part  of  Northern  Nebraska,  I  fre- 
quently came  across  small  streams  with  beautiful  bottoms,  where  even 
the  published  plats  of  the  public  surveys  failed  to  indicate  them.    In 


264       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TEERIT0BIE8. 

fact,  there  arc  large  areas  of  the  State  where  ranniiig  water  can  be  foand 
on  every  section,  and  often  on  every  quarter-section  of  land.  Where 
SQch  water  resources  do  not  exist,  it  can  easily  be  obtained  by  digging 
or  boring  to  a  certain  depth.  In  the  Loess  deposits  water  is  treqaently 
found  at  a  depth  of  from  fifteen  to  forty -five  feefc.  If  this  proves  a  fail- 
ure, as  it  occasionally  does,  water  can  be  obtained  beneath,  in  the 
Drift ;  or,  where  this  is  absent,  when  the  underlying  rocks  are  reached. 
At  the  bottpm  of  the  Loess  deposits  there  is  generally  a  layer  of  sand  or 
gravel,  which  is  a  great  reservoir  of  water,  and  from  which  it  flows  in 
unlimited  quantities.  In  some  of  the  counties  drained  by  the  Blue  Rivers 
and  their  tributaries,  but  rarely  east  of  them,  where  the  Loess  deposit8 
are  very  thick,  wMev  is  not  found  until  this  stratum  of  sand  and  gravel 
is  struck,  at  a  dept  h  of  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet.  I 
have  known  of  only  a  few  instances  where  the  underlying  rocks  had  to 
be  penetrated  to  secure  x>ermanent  water.  This  underlying  bed  of  sand 
and  gravel  is,  as  before  observed,  ))robably  Drift,  and  exists,  at  some 
depth,  over  the  greater  part  of  the  State.  An  interesting  phenomenon 
connected  with  the  Platte  and  Republican  Rivers  is  the  drainage  of  a 
portion  of  the  waters  of  the  former  into  the  latter.  The  Platte  flows 
eastward,  at  a  considerably  higher  level  than  the  Republican,  and  be- 
tween the  two  rivers  there  is- a  large  area  of  Loess,  underlaid  by  Drift, 
sand  and  gravel,  which  in  many  places  is  continuous  between  the  two 
rivers.  Through  this  Drift,  sand  and  gravel  the  waters  of  the  Platte, 
where  they  run  over  it,  flow  into  the  Republican.  The  two  rivers  are, 
in  the  main,  parallel,  and,  at  the  meridian  of  Kearney  Junction,  are  only 
forty  miles  apart.  In  traveling  along  the  Republican  for  a  hundred 
miles,  from  Orleans  westward,  and  by  wading  in  the  river  for  miles  at  a 
time,  I  observed  such  a  quantity  of  water  trickling  through  these  sands 
near  the  water's  edge,  iu  hundreds  of  places,  that  it  could  not  possibly 
all  have  come  from  the  superficial  deposits  It  was  during  the  dry  sea- 
son (August)  of  1874  that  I  made  these  examinations.  Occasionally, 
where  this  underlying  bed  of  sand  and  gravel  lies  on  clay  or  rock,  8ni>- 
terranean  currents  are  formed. 

At  a  distance  from  running  streams  it  is  found,  by  exi)erience«  to  he 
cheapest  and  best  to  supply  water  to  stock  and  for  domestic  use  by 
sinking  a  shaft  to  the  Drift,  where  water  is  found,  and  working  the  pump 
by  a  wind-mill.  One  such  at  Ball's  ranch,  on  the  road  between  Kear- 
ney and  Orleans,  had  the  tank  kept  full  by  a  windmill,  and  furnished, 
as  I  was  informed  at  the  place,  water  for  four  hundred  cattle  and  other 
stock,  the  traveling  public,  and  for  domestic  use.  The  well  here  was 
one  hundred  feet  deep,  ninety  of  which  passed  through  Loess  deiiosits. 
Half  a  dozen  small  farmers  often  might  unite  to  dig  such  a  well,  and  to 
supply  it  with  a  windmill,  near  the  intersection  of  their  lands.  This 
would  be  especially  advantageous  in  the  region  between  these  two  riv- 
ers, west  of  the  meridiau/of  Kearney,  where  the  subsoil  is  Loess,  and 
very  thick;  where  running  streams  are  few,  and  where  wells  must  be 
sunken  deep  to  reach  permanent  water. 

t3hemical  analyses  show  that  the  waters  of  the  State,  excepting  the  semi- 
alkaline  ponds  in  some  sections,  is  fully  equal  to  the  average  in  parity. 
The  most  common  foreign  ingredient  is  lime  carbonate.  I  have  fie- 
quently  examined  wells  whose  waters  were  charged  with  being  impure, 
and  in  every  instance  found  that  the  impurity  was  caused  by  the  pres- 
ence of  organic  matter  that  had  been  permitted  to  be  washed  in  from 
the  surface.    A  correction  of  this  defect  soon  purified  the  well. 

An  interesting  meteorological  fact,  having  an  important  bearing  on 
geological  causes,  is  the  increase  of  rain-fall  all  over  the  State,  as  eivili- 


AUOBET.]  TIMBER   IN  MODERN   GEOLOGICAL   TIMES.  265 

zation  advances  westward.    As  early  as  the  snmmer  of  1865, 1  examiDed 
the  region  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Logan,  Elkhorn,  and  Bow  Bivers, 
where  I  found  many  small  ancient  creek-bottoms,  with  stream-beds  in 
the  center,  or  nearer  one  side,  all  grown  over  with  a  thick  sod  of  grass 
and  ^"eeds,  and  where  the  water  had  not  flowed  for  ages.    To  be  sure  of 
this  conclaaion,  I  dug  down,  at  convenient  places,  to  ascertain  the  condi- 
tion of  the  subsoil.    In  almost  every  instance  I  found  more  or  less  shells 
of  fresh-water  mollnsks,  so  decayed  that  on  the  least  exposure  they 
would  crumble  to  pieces.    They  all  belonged  to  the  genus  Vnio  or  Ana- 
dontaj  the  former  seemingly  being  most  abundant,  but  this  probably 
resalted  from  the  greater  fragility  of  the  latter.    I  failed  to  identify  any 
species.    Many  of  these  localities  I  had  marked.    Already  in  1871  many 
of  these  old  streams  commenced  again  to  flow,  and  since  then  many 
more  have  become  supplied  with  apparently  permanent  water.    Many 
apriogs  of  water,  too,  are  bursting  out  along  bluffs  where  nothing  of  the 
kind  was  known  before.    It  is  probable  that  the  great  amount  of  land 
broken  up  and  cultivated  absorbs  more  of  the  falling  rains  than  could 
have  been  taken  in  by  the  hard  prairie.    Let  any  one  carefnlly  watch  a 
slope,  one-half  of  which  is  plowed  deeply,  and  the  other  half  yet  virgin 
prairie,  during  a  heavy  rain ;  the  former  will  absorb  all  the  water  that 
iJEiUs,  while  it  runs  off  the  latter  in  currents.    The  constant  evaporation 
of  this  increased  water-supply  must,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  produce 
more  vapor  in  the  atmosphere.    In  my  opinion,  however,  we  may  ac- 
oouat  for  it.    There  is  little  room  to  doubt  tliat  the  atmosphere  is  becom- 
ing more  moist  or  the  rain-fall  is  increasing,  or  both,  all  over  Eastern 
and  probably  Western  Nebraska.    The  great  change  constantly  going 
on  in  the  flora  of  the  State  points  jb^  the  same  conclusion.    The  grasses 
especially  and  the  sedges  characteristic  of  dry  regions  are  rapidly  re- 
treating, and  in  many  places  disappearing  altogether,  while  others,  that 
are  more  peculiar  to  moister  regions,  are  taking  their  places.    Hayden, 
irom  a  most  careful  study  of  a  partially  different  clasA  of  facts,  long 
since  came  to  a  similar  conclusion.    (See  his  report  for  1870,  p.  455,  &c.) 

TIMBEB  IN  MODEBN  0EOLOGIOAIi  TIMES. 

It  is  natural  to  suppose  from  well-known  natural  causes  that  when 
the  Loess  age  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  the  lower  portions  of  the  area 
covered  by  these  deposits  was  yet  in  the  condition  of  a  bog,  the  climate 
was  much  more  favorable  than  the  present  for  the  growth  of  timber. 
Bainfall  and  moisture  in  the  atmosphere  must  then  have  been  much 
more  abundant.  In  July,  1868,  while  walking  along  the  edge  of  one  of 
the  Logan  peat-bogs  in  Cedar  County,  my  jacob-staff  struck  some  hard 
body  in  the  peat.  Examining  it  more  closely  I  found  a  log  buried  in 
the  peat  at  least  sixty  feet  in  length.  Following  up  this  discovery  with 
a  careful  search,  I  found  in  this  and  other  bogs  a  great  many  buried  logs 
of  various  length  and  thickness.  Most  of  them  were  found  where  there 
was  no  existing  timber  within  twenty  miles,  and  from  which  they  could 
not  have  floated  in  flood-times.  I  regret  that  I  had  no  means  of  extri- 
cating some  of  those  logs,  and  ascertaining  the  species  to  which  they 
belonged.  That  would  no  doubt  have  thrown  much  light  on  the  changes 
that  have  taken  place  since  they  were  buried  in  the  bog.  But  they  evi- 
dently grew  on  the  shores  or  banks,  and  after  falling  into  the  bogs  they 
were  protected  against  decay  by  the  well-known  antiseptic  properties  of 
peaty  waters.  Another  fact  that  shows  the  greater  prevalence  of  tim- 
ber within  geologically  recent  times  is  the  remnants  of  old  pine-forests 
3ret  buried  in  the  ground.   In  the  summer  of  1868,  when  traveling  Rlong 


266       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

and  near  the  Niobrara,  roots  of  piue  trees  were  often  foand  sticking  in 
the  ground,  more  than  fifty  miles  sonth  and  east  of  the  present  forests 
of  this  timber.  Often  did  these  old  roots  famish  me  with  the  materials 
of  a  camp  fire.  At  no  very  remote  period  pine  forests  must  have  floor- 
ished  down  to  the  month  of  the  Niobrara.  Many  other  facts,  of  a  simi- 
lar character,  seem  to  leave  no  room  to  doubt  that  in  geologically  recent 
times  far  more  extensive  forests  prevailed  all  over  Nebraska  than  those 
which  now  occupy  the  ground.  What  caused  their  disappearance  can, 
perhaps,  not  be  certainly  determined.  Some  geologists  hold  that  the 
increasing  dryness  of  the  climate  caused  the  disappearance  of  any  old 
forests  that  might  have  existed.  But  might  not  the  converse  of  this 
also  have  been  true  here,  as  well  as  elsewhere,  namely,  that  the  destrae- 
tion  of  forests  inaugurated  the  dry  climate  that  prevailed  when  this  ter- 
ritory was  first  exploreil  f  It  is  at  least  conceivable  that  the  primitive 
forest  received  its  death-blow  in  a  dry  summer  by  fire,  through  the  van- 
dal acts  of  Indians  in  pursuit  of  game  or  for  purposes  of  war.  What 
suggested  this  theory  as  a  possible  explanation  of  the  disappearance  of 
forests  on  this  territory,  was  the  finding  of  the  pine-roots  before  referred 
to,  and  often,  when  partially  buried,  showing  marks  of  fire  fiLX>m  carbon- 
ized ends,  and  in  localities  so  sandy,  and  Where  vegetation  was  so  scant, 
that  an  ordinary  prairie-fire  was  out  of  the  question.  An  old  tradition, 
that  I  once  beard  from  the  Omaha  Indians,  points  to  the  same  condn- 
sion. 

It  is  wonderful  how  nature  here  responds  to  the  effort  of  man  for  re- 
clothing  this  territory  with  timber.  Man  thus  becomes  an  efficient  agent 
for  the  [)rodnction  of  geological  changes.  As  prairie-fires  are  repressed 
and  trees  are  planted  by  the  million,  the  climate  must  be  still  further 
ameliorated.  When  once  there  are  groves  of  timber  on  every  section 
or  quarter-section  of  land  in  the  State,  an  approach  will  be  made  to 
some  of  the  best  physical  conditions  of  Tertiary  times.  The  people  of 
this  new  State  have  a  wonderful  inheritance  of  wealth,  b^sauty,  and 
power  in  their  fine  climate  and  their  rich  lands,  and  as  they  become  con- 
scious of  this  they  will  more  and  more  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  pro- 
cesses of  nature  for  the  development  and  utilization  of  the  material 
wealth  of  Nebraska. 

MOLLUSKS  IN  THE  LACUSTRINE  DEPOSITS. 

The  following  list  of  land  and  fresh-water  shells  comprise  all  that  I 
have  thus  far  identified,  in  whole  or  in  p»rt,  from  the  Lacustrine  deposit8. 
Nearly  all  are  extremely  fragile.  The  Hyalinas,  Pupas,  and  some  of  the 
Helices  long  eluded  my  efforts  at  identifying  them.  I  finally  marked 
the  localities  where  found  until  the  ground  was  frozen,  when  they  were 
cutout  with  a  knife.  They  were  then  identified  by  making  thin  sec- 
tions with  a  sharp  knife.  Many  of  these  moliusks,  after  being  placed 
for  a  while  in  my  cabinet,  fell  to  pieces.  For  this  reason,  I  have  no 
specimens  to  show  of  many  species  here  given,  and,  therefore,  only  pre- 
sent this  as  a  provisional  list.  Some  well-preserved  s{>ecimeD8  appear 
to  me  to  be  new  to  science,  but  as  I  have  not  access  to  the  descriptions 
of  the  new  species  discovered  by  Hayden,  a  bare  list  of  which  is  given 
in  Binney  and  Bland's  Land'and  Fresh  Water  Shells,  I  will  not  ven- 
ture to  describe  them,  as  that  has  probably  already  been  done.  The 
counties  are  indicated  where  the  specimens  were  obtained,  or  where 
they  were  the  most  abundant: 

Vitrina  limpida  Oould,  Lancaster  and  Dixon  Counties. 

Hyalina  nitida  f  Muller,  Dixon  County, 


ALOHKT.l  MOLLUSKS   IN   THE   LACU8TBINE  DEPOSITS.  267 

Hyalina  arhorea  Say,  Douglas  and  Dakota  Counties. 
Hyalina  viridula  Monke«  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 
Hyalina  indentata  Say,  Otoe  and  Douglas  Counties. 
Hyalina  limatula  Ward,  Douglas  County. 
Hyalina  minuscula  Binney,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 
Hyalina  binneyana  t  Morse,  Dixon  and  Cedar  Counties. 
Hyalina  ferreaf  Morse,  Dixon  County. 
Hyalina  exigua  Stimpson,  Dixon  and  Cedar  Counties. 
Hyalina  intertexta  f  Binney,  Douglas  County. 
Hyalina  ligera  Say,  Otoe  and  Nemaha  Counties. 
Hyalina  demissa  t  Binney,  Nemaba  and  Richardson  Counties. 
Hyalina  fulva  Drepamaud,  Dixon  and  Cedar  Counties. 
Hyalina  la»modon  Phillips,  Nemaha  and  Otoe  Counties. 
Hyalina  interna  Say,  Nemaha  and  Otoe  Counties. 
Hyalina  significans  Bland,  Nemaha  and  Otoe  Counties. 
Hyalina  lineata  f  Say,  Douglas  and  Otoe  Counties. 
Macrocyclis  eoncava  Say,  Douglas  and  Otoe  Counties. 
Helix  solitaria  Say,  Otoe  and  Burt  Counties.  • 

Helix  strigosa  Gould,  Otoe  and  Burt  Counties. 
Helix  alternata  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  oumberlandiana  Lea,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Nemaha  and  Otoe 
Counties. 

Helix  cooperi  W.  O.  B.,  Douglas  and  Washington  Counties. 

Helix  striatella  Anthony,  Dixon  and  Dakota  Counties. 

Helix  Idbyrinthica  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  hubhardi  Brown,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Nemaha  County. 

Helix  auriforniis  Bland,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Otoe  County. 

Helix  tholu^  f  W.  G.  Binney,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Douglas  County. 

Helix  fastigans  L.  W.  Say,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Otoe  County. 

Helix  Jcu^ksonii  t  Bland,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Otoe  County. 

Helix  hazardi  f  Bland,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Douglas  County. 

Helix  dorfeuilliana  Lea,  Middle  Lacustrine  in  Cass  County. 

Helix pu8tulaf  Fer,  Middle  Lacustrine  of  Cass  County. 

Helix  spinosa  Lea,  Middle  Lacustrine  of  Harlan  County. 

Helix  edgariana  t  Lea,  Middle  Lacustrine  of  Richardson  County. 

Helix  atenotrema  Fer,  Otoe  and  Cass  Counties. 

Helix  hirsuta  Say,  Dixon  and  Cass  Counties. 

Helix  inonodan  Ruckett,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  palliata  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  absiriotaf  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  appreasa  f  Say,  Otoe  and  Nemaha  Counties. 

HeUx  inflecta  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  tndentata  f  all  Eastern  Nebritoka. 

Helix  fallax  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Republican  Valley. 

Helix  albolabria  Say,  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Republican  Valley. 

Helix  multilineata  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  pennsylvanica  Green,  Douglas  County. 

Helix  elevata  Say,  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Republican  Valley. 

Helix  ex0leta  Binney,  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Republican  Valley. 

Helix  roetneri  Pleifer,  Middle  Lacustrine  of  Richardson  County. 

Helix  thyraideH  Say,  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Republican  Valley. 

Helix  ciausa  Say,  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Helix  jguna  f  Say,  Richardson  County. 

Helix  profunda  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Republican  Valley. 

Helix  pulchelUi  MUU.,  all  Eastern  Nebraska  and  Republican  Valley. 

Helix ,  Republican  Valley 


268  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY   OP  THE   TERRITORIES. 

Helix ,  Otoe  and  Nemaba  Coanties. 

Helix ,  Otoe  and  Keuiaba  Counties.  , 

Helix ,  Otoe  and  Nemaha  Oonntiee. 

Helix ,  Dakota  and  Dixon  Oonnties. 

Helix ,  Dakota  and  Dixon  Counties. 

Bulimulus  dealbatus  Bay,  Middle  Lacastrine  of  Nemaha  Connty. 

Cionella  subcylindrica  Linn.,  Southeastern  Nebraska. 

Fupa  muscorum  f  Linn.,  Cedar  Connty. 

Pupa  blandi  Morse,  Dixoo,  Dakota,  and  Burt  Counties. 

Pupafallax  Say,  Dixon,  Dakota,  and  Burt  Counties. 

Pupa  armi/era  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Pupa  corticaria  Say,  all  Eastern  Nebraska. 

Succinea  hoydenif  W.  G.  B.,  Republican  Valley. 

SucciTiea  mooresiana  Lea,  Republican  Valley. 

Succinea  avara.  Lea,  Republican  Valley. 

Succinea  ohliqua^  Say,  Dixon  and  Dakota  Counties. 

Succinea ,  Otoe  and  Nemaha  Coanties. 

ZonUes  fuliginosaj  Griif.,  Republican  Valley. 
Zonites  Icevigata  f  Pfeifter,  Republican  Valley. 
Zonitea  inornata^  Say,  Cass  and  Otoe  Counties. 
Zonites  gulariSj  Say,  Southeastern  Nebraska.  * 

Carychium  f  exiguum  t  Say,  Nemaha  County. 
Limncea  stagnalis  t  Linn.,  Washington  County. 
Limncea  replexa  Say,  Dakota  and  Dixon  Coanties. 
Limncea  palustris  MlllL,  along  Missouri  Bluffs. 
Physa  gifHna  Say,  Dakota  Connty. 
Physa  lieterostropha  Say,  Doaglas  County. 

Phyaa ,  Doaglas  County. 

Physa ,  Douglas  County. 

Psulinus ,  Otoe  County. 

Planorbis  glabratus  Say,  Otoe  County. 
Planorbiscampanulatus  Say,  Dakota  County. 
Planarbis  corpulentus  f  Say,  Dakota  County. 
Planorbis  deflectus  Say,  Nemaha  County. 
Planorbis  allmsf  Miill.,  Dixon  County. 

Ancylus ,  Dakota,  Harlan  Connty. 

Valvata  tricarinata  Say,  Dixon  County. 

Valvat4i Say,  Otoe  and  Burt  Counties. 

Vivipara  intertexta  f  Say,  Otoe  County. 

Vivipara  subpurpurea  f  Say,  Otoe  and  Nemaha  ConntieB. 

Vivipara  contcctoides  Binney,  Nemaha  County. 

Melantho  ponderosa  Say,  Washington  County. 

Melantho  decisa  Say,  Burt  County. 

Amnicola  perata  f  Say,  Washington  County. 

Amnieola  lemnosa  f  Say,  Washington  County. 

Pomatiopsis  lapidaria  Say,  Dakota  Connty. 

Helicina  orMculata  Say,  Nemaha  Couiity. 

Angitrema  armigera  Say,  Nemaha  County. 

Lithasia  obovata  Say,  Richardson  Connty.  * 

Pleurocera  undulatum  t  Harlan  County. 

Pleuroeera  caaialeoulatum  Say,  Nemaha  County. 

Pleurocera  elevatum  Say,  Otoe  Connty. 

Pleurocera  labiatum  f  Lea,  Richardson  County. 

Pleurocera  simplex  f  Lea,  Otoe  Connty. 

Chniobasis  depygis  Say,  lUchardson  and  Otoe  Counties. 

Ooniobasis  livescensf  Menke,  Richardson  Connty. 


AUGHRTj  MOLLU8K8   IN   THE   LACUSTRINE   DEPOSITS.  269 

Go7iiobasi^  brevispira  f  Anthony,  Otoe  County. 
OoniobasU  semicarinata  Say,  Otoe  Goanty. 
A^ncttlosa  costata  Anthony,  Bichardson  Goanty. 
A^nculosa  praerosa  Say,  Eicbardson  County. 

A^nculosa  f ,  Eicbardson  County. 

Unio ,  Cedar,  Dakota,  and  Burt  Counties. 

Unio ,  Neuiaha  County. 

Unio ,  Otoe  and  Cass  Counties. 

A^nadonta ,  Washington  County. 

Anccdonta ,  Eepublican  Valley. 


1 


\ 


PALEONTOLOGY. 


REPORT  OF  LEO  LESQUEREUX. 


S71 


Columbus,  Ohio,  March  7, 1876. 

Dear  Sm:  I  send  yoa  herewith,  on  the  fossil  floras  of  the  western 
Territories,  a  record  of  the  progress  and  discoveries  in  this  section  of 
the  !North  American  natural  history,  since  the  publication  of  the  last 
annual  rei)ort  for  1873. 

The  memoir  is  divided  into  two  parts.  The  first'  refers  again  to  the 
evidence  afiforded  by  fossil  plants  to  the  age  of  the  lignitic  formations, 
and  describes  the  species  not  yet  known  from  former  communications. 
The  second  critically  reviews  the  Cretaceous  flora  of  the  Dakota  group, 
and  describes  also,  with  figures,  the  new  materials  obtained  from  this 
remarkable  formation.  This  revision  was  demanded  not  ooly  by  the  im- 
portant discoveries 'Which  have  enriched  this  flora,  but  especially  by  the 
kind  criticisms  of  European  authors  and  the  great  interest  with  which 
the  publication  of  the  (3retaceous  flora  has  been  received  by  geologists. 
Very  respectfully,  yours, 

L.  LESQUEREUX. 

Prof.  P.  V.  Haydbn, 

United  States  Geologist^  Washington. 

18  H 


373 


ON  THE  TERTIARY  FLORA  OF  THE  UORTH  AMERICAN  UGNITIC, 
CONSIDERED  AS  EVIDENCE  OF  THE  AGE  OF  THE  FORMATION. 


/ 


The  parpose  of  this  memoir,  as  indicated  hy  the  heading  title,  is  to 
present,  with  more  details,  the  evidence  offered  hy  the  flora  of  the  Lig- 
nitic  Measures  of  the  West,  in  regard  to  the  geological  age  of  their  for- 
mation, which  I  consider  as  Tertiary.  The  reasons  advanced  in  favor  of 
this  opinion  in  the  two  former  annual  reports  of  Dr.  Hayden,  and  in  a 
paper  in  the  American  Journal  of  Science  and  Arts,*  are  controverted  by 
some  geologists  who  consider  the  Ligui tic  as  Cretaceous,  denying  to  vege- 
table paleontology  the  authority  of  evidence  in  a  question  of  tbis  kind. 
Their  arguments  may  be  bri^y  exposed  in  the  order  iq  which  I  propose 
to  examine  and  discuss  their  importance. 

1st.  Fossil  plants  are  rarely  lound  in  the  geological  formations  which 
are  mostly  marine ;  the  vegetable  remains  are  generally  undetermina- 
ble fragments  of  leavejs }  they  have  been,  as  yet,  scarcely  studied  in  this 
country ;  the  records  of  the  fossil  floras  are  nearly  mere  blanks. 

2d.  If  even  the  fossil  flora  of  the  great  Lignitic  of  the  West  had  been 
widely  studied,  it  could  not  afford  any  reliable  evidence,  on  account  of 
the  impossibility  of  a  conclusive  comparison  of  its  species.  A  compari- 
son of  the  fossil  plants  of  this  continent  with  those  of  Europe  can  ])rove 
nothing  in  regard  to  identification  of  geological  periods,  for  the  reason 
that  at  the  same  epoch  the  floras  of  both  continents  may  have  been  far 
different  in  tbeir  character,  a  necessary  result  of  differences  in  their 
atmospheric  circumstances  of  the  same  period  of  time. 

3d.  Even  supposing  that  the  evidence  could  be  admitted,  it  is  put  at 
naught  by  the  presence  of  cretaceous  animal  remains  in  strata  within  or 
above  the  lignitic  formations,  and  animal  remains  must  have  priority 
for  the  determination  of  geological  groups. 

4th.  The  strata  of  the  Lignitic  conformably  overlie  the  Cretaceous,  and 
the  nature  of  the  compounds  of  these  so-called  different  formations  are 
similar. 

5th.  Stratigraphy  and  animal  paleontology  have  forced  the  conclu- 
sion in  regard  to  the  cretaceous  age  of  the  western  Lignitic,  and  geolo- 
gists of  high  standing  have,  by  their  opinion,  given  full  authority  to 
this  conclusion. 

The  text  of  the  argumentation  in  favor  of  the  cretaceous  age  of  the 
Lignitic  is  here  exposed  in  the  fairest  possible  way.  It  could  be  said 
merely  that  the  objections  have  been  already  considered  and  answered, 
but  nobody  would  be  satisfied  or  enlightened  by  this  assertion.  It  is, 
therefore,  advisable  to  reconsider  the  subject  and  to  expose,  instead  of 
contradicting  arguments,  facts,  which,  corroborating  former  assertions, 
bring  some  new  light  upon  the  controverted  question.    For,  in  the  two 

'Annual  Report  of  the  United  States  Geological  and  Geographical  Survey,  &c.,  for  the 
explorations  of  1872,  p.  318,  &c  Same  Keport  for  explorations  of  1873,  p.  367.  On  the 
age  of  the  lignitic  formations  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  American  Journal  of  Science  and 
Arts,  vol.  Yii,  June,  1874. 

S75 


276       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITORIES. 

past  years,  the  researches  in  the  vegetable  paleontology  of  the  Lignitic 
have  greatly  added  to  what  was  known  of  its  domain  when  the  former 
reports  were  published. 

To  consider  the  first  objecUon'^that  fossil  plctnts  are  rarely  found  tn 
the  gmlogical  formations  which  are  mostly  marine;  that  the  vegetable  remaiiis 
are  mostly  undeterminable  frojgments  of  leaves  ;  ikat  they  have  been  as  yet 
scarcely  studied  ;  and  that  the  records  of  thefossU  floras  are  mere  hlanki- — 
it  will  be  necessary  to  open  a  while  these  so-called.blank  records  of  oar 
North  American  geological  floras  and  look  over  them  a  little. 

We  cannot  boast,  indeed,  of  a  wide  acquaintance  with  the  fossil  plants 
of  the  Silurian,  for  the  good  reason  that  they  have  been  rarely  looked 
for  and  studied.  The  formations  of  that  epoch  being  mostly  marine, 
their  flora  is  represented  by  fucoidal  remains,  or  plants  which,  originally 
of  a  soft  texture,  have  generally  been  deformed  and  rendered  undetermi- 
nable by  maceration  and  compression.  Prof.  James  Hall  has,  however, 
described  some  of  those  primitive  vegetable  forms,  and  his  contribn- 
tions  to  the  vegetable  paleontology  of  the  Silurian  have  been  acknowl- 
edged and  honorably  recorded  by  European  authors.  Of  the  twenty 
species  of  Silurian  plants  described  by  Goppert  in  his  Flora  of  the  For- 
mations of  Transition,  sixteen  are  credited  to  the  authorship  of  Hall. 

Besides  the  general  instruction  afforded  by  the  representation  of 
those  plants  of  primitive  ages,  we  find  in  them  already,  though  uncer- 
tain theircharacters  may  be,  an  authority  for  the  identification  of  Silurian 
strata  in  far  distant  countries.  It  is  the  case,  for  example,  with  Die- 
tionetna  flabelliforme^  Hall,  Eich.,  which  identifies,  by  its  abundant  re- 
mains, the  Lower  Silurian  of  Norway  and  of  Bohemia,  &c.,  the  Lingnla 
flags  of  England,  Ireland,  and  the  strata  of  the  same  age,  the  Potsdaai 
epoch  of  the  United  States  and  Oanada. 

As  I  have  merely  to  consider  the  remains  of  land-plants,  the  whole 
Silurian  flora  might  be  left  out  of  notice  as  foreign  to  the  subject.  Bat 
even  land-plants  have  their  history, 'at  least  the  first  lines  of  it,  writ- 
ten in  those  Silurian  formations,  considered  till  now  as  a  succession  of 
marine  deposits,  as  a  time  when  our  planet  was  surrounded  by  water, 
and  when  as  yet  there  was  no  land  exposed  to  view.  Two  years  ago  a 
few  stems  or  branches  were  found  in  beds  of  hard  clay  of  the  CinciuDati 
group  of  the  Silurian,  near  Lebanon,  Ohio.  They  were,  after  examina- 
tion, considered  as  remains  of  land-plants,  and  as  representing  upon 
their  surface  the  impression  of  scars  as  a  species  of  SigiUaria.  This 
opinion,  which  was  then  contradicted,  is  now  fully  confirtned  by  a  new 
and  more  careful  examination,  made  by  competent  judges,  who  admit 
that  the  remains  in  question  can  represent  only  land-plants.  We  conid, 
therefore,  chronicle  the  presence  of  land  covered  with  vegetation  as  far 
down  as  the  Middle  Silurian,  if  we  had  positive  evidence  concerning  the 
origin  of  these  remains  in  the  locality  indicated  by  their  labels.  It  is, 
indeed,  supposable  that  those  fragments  may  have  been  found  some- 
where else,  and  have  been  casually  mixed  with  specimens  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati group,  though  the  place  of  origin  is  positively  known  and  vouched 
for  by  the  owner  of  the  specimens.  The  presence  of  land-plants  in  as 
low  a  member  of  the  Silurian  receives,  however,  a  degree  of  probability 
from  the  recent  discovery  of  remains  of  two  species  of  this  kind  in  the 
Lower  Helderberg  of  Michigan.  Here  no  doubt  is  left  either  in  regard  to 
the  character  of  the  plants,  which  are  clearly  exposed,  or  to  the  locality 
and  its  reference  to  the  formation.*  One  of  the  species  is  a  small 
Fsylophiton  ;  the  other  belongs  to  the  genus  Annulariaj  but  is  evidently 

*  This  diacoyerj  is  dne  to  Dr.  Boeminger,  S^ate  geologist  of  Michigan. 


I.E8QUEREIX.1  EVIDENCE   OF  AGE   OP  LIGNITIC   GROUP.  277 

new, and  of  pecaliar  characterR.  Both  were  p^rowing  together,  apparently 
in  the  plaee  where  they  have  been  found,  as  they  are  inhabited  by  a 
small  flovial  or  land  shell,  a  serpnlid,  very  much  like  the  Spirarbis  so 
commonly  observed  upon  coal-plants  of  the  Carboniferous.  This  shell 
is  still  smaller,  and  without  the  transverse  strisB  observable  upon  the 
8X>ecies  of  the  Coal-Measures. 

The  conclusion  in  regard  to  the  presence  of  land-vegetation  in  the 
Silurian  had  been  already  recorded  by  Professor  Dawson,  but  less  posi- 
tively ascertained,  however.*  He  remarks  that  in  the  marine  lime- 
stone of  Cape  Gasp6,  holding  shells  and  corals  of  Lower  Helderl>erg 
age,  they  have  fragmeutal  stems  and  distinct  rhizomes  of  FsHophitum^ 
adding  that  these  fragments  must  have  been  drifted  from  the  land.  In 
the  present  case,  or  with  the  vegetable  remains  of  Michigan,  the  frag- 
ments are  so  delicate,  their  minute  divisions  so  well  preserved,  that  evi- 
dently their  habitat  was  in  close  proximity  to  the  place  where  they  have 
been  found,  or  rather  that  they  lived  in  shallow  b8.8ins  of  water  border- 
ing the  shores,  this  being  especially  indicated,  as  remarked  above,  by 
numerous  small  fluvial  mollusks,  either  placed  upon  the  plants,  or  scat- 
tered around  upon  the  stone. 

Remains  of  this  kind,  evidence  of  open  land  in  the  Upper  Silurian  age, 
may  be  hereafter  more  frequently  recorded  and  found  also  still  lower  in 
this  formation  when  more  care  is  given  by  geologists  to  the  collection 
and  examination  of  fossil  plants.  Though  it  may  be  of  the  future,  these 
fragments  of  old  lycopodiaceous  species  in  the  Silurian  appear  there  as 
the  ancestors  of  a  long  and  multiple  scries  of  analogous  forms,  all  re- 
markably well  characterized,  and  which,  from  the  Lower  Devonian,  in- 
crease in  a  remarkable  proportion  to  the  base  of  the  Carboniferous, 
where  their  remains  enter  for  a  large  proportion  into  the  composition  of 
the  coal. 

The  list  of  the  Lower  Devonian  plants  is  not  as  yet  very  long.  But  it 
is  a  matter  of  course,  for  the  strata  of  this  formation,  at  least  in  the 
United  States,  are  mostly  marine,  and  the  fossil  vegetable  remains  in 
connection  with  them  represent  marine  plants  which  have  been  till  now 
scarcely  studied  in  this  country.  That  they  are  very  abundant,  is  proven 
by  the  fact  that  they  have  become  by  their  presence  noticeable  characters 
of  whole  geological  epochs  to  which  they  have  given  their  name,  as  for 
example,  Fuccides  CaudaOalliy  for  the  C)audarg^li  grit,  the  lower  mem- 
ber of  the  Corniferous  period. 

Marine  plants,  though  admirably  beautiful  they  may  be,  some  of 
them  at  least  in  their  living  state,  have  nothing  attractive  as  fossils. 
Their  fronds  and  branches  are  generally  flattened  by  compression,  and 
in  that  way,  too  often  disfigured  and  generally  mixed  into  an  amor- 
phous mass,  where  the  e.ves  rarely  discern  any  trace  of  orgiiuization 
or  of  coniiguration  acceptable  as  reliable  characters.  The  paleontologist, 
therefore,  needs  for  the  study  of  these  plants  the  greatest  4;are  and  a  Ikrge 
number  of  specimens,  which  are  rarely  obtainable;  for  the  plants  and 
their  ramifications  either  cover  wide  surfaces  of  hard  rock,  or  penetrate 
it  in  various  directions.  I  believe,  however,  that  with  time  and  perse- 
verant  researches,  paleontologists  will  be  able  to  determine  a  number  of 
those  obscure  remains,  and  point  out  by  their  presence  tbe  distribution 
of  some  separate  groups  of  the  Devonian.  But  this  subject  is  out  of  tihe 
present  discussion. 

There  is  in  Canada  a  great  sandstone  formation  known  as  the  Gasp^, 
over  seveu  thousand  feet  thick,  ^hich  has  few  animal  remains  in  its 

*  Fossil  Plants  of  the  Devoniaii  and  Silarian  Formation  of  Canada,  pamphlet  (1871),  p.  78. 


278  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TEBBITORIES. 

compounds,  and  wbose  geological  relation  has  never  been  satisfactorilj 
determined  either  by  stratigraphy  or  by  animal  paleontology.  Professor 
Billing  refers  its  lower  part  to  the  Oriskany  sandstone  of  New  York, 
withont  positive  evidence,  however;  its  middle  part  is  donbtfally  con- 
sidered by  Professor  James  Hall  as  representing  the  Hamilton  groap. 
Taking  into  consideration  thedata  supplied  by  fossil  plants  whose  remains 
have  been  found  from  the  base  to  the  top  of  this  formation,  Professor 
Dawson  finds  that  they  represent  a  succession,  by  multiplication  of  spe- 
cific or  generic  forms,  of  the  whole  devonian  flora,  as  far  as  it  is  known, 
till  now,  and  that  therefore  this  enormous  accumulation  of  sandstone 
has  been  in  constant  process  of  formation  during  a  whole  epoch,  expos- 
ing in  its  successive  strata  the  gradual  development  of  its  vegetable 
types.  Its  divisions  are  not  as  yet  positively  defined  by  the  celebrated 
professor  of  Montreal.  But  surely  a  more  detailed  study  of  the  distri- 
bution of  the  species  of  fossil  plants  of  the  Ga8p6  will  enable  the  paleon- 
tologist to  fix,  by  the  grouping  of  related  forms  of  plants,  the  different 
stages  of  the  devonian  land  formation,  and  thus  afford  points  of  com- 
parison for  future  researches. 

This  we  can  do  distinctly  for  the  Carboniferous  age,  taking  as  its 
beginning  or  its  base  the  Old  Red  Sandstone,  represented  in  this  country 
by  the  Catskill  period.  In  the  Upper  Chemung,  wehave  here,  as  in  Canada 
and  in  England,  some  few  remains  first  representatives  of  a  peculiar 
group  of  ferns,  whose  characters  have  no  relation  tothoseof  any  species 
of  our  time.    Its  species  have  been  described  by  the  authors  under  vari- 
ous generic  names.    They  are  referred  to  Cyclopteris  or  Adiantit&t  by 
some ;  to  Noeggerathia  or  Spkenopteris  by  others  5  to  Arckeopteris  or  Fale- 
opteris  in  more  recent  works.    This  multiplication  of  generic  names 
does  not  refer  to  uncertainty  of  characters.     Every  paleontologist 
knows  these  plants ;  but  their  undefined  analogy  has  forced  different 
points  of  view  in  regard  to  their  relation,  and  therefore  caused  this 
confused  terminology.    These  ferns,  from  their  rare  presence  in  the  De- 
vonian, become  so  predominant  in  the  red  shale  of  the  Catskill  period 
of  this  country,  and  of  the  Old  Red  Sandstone  of  Europe,  that  they  are 
considered  as  characterizing  the  formation  by  their  remains.    This  fact 
is  acknowledged  even  by  geologists  who  do  not  take  any  account  of 
vegetable  paleontology.    The  more  common  species  of  this  group  of 
ferns — Faleopteris  hyhernica^  P.  RoeTneri^  P.  Boscii^  described  first  irom 
the  Red  Sandstoneof  England,  are  represented  in  the  red  shale,  Nos.  ix 
and X  of  the  Pennsylvania  geological  reports,  (the  Catskill,)  below  Potts- 
ville,  Manch  Chunk,  and  other  places.    Paleopteris  Malliana  and  P.  Jack- 
8oni  are  American  species  of  the  same  tpye.    In  Europe  two  species,  P. 
Reussii  &  P.  unequilateralis,  ascend  to  the  Sub-Carboniferous  limestoue, 
and  here  also,  as  will  be  remarked  below,  we  have  two  species  known 
already  in  the  next  higher  stage  of  the  Carboniferous.    Therefore  the 
predominance  in  the  Catskill  bedsof  a  group  of  plants  which  is  still  rep- 
resented by  a  number  of  species  at  a  higher  stage  of  the  Carboniferous, 
marks  its  place  with  the  last  geological  divisioil  rather  than  with  the 
Devonian.    These  Paleopteris  species,  like  those  of  Megalopteris  men- 
tioned in  the  followijig  division,  have  often  been  considered  as  Devoni- 
an types ;  this,  apparently,  because  the  Old  Red  Sandstone  has  been  often 
and  is  still  sometimes  admitted  as  Devonian.    All  the  European  species 
described  are  referred  to  the  Old  Red  or  to  the  Culm,  or  Sub-Carbon- 
iferous ;  those  of  Canada  to  the  upper  beds  of  Gasp6,  a  formation  which, 
as  remarked  already,  is  not  yet  limited  in  its  divisions,  and  may  repre- 
sent the  Catskill  by  its  upper  members. 

To  this  lower  member  of  the  Carboniferous  are  referable  a  number  of 


LE8QUKREUX.]         EVIDENCE   OP   AGE   OP   LIGNITIC   GROUP.  279 

species  of  plants  described  by  Prof.  B.  F.  Meek,  in  proceedings  of  the 
Washington  Philosophical  Society  (1872).  The  specimens,  which  repre- 
sent three  very  fine  species  of  Paleopteris^  a  Lepidodendrany  a  Siigmaria^ 
and  a  Carpolithes,  were  obtained  from  Lewis's  tunnel,  Alleghany  Connty, 
Virginia,  in  the  lower  part  of  the  Sub-Carboniferons  measures,  near  its 
junction  with  the  Upper  Devonian. 

Until  recently  there  was,  between  these  species  of  plants  of  the  Cats- 
kill  and  those  of  the  Carboniferous  type,  a  break  of  relation  which 
could  not  be  accounted  for,  except  by  th^  supposition  of  a  chahge  of 
formation,  as  it  has  been  generally  done  for  interruptions  of  this  kind. 
Therefore,  the  reference  of  the  Catskill  beds  to  the  Devonian  was  judi- 
cious so  far ;  but,  two  or  three  years  ago,  Prof.  E.  B.  Andrew,  while 
connected  with  the  geological  survey  of  Ohio,  discovered,  in  Perry 
Connty,  in  the  southern  part  of  this  State,  a  bed  of  black  shale,  with 
abundant,  well-preserved  remains  of  ferns  of  peculiar  and  remarkable 
type.  These  shale,  from  the  remarks  of  Professor  Andrew,  are  at  a  dis- 
tance above  the  Chester  limestone,  or  on  the  upper  part  of  the  so-called 
Sub-Carboniferous  measures  of  the  West.  Somewhat  later,  Mr.  I.  H. 
Southwell,  of  Port  Byron,  Illinois,  sent  from  that  locality,  as  discovered, 
also,  in  a  bed  of  soil  black  shale,  underlying  the  true  Carboniferous 
measures,  a  number  of  specimens  representing  some  of  the  most  pre- 
dominant forms  observed  in  the  shale  of  Perry  County.  This  pecu- 
liar group  of  plants  has  still  two  species  of  Paleopteris,  one  of  them 
closely  allied  to  P.  Jachsoni,  the  other,  like  P.  obtusa^  figured  in  Dana's 
Manual  of  Geology,  with  some  of  the  pinnules  deeply  emarginate  at 
the  top,  or  bilobed.  The  majority  of  its  species,  however,  are  referred 
to  JUegalapteriSj  a  new  genus  established  by  Dawson,  and  represented 
by  ferns  with  immense  fronds,  large  decurring  leaflets,  often  divided  in 
the  middle,  in  two  lobes,  by  the  forking  of  the  middle  nerve.  One  species, 
of  about  the  same  character,  is  described  by  Professor  Andrew*  under 
the  generic  name  of  OrUiogoniopteris.  The  specimens  from  Port  Byron, 
111.,  represent,  also,  more  generally,  species  of  MegalcptetiSj  one  of  them 
especially  remarkable  by  the  agglomeration  or  tufting  of  the  terminal 
leaflets,  which  divide,  above  the  base,  in  two,  more  rarely  three,  equal 
lobes,  by  the  forking  of  the  middle  nerve,  as  remarked  above.  This 
mode  of  division  of  the  leaflets  is  exceptional  in  ferns  of  this  kind,  and 
has  never  been  observed  except  in  one  species  of  the  lowest  coal-bed  oi 
Illinois,  the  first  above  the  millstone  grit,  and  described  in  the  4th  volume 
of  the  Geological  Beports  of  that  State  as  Keuropteris /osciculataA 

Professor  Schimi)er,  in  his  Vegetable  Paleontology,  mentions  this 
species  as  a  very  singular  one  ;  and  the  discovery,  in  a  lower  member  of 
the  Carboniferous,  of  species  to  which  this  peculiar  conformation  is  trace- 
able, afl'ords  a  point  of  comparison  which  cannot  be  overlooked  in  search- 
ing either  for  geological  relation  or  for  an  affinity  of  vegetable  types. 
Allied  to  the  plants  of  the  Catskill  group  by  its  PcUeopteriSj  to  the  so- 
called  Upper  Devonian  of  Canada  by  the  Megalopteris^  the  flora  of  Port 
Byron  pusses  to  that  of  the  subconglomerate  Carboniferous  of  Arkan- 
sas by  a  small  Arterophyllites,  A.  gracilis^  which  is  present,  also,  in  the 
shales  of  Perry  County,  and  described,  too,  in  the  PreCarboniferous 
flora  ot  Canada  as  A.  parvula  ;  by  Lepidodendron  modulatum  and  L.  car- 
inatunij  two  species  found  also  in  Arkansas  in  subconglomerate  coal- 
beds;  by  Cardiocarpon  Southwelliiy  similar  to  C.  ingens^  of  Arkansas; 
and  it  has,  also,  one  species,  Sagenaria  depressa^  Gopp.  of  the  Culm 
or  Sub-Carboniferous   of  Europe,  and  another  intimately  allied  to 

*  Journal  Science  and  Arts,  December,  1875,  pp.  462^-466. 
t  P.  3H1,  PI.  V,  Figs.  1-4. 


280  GfiOLOOICAL   SUBVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

Sphenopteris  crassaj  described  by  the  same  aaUior  from  tbe  same  forma- 
tion, the  Fosidonien  schieffer.  The  examination  of  a  large  collection  of 
specimens  from  the  coal-measures  of  Alabama  affords  the  means  of 
pursuing  the  comparison  of  these  floras  somewhat  further,  for,  till  now, 
the  subconglomerate  coal  flora  was  merely  known  by  the  species  de- 
scribed from  Arkansas.*  That  of  Alabama  is  composed  of  a  large 
number  of  species  as  yet  unobserved  in  this  country;  some  of  them, 
however,  described  by  European  authors,-  by  Brougniart,  Lindley,  and 
Button,  especially,  from  the  lowest  coal-beds  of  England  and  of  Ger- 
many, inferior  in  station  to  the  millstone  grit. 

There  is,  forexample,  Spltem^pteris  Hoeninghauaii^  predominant  by  a& 
immense  number  of  specimens ;  three  species  of  IJremopteris  a  coarae- 
veined  NeuropteriSy  recalling  the  type  of  Paleopteris  of  tiie  Old  Bed; 
many  Lepidodendron^  some  identical  with  species  of  the  measures  above 
the  conglomerate ;  some  of  a  peculiar  type,  one  especially,  with  branches 
covered  both  by  leaves  and  scales,  and  Ulodendron  minusj  of  the  Lower 
Carboniferous  of  England.  Hence  we  have  in  the  subconglomerate 
coal  of  Arkansas  and  of  Alabama  another  intermediate  flora  uniting 
types  of  the  coal  above  the  millstone  grit  with  those  of  the  Perry  shales, 
as  these  serve  as  point  of  transition  between  the  Gatskill  flora  and  that 
of  the  subconglomerate  coal.  It  is  thus  to  this  point  an  uninterrupted 
series  of  vegetable  forms.t 

The  characters  of  the  floras  of  both  stages  of  the  Carboniferous  over 
lying  the  conglomerate  are  well  known.  The  lower,  in  connection  witl 
beds  of  coal  of  remarkable  thickness,  especially  in  the  anthracite  fields 
of  Pennsylvania,  has  a  profusion  of  Lycopodiaceous.  There  abound 
species  of  Lepidodendron^  Ulodendron^  Knorria^  genera  represented 
mostly  by  very  large  trees ;  some  ribbed  Sigillarixj  large-leafed  species 
of  Alethopterisj  of  a  type  probably  derived  of  the  Megalopteris  of  old,  like 
A,  Serliij  A.  iSuUwantii^  A.  penrutylvanicaj  A.  lonchitioo^  with  its  numerous 
varieties,  A.  nervosa^  which,  like  the  former,  appears  already  in  nume^ 
ous  specimens  in  the  flora  of  the  Alabama  coal :  SplietwpteriSj  species 
also  related  by  their  character  to  those  of  Arkansas,  like  S.  Gravenhar%tii^ 
S.  decipiens;  numerous  species  of  Hymetwphyllites^  and  hard  fruits,  Car- 
politheSj  Gardiocarpi^  and  Trigonocarpi,  All  this  gives  to  the  supra-coD- 
glomerate  coal  a  character  which  is  especially  predominant  In  the  low- 
est beds.  In  passing  up  to  the  Pittsburgh  division,  or  to  the  upper 
coal-measures,  the  constituents  of  the  flora  are  gradually  modified  by 
the  decreasing  number  of  the  great  lycopodiaceous  species,  which  are 
rarely  found  above  the  Mahoning  sandstone  of  Pennsylvania,  and  by  a 
proportionate  increase  of  the  SigiUariw  si>ecies,  especially  of  the  ecostate 
section.  We  have  in  these  upper  coal-measures,  besides  these  SigUlor 
rtcBj  a  preponderance  of  ternsj  arborescent  species  of  FecopteriSj  whose 
large  fronds  and  pinuse  are  spread  upon  the  shale  like  small  trees; 
Fecopteris  arhorescens^  P.  unita ;  some  bushy  Neurapteridece ;  NeuropUrii 
Loschii^  especially  the  most  common  of  all ;  a  profusion  of  CalamiteM  and 
CordaiteSj  and  still  one  species  of  Aleihopteris^  A.  aquilinaj  a  diminutive 
form.  Whenever  remains  of  fossil  plants  are  found  in  connection  with 
a  coal,  paleontology  easily  recognizes  their  relation  to  the  upper  or  to 
the  lower  division  of  the  supra-conglomerate  Carboniferous  measures. 
From  this  it  follows  that  from  the  base  of  the  Catskill  group  to  that  of 

*  Geological  Report  of  Arkansas,  vol.  ii,  pp.  295-;$l9. 

t  Prof.  E.  T.  Cox,  State  fi^eolog^st  of  Illinois,  has  qaite  recently  sent  me  for  determinatlos 
a  box  of  specimeDs  from  the' whetstone  grit,  25  feet  lower  than  the  base  of  the  confflomeiato- 
They  represent  species  either  identical  with  or  intimately  allied  to  those  of  the  flora  of  the 
subconglomerate  coal  of  Alabama. 


UMQUEEKux.]  EVIDENCE   OF   AGE   OP  LIGNITIC   GROUP.  281 

the  Fermian,  vegetable  paleontology  is  able  to  discern  and  expose  the 
characters  of  five  divisions  of  the  Carboniferous,  each  determined  by 
peculiar  species  of  plants,  and  each  also  relat.ed  by  analogous  or  even 
identical  species  to  both  the  preceding  and  the  following  stages  of  the 
formation. 

The  records  of  the  paleontology  of  the  Coal-Measures  are  not  less  pos- 
itively referable  and  less  interesting  to  geology  when  they  bear  upon 
questions,  of  a' wider  and  more  general  application.  To  my  knowledge 
no  fossil  plants  from  the  Coal-Measures  of  North  America  were  described 
before  1818 ;  in  that  year  Eev.  Steinhauer  published  in  the  Transactions  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society*  his  Fossil  reliquiae  where  he  de- 
scribes and  figures,  under  the  generic  name  of  PhitolithuSj  a  few  species 
of  Calamites^  Lepidodendrony  Vlodendron^  Artisia^  SUgmaria-y  and  Sig- 
illaria.  He  mentions,  however,  in  the  introduction,  that  most  of  the 
specimens  of  fossil  plants  from  the  Carboniferous  represent  ^i^icea  (ferns). 
After  him  Granger,  in  1820,  merely  mentions  a  few  specimens  of  coal 
plants  from  Zanesville,  and  refers  them  to  Steinhauer,  species.t  •  From 
that  time  to  1828,  Granger,  Cist,  and  Professor  Silliman  sent  some  spec- 
imens of  fossil  plants  from  the  Coal  Measures  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio, 
to  Bronguiart,  who  was  then  preparing  the  materials  for  his  greatcoat 
flora.  They  represented,  as  seen  from  this  work,  ten  species,  three  of 
which  only  were  then  peculiar  to  this  continent.  In  1837,  Dr.  Hil- 
dreth,  of  Marietta,  so  well  known  by  his  love  and  zeal  for  the  study  of 
natural  history,  and  its  original  researches  in  some  of  its  branches,  de- 
scribed in  the  journal  of  his  geological  explorationsi  a  number  of  species 
whose  figures  are  mostly  unrecognizable,  and  whose  references  are  equally 
nncertain.  The  remarks  of  the  author,  however,  denote  long  and  serious 
researches  into  the  distribution  of  the  coal-beds  and  the  fossil  plants 
recognized  in  their  connection.  For  ten  years  after  this  nothing  is  said 
upon  our  Carboniferous  flora  until  1847,  when  Teschermacher  prepared, 
on  the  fossil  vegetation  of  North  America,  a  very  interesting  and  valu- 
able, though  too  short  memoir,  published  in  the  Boston  Journal  of  Nat- 
ural Hlstory.§  At  that  time  the  great  paleontological  works  of  Brong- 
niart,  Sternberg,  Goppert,and  Unger  were  already  published,  and  there- 
fore the  author  was  able  to  more  clearly  analyze  and  describe  the  speci- 
mens which,  then,  very  rare,  as  he  says,  were  obtained  from  New  Scotia^ 
Bhode  Island,  and  Mansfield,  Mass.  He  is  the  first  to  remark  upon 
the  affinity  of  the  Carboniferous  flora  of  America  to  that  of  Europe, 
thus  opening  the  way  for  a  greatly-needed  comparison  between  the 
coal  floras  of  both  continents,  to  which  some  questions  of  high  ijiterest  to 
geology  were  then  and  are  still  related.  Teschermacher  mentions  in  his 
pamphlet  twenty-three  species,  some  of  them  described  and  obscurely 
fibred  also,  all  more  or  less  positively  referred  to  species  known  from 
European  authors  except  one.  This,  he  says,  has  no  relation  to  any 
known  by  him.  It  is  left  without  description  and  without  name.  The 
flgare  represents  a  fragmentary  specimen  of  the  most  beautiful  fern  of 
the  Coal-Measures,  Odontopteres  Ayassizii^  which  has  never  been  found 
bat  in  Rhode  Island,  and  of  which  splendid  specimens  are  preserved  in 
the  Agassiz  museum  of  Cambridge. 

In  1850,  Prof.  H.  D.  Rogers,  then  director  of  the  geological  survey 
of  Pennsylvania,  requested  the  assistance  of  a  paleontologist  for  the 
collection  and  the  study  of  the  fossil  plants  of  the  anthracite  basin. 

|_  '  -     ■  ■    -  -  ■  ■  -.._■-.-  .  ^  1        Jl     L  ■■■■■ 

*  Vol.  1,  new  series,  p.  265. 

t  Silliman^s  Amerioan  Jour.  Sci.,  vol.  iii. 

X  Ibid.,  Jaunarv,  1836,  and  Janttary,  1837,  toIs.  xxix  and  xzzi. 

(  Vol.  y,  part  3,  June,  1847. 


282       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  work  was  systematically  begun  and  pursued,  first,  by  tbe  collection 
and  tbe  examination  of  specimens  of  fossil  plants  in  tbe  difiereot  coal- 
strata  of  the  anthracite,  where,  in  some  cases,  coal-beds,  exposed  in  a 
vertical  position  and  therefore  disconnected,  were  .identified  by  their 
vegetable  remains  only.  The  researches  wei'e  then  extended  for  com- 
parison in  different  parts  of  the  so-called  Appalachian  or  bituminous-coal 
fields  of  Pennsylvania,  in  order  to  ascertain  if  both  basins,  that  of  the 
authracite  and  that  of  the  bituminous  coal,  were  positively  of  a  same 
formation,  and  if  the  distribution  of  the  fossil  plants  could  indicate 
not  only  identity  of  period,  but  conformity  in  the  deposits  of  the  coal- 
beds.  These  questions  have  been  examined  and  answered  in  the  intro- 
duction  to  the  fossil  flora  of  the  coal-measures  in  the  final  Report  of  the 
Geological  State  Survey  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  data  which  were  ex- 
posed by  these  researches  have  been  accepted  as  reliable  and  recog- 
nized ever  since.  This  is  followed  in  the  same  introduction  by  the  com- 
parison of  the  Carboniferous  flora  of  Europe  with  that  of  Korth  America, 
as  far  $is  this  flora  was  then  known,  by  more  than  one  hundred  species 
described  and  figured  in  the  Pennsylvania  geological  report,  and  by 
as  many  more  published  in  a  catalogue  of  the  fossil  plants  of  the  Ooal- 
Measures,  by  the  Pottsville  Scientific  Association  in  1858,  and  reprinted 
in  Professor  Rogers's  report.  The  intimate  relation  of  the  coal  floras  of 
both  continents  is  there  discussed  and  forcibly  established  by  the  ex- 
position of  identity  of  types,  even  specific  identity  for  the  greatest 
number  of  coal-plants. 

Later,  vegetable  paleontology  was  called  to  supply  some  evidence  in 
regard  to  the  kind  and  degree  of  relation  existing  between  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  measures  of  the  so-called  Appalachian  coal-basin  with  those 
of  the  Indiana  and  Illinois  coal-fields,  to  which  belongs  the  western  coal- 
basin  of  Kentucky.    Researches  of  the  same  kind  were  pursued  by  the 
exploration  of  coal-beds  and  the  determination  of  the  specimens  of  fossil 
plants  found  in  connection  with  them.    The  results  of  this  study  have 
been  published  long  time  ago  in  the  geological  reports  of  Kentucky,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Dr.  Dale  Owen,  and  in  those  of  Illinois,  under  that 
of  Prof.  A.  H.  Worthen.    They  have  exposed,  not  merely  a  general 
relation  of  the  coal-plants  of  the  western  basins  to  those  of  the  east, 
bnt  in  most  cases  an  identity  of  species,  varied  only  by  the  presence 
of  a  number  of  rare,  peculiar  forms,  remarked  once  only  atasole  locality, 
or  seen  again  here  and  there,  even  at  far  distant  points.    This  fact  is 
in  accordance  to  the  laws  of  geographical  distribution,  and  repeated  at 
the  difi'erent  geological  epochs  as  well  as  at  this  present  time.    Tbese 
researches  have  proved  also  the  intimate  relation  of  the  coal-strata  in 
regard  to  their  vertical  distribution  in  both  the  eastern  and  western 
coal-fields,  and  therefore  the  synchronism  of  some  of  the  moreimportant 
coal  beds  over  the  whole  extent  of  the  North  American  Carboniferous 
formations.  Even  then,  from  the  harmony  of  distribution  of  the  coal-strata 
on  both  the  eastern  sides  of  the  Indiana  and  Kentucky  basin  and  tbe 
western  side  of  the  Ohio  Goal-Measures,  as  also  from  the  identity  of  the 
characters  of  their  constituent  plants,  it  had  been  inferred  that  the  up- 
heaval of  the  Silurian  ridge  which  separates  them  has  succeeded  tbe 
formation  of  the  coal,  and  that  therefore  these  now  separated  coal-fields 
have  been  originally  united.    This  opinion  has  been  contested  on  con- 
siderations derived  from  stratigraphical  evidence.    I  think,  however, 
that  new  discoveries,  like  that  of  strata  of  exactly  the  same  composition, 
with  plants  of  identical  species,  as  the  Sub-Carboniferous  fossil-bearing 
beds  of  Perry  County,  Ohio,  and  of  Port  Byron,  Illinois,  will  corrobo- 
rate the  conclusions  dictated  by  vegetable  paleontology.    Anyhow, 


LE8QUEBEUX]  EVIDENCE   OP   AGE   OF  LIGNITIC    GROUP.  283 

these  researches  have  demonstrated  thepossibleidentiflcation  of  the  coal- 
strata,  a  fact  whose  application,  however,  can  become  valnable  to  coal- 
mining when  we  have  more  positive  knowledge  on  the  geographical  and 
stratigraphical  distribation  of  the  plants  of  the  American  Coal-Meas- 
ures. 

In  the  Permian,  as  far  at  least  as  this  formation  is  known  by  the  ex- 
posare  of  its  rocks  in  Iowa,  Nebraska,  and  Kansas,  near  the  janction  of 
the  Platte  witb  the  Missonri  River,  the  records  of  vegetable  paleontology 
are  blank  indeed ;  for  the  sufficient  reason  that  this  formation  is  repre- 
sented there  only  by  magnesian  limestone  or  marine  rocks  whose  only 
fossil  remains  are  invertebrate  animals,  the  so-called  Permo-Garbonife- 
rous  species,  most  of  tbem  indifferently  referable  to  Carboniferoas  or  to 
Permian.  But  sandstone  rocks  have  been  observed  in  the  Ilocky  Mount- 
ains, which,  without  any  animal  remains,  have  been,  from  the  nature  of 
their  composition  and  from  their  snperposition  to  old  Palt'ozoic  strata, 
considered  as  referable  either  to  the  Carboniferous  or  to  the  Per- 
mian. A  few  fragments  of  Calamites  only,  found  in  connection  with 
this  formation  and  sent  for  determination,  were  sufficient  to  estab- 
lish its  relation  to  the  Permian,  for  the  Calamites  represented  by  these 
specimens,  G,  gigasj  is  a  leading  plant  of  the  Lower  Permian.  This  case 
was  recently  repeated  from  a  locality  far  distant  from  the  former,  and 
the  same  reference  equally  established  from  a  few  specimens  only.  It 
cannot  be  said  in  this  case,  as  for  the  Carboniferous,  that  the  general 
characters  of  the  plants  are  well  known,  and  that  tiierefore  vegetable 
remains  of  this  formation  may  he  used  sometimes  for  determination^  when 
topography  and  animal  paleontology  cannot  be  taken,  as  guides;  for,  to  my 
knowledge,  the  above-mentioned  specimens  are  tbe  first  vegetable  re- 
mains discovered  as  yet  from  American  Permian  rocks. 

For  the  Trias,  the  evidence  supplied  by  vegetable  paleontology  is  pre- 
sented in  opposition  to  that  derived  from  animal  remains,  by  one  of  tbe 
highest  geological  authorities  of  this  country.  This  formation,  exposed 
in  North  Carolina,  and  in  Virginia  near  Richmond,  also,  has  important 
deposits  of  coal,  whose  age  has  been  for  a  long  time  in  discussion  among 
geologists,  and  has  been  definitively  fixed  by  tbe  remains  of  fossil  plants 
found  in  connection  witb  tbem.  In  the  last  work  published  by  Emmons, 
American  Geology,  Part  VI,  tbe  lower  part  of  tbe  section  of  page  17, 
headed  Permian,  is  described  as  tbe  Chatam  series,  and  its  fossils,  a  few 
fucoidal  remains  of  uncertain  affinity  and  a  large  number  of  animal  re- 
mains, crustacean,  mollnskH,  fishes,  sanrians,  are  not  considered  as  suffi- 
cient to  authorize  adecisiou  upon  the  age  of  tbe  format  ion,  which  is  there- 
fore left  as  uncert  in.  The  upper  part  of  the  measure,  however,  has  in 
its  divisions  layers  of  shales,  wi"h  plants,  and  though  remains  of  animals 
are  not  found  in  connection  with  this  series,  it  is  positively  determined 
as  Triassic  by  tbe  author,  from  vegetable  paleontological  evidence 
only.  Tbe  characters  of  tbe  plants,  as  indicated  especially  by  the 
CycadecB^  relate  this  flora  to  tbe  Jurassic  of  Europe;  hence  it^s  appella- 
tion ot  Triasso- Jurassic,  given  to  tbe  formation.  I  say  the  Jurassic  of 
Europe,  for  indeed  this  foi*mation  is  as  yet  so  indefinite  in  this  country 
that  it  has  no  records  of  any  kind  which  may  be  used  as  points  of  com- 
parison. Its  flora  is  totally  unknown ;  and  even  if  we  had  a  few  vegeta- 
ble remains  obtained  from  tbe  strata  considered  as  Jurassic  in  the  Black 
Hills,  the  Uinta  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  it  is  very  questiou- 
ab!e  if  they  could  be  used  for  identification  of  tbe  formation.  The  Ju- 
rassic, even  for  Europe,  is  the  dark  age  of  vegetable  paleontology.  Ex- 
cept the  oolitic  coal  deposits  of  £nglan<l,  its  strata  of  enormous  thickness 


284       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITOBIES. 

in  some  regions  are  mostly  marine,  and  have  as  3*et  afforded  too  scantr 
materials  to  define  somewhat  clearly  the  characters  of  its  flora  in  the 
numerous  subdivisions  of  the  formation. 

The  Cretaceous  flora  of  Korth  America,  as  far  as  it  is  known  from  its 
representatives  in  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Dakota,  and  Minnesota,  has  beea 
reviewed  in  this  report  and  speaks  for  itself.  Its  characters,  as  they 
are  known  now,  will  be  more  expressively  compared  to  those  of  the 
Lignitic  flora,  and  the  differences  more  distinctly  seen  when  the  Tertiary 
species  are  published  with  fignres.  From  the  multiplicity  of  its  types, 
some  of  them  transient  or  indefinite,  it  is  now  easily  understood  that 
the  attempt  of  a  comparison  of  the  few  first  leaves  discovered  in  Ne- 
braska could  but  mislead  the  most  competent  and  careful  paleontologist 
in  looking  for  typical  relation  in  order  to  determine  their  age.  The 
recordsof  this  Cretaceous  floracould  not  be  read,  indeed,  before  they  had 
been  written,  or  when  they  were  exposed  by  a  few  scattered  words  only. 
Now  the  North  American  Cretaceous  plants  represent  a  definite  group, 
which,  though  susceptible  of  wide  extension  by  new  discoveries,  has  its 
essential  characters  already  defined,  and  is  thus  available  as  a  point  of 
comparison  for  paleontological  documents,  either  from  this  country  or 
from  Europe.  It  is  in  this  point  of  view  especially  that  the  importance 
of  the  publication  of  the  fossil  plants  of  this  country  has  to  be  judged. 
That  the  geological  age  of  the  Dakota  group  flora,  as  long  as  its  char- 
acters were  unknown,  should  have  been  subjecti^<^  to  the  evidence  af- 
forded by  its  overlying  marine  strata,  which  wert>  clearly  determined 
by  invertebrate  animal  remains,  is  a  matter  of  course.  But  now  this 
flora  affords  a  collateral  evidence  which  by  its  vegetable  types  may  be 
used  for  geological  determinations  just  as  legitimately  as  the  fauna. 
From  a  subordinate  it  becomes  an  assistant. 

I  consider  that  this  discussion  upon  the  authority  of  vegetable  paleon- 
tology in  regard  to  the  determination  of  the  age  of  the  disputed  strata, 
Cretaceous  Lignitic  or  Lignitic  Tertiary,  has  been  of  great  value  to  Amer- 
ican geological  science.  It  has  induced  wide  and  more  careful  researches, 
and  brought  forth  a  large  number  of  important  discoveries  which,  with- 
out it^  would  have  probably  been  indefinitely  postponed.  No  depart- 
ment of  geology  should  be  disregarded  or  considered  as  of  an  inferior 
concern.  All  have  an  equal  right  as  members  of^a  same  body.  And 
was  it  only  for  the  reason  that  vegetable  paleontology  has  been  gen- 
erally, and  is  still  now,  considered  by  many  as  of  little  value  as  an  as- 
sistant to  geological  pursuits,  I  am  the  more  disposed  to  |)ersist  io 
putting  it  forward  as  an  authonty  superior  to  that  of  animal  pale- 
ontology for  the  determination  of  the  age  of  the  strata  of  land  forma- 
tions. 

The  above  remarks  all  tend  to  the  same  purpose,  and  serve  as  an  in- 
troduction to  a  more  detailed  examination  of  the  age  of  the  Lignitic  as 
exposed  by  the  fossil  flora. 

To  appropriately  enter  into  the  subject,  we  should  have  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  now  adopted  names  and  limits  of  the  numeroussubdivis- 
ions  or  groups  of  the  Tertiary,  as  marked  by  European  authors.  Though 
it  may  be  that  some  of  these  groups  are  not  positively  defined,  either  ia 
their  geological  relation  or  in  their  paleontological  characters,  they  are 
serviceable  for  comparison. 

Table  of  subdivmons  of  the  Tertiary  of  Europe^  axjcording  to  the  floras. 

Pliocene.  Lower  limits  not  positively  fixed:  Uirgely  developed  in 
Italy. 


Paleocene. 


Vw 


i.x8QUBR£ux.1         EVIDENCE   OP  AGE   OP   LIONITIC   GROUP.  285 

c     OeniDgen.* 
Miocene.  <     Mayeociau  or  Helvetian.t 

(     Aqaitaniau.j: 
ArmissaD,  Bonnieax,  aud  Manosque,  France,  intermediate  between 
the  Lower  Miocene  and  the  Oligocene. 
Oligocene.  Tongrian.  § 

i?^vn<ina    )     Gypses  of  Aix,  Alam  Bay,  Monnt  Bolca.  London  Clay. 
jLocene.   ^     Sheppcy,  Ores  of  the  Sarthe. 

I '     Upper  Landenian :  Sezanne  same  as  the  Belgian  Panise- 
lian. 
Lower  Landenian :  Sand  ol  Brachenx,  Lignitic  soisson- 
-{  nais,  (Snessonian.) 
nersian:  Gelinden. 

Limestone  of  Mens,  unconformable  to  the  Cretaceons  of 
Maestriehy  which  it  overlies. 
'  Some  authors  consider  as  Cretaceous  the  sands  of  Bracbenx  and  Gel- 
inileD,  as  indicated  by  the  characters  of  the  floraof  Gelinden. 

These  subdivisions  of  the  Tertiary  of  Europe  seem  to  expose  a  pro- 
digious thickness  of  the  formation,  and  to  indicate  a  great  dispropor- 
tion of  vertical  extent  in  comparison  to  the  American  measures  of  the 
same  age.  There  may  be  indeed  a  marked  difference  but  as  vet  very 
little  is  known  of  the  Tertiary  of  this  continent,  and  certainly  this  little 
takes  already,  by  its  wide  area  and  the  thickness  of  some  of  its  divis- 
ions, an  important  place  in  the  North  American  geology. 

Last  year  Prof.  F.  Y.  Hayden  discovered,  near  Point  of  Bocks, 
some  beds  of  shale  with  rich  deposits  of  vegetable  remains,  and  obtained 
a  large  number  of  specimens.  This  locality  is  between  Black  Butte 
Station,  nine  miles  northwest  of  it,  and  Salt  Wells,  another  station  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad,  about  the  same  distance  farther  west.  From 
Prof.  B.  F.  Meek's  report  and  from  my  own  ||  it  may  be  seen  that  from 
Black  Butte  to  Point  of  Bocks,  in  following  the  railroad,  the  northeast- 
ern dip  of  the  measures  brings  successively  in  view  a  series  of  heavy 
sandstones,  interstratified  with  beds  of  clay  and  lignite,  whose  whole 
thickness,  according  to  Messrs.  Meek  and  Bannister,  is  estimated  at 
about  4,000  feet.  The  series  of  these  rocks  is  beautifully  exposed  by  a 
diagram  in  the  report.  My  own  esti  mation  gives  only  half  this  thickness. 
But  as  I  did  not  take  any  measurements,  the  purpose  of  my  explorations 

'Represented  at  Lode,  MontAroD,  AlbiSf  Steckborn,  'E\gg  (Switzerland);  Schossnitz 
(Sileiiia) ;  Gnusburg  (Bavaria) ;  Parscblug  and  Gleichenberg  (Syria) ;  Tokay  (Hungary) ; 
Singaiplia,  Stradella,  Guarene,  Sarzanello,  Val  d  Arno  (Italy). 

t  Represented  at  Delmont,  Deveiller,  Aarwang,  tunnel  of  Lausanne,  Calvaire,  Riant 
Mount,  8t.  Gall,  Solitude,  Mbnglen,  Ruppen,  Alstiitten,  Oberaegeri.  Buron  (as  Mayen- 
cian) ;  at  Petitmont,  Estave,  Croisettes,  MontenatUes,  Moudon,  Payorne  (as  Helvetian), 
(Switzerland);  Bovey-Tracy  (England);  Monte  Bamboli,  Snperga  (Italy);  Menat,  Ger- 
aovia  (France) ;  Le  Khon,  Wetteren  (Lower  Ligoitic),  Basin  of  Mayence,  Kempter,  Gnnz* 
burg  (Germany) ;  Bilin  (Bohemia) ;  Radoboy  (Croatia) ;  Tohnsdorf,  Koflacb,  Eibiswald 
(Styria) ;  Basin  of  Vienna  (Austria). 

t  Represented  at  Railing,  Scbwartzacbtobel,  Waggis,  Vevay,  Monod,  Rivaz,  Dezaley, 
Paudez,  Rochette,  Conversion,  Bruits,  Rufiberg,  Bossberg,  Udhe>Rhone  (Switzerland); 
Specbbach  (Alsace);  Lower  Succinifer  Tertiary  of  the  Baltic,  Spitzberg,  Iceland, includ- 
ing, perhaps,  the  whole  miocone  series,  Greenland,  Mackenzie,  Alaska;  Cardibone,  Selzedo, 
Novate, Zorencedo  Vegrone  (Xtaly);  Kumi,  liiodroma  (Greece);  Menat  (France);  Rot, 
near  Bonne,  on  the  Rhine. 

$  Armissant  Peyrac,  Saint  Jean  of  Gargnier,  Basin  of  Marseilles,  St.  Raccharie  (Var.), 
Aptf  Gypses  of  Gargas,  Vauduse,  Castellane  (France)  ;  Sechbach  and  Lobsart  (Als'^ce); 
Mount rromine  (Dalmatia);  Sagos (Krain) ;  Haering  (Tirol);  Sotzka  (Styria);  Peissenburg 
and  Miesbach  (Bavaria);  Alsattal  and  Kushlin  (Bohemia);   Sieblos  (Khun  Mountains); 

Beemstadt  and  Wtlssenfiold  (Thnuuppa). .    These  data  on  the  distribution  of  the 

Tertiary  in  Europe  are  moetly  derived  from  Schimper's  Vegetable  Paleontology. 

I  Dr.  F.  V.  Haydeu's  Sixth  Annual  Report  for  1872.  Professor  Meek*s  sections  and  dia* 
gram  of  the  measures  are  given  at  pp.  530,  539,  534. 


286 


GEOLOGICAL  SUBYEY  OF  THE  TERSTTOBIES. 


in  that  part  of  the  country  being  especially  the  research  and  stody  of 
vegetable  remains,  I  readily  admit  the  conclusions  of  these  distingnis^^ied 
geologists  who  had  time  to  attend  to  details  of  stratigraphy.  As  Poiot 
of  Eocks  Station,  where  the  specimens  of  Dr.  Hayden  were  fouud,  is  al 
a  distance  of  a  few  miles  from  the  cat  end  of  the  ridge  east  of  Salt 
Wells,  the  thickness  of  the  measures  is  there  somewhat  less,  say  about 
three  thousand  feet.  Though  it  may  be,  such  a  heavy  series  of  strata  is 
passed  from  Black  Butte  to  Point  of  Rocks  that  if  any  part  of  the  so- 
called  Bitter  Oreek  seiies  is  Cretaceous,  we  may  expect  to  find  in  the 
fossil  plants  of  this  last  locality  a  number  of  species  of  Cretaceous  tjjies, 
or  at  least  a  distinct  modification  in  the  characters  of  the  plants.  The 
thirty  species  represented  by  the  specimens  of  Point  of  Eocks  are  de- 
scribed hereafter,  but  the  deductions  derivable  from  the  determiDation 
of  these  plants  in  regard  to  evidence  of  geological  age,  will  be  more  clear- 
ly understood  by  a  comparative  table  exposing  affinity  or  identity  of 
characters  with  species  of  other  localities.  The  points  of  comparison 
are  indicated  with  the  flora  of  the  European  and  of  the  Arctic  Miocene, 
of  the  Canadian  Tertiary,  of  the  European  Eocene,  of  Golden,  Black 
Butte,  and  of  the  Cretaceous  in  general. 


Table  exposing  the  relation  of  the  fossil-plants  of  Point  of  Rocks, 

Species  of  foaail-plonts  Aroin  Point  of  Rockji. 

m 
1 

§ 

a 
« 

i 

■ 

1 
s 

s 

1 

< 

» 

•• 
a 

s 

i 

• 

a 
« 

1 

5 

& 
t 

Cretaceooa. 

1.  Pncas limltnm...................... ........... 

An.* 
An. 

An. 

8.  Salvioia  attonnata 

3.  Selaffinolla  falcata 

An. 
An. 

4.  Selaffinella  lacioiata 

"id." 

"id. 

■■■"■■ 

5.  Seanoia  breTifolia 

"ii 

6.  Seaaoia  lonsifoiia 

An. 

7.  Scanoia  biforniis 

Aa. 

8.  WiddriDirtoDia  comDlaoata 

An. 

ft.  Pintia  cormimta r, ^  -r-- 

Id.? 
Id. ! 

Ab. 

10.  LemDa  acntata ............................. 

11.  Ottella  Ammicana  - ,^.,^,-.^ ^^^ 

12.  Sabal  irravana 

An. 
An. 
An. 

Id. 

Id. 

VancoaTer. . 

13.  DrvoDnvllnm sobfaleatam ...................... 

14.  Drvoob vllum creuatom ........................ 

15l   PoDnlmi  malanaria ....... .. .. 

Id. 

Ifl-   PnnnlnR  mAlftiiRmldAA 

An. 

17.  Fleas  amrifolla 

Id. 
Id. 

18.  Ficcm  dalmatica  ............. ..... ... 

19.  Fleas  Dlanicoetata j. 

An. 

"ii" 

Id. 
Id. 
Id. 

90.  Picas  tUlsfolia 

Id. 

2 1 .  Ficns  irreffalarifl .... 

22.  Traoa  microDbylla 

.An. 

23.  liftflniff  proRStaRif 

An. 

24.  Vibomam  rotandifollam ...................... 

An. 
Id. 
Id. 
Id. 

23.  Vibomam  WhyiDDeri 

Id. 

26.  Vibaraam  manrinatam 

An. 

*"ii' 

27.  DioroTroa bracbvaeoala 

Id. 

28.  OrevioDSls  Clebaml 

An 

2ft.  RhoH  mnmhrannAAA .. 

An. 

30-  Ino-lAna rhomnoidM .., 

Id. 

.... 

*Aii.  for  analagoua ;  Id.  for  identi^l. 

Of  the  thirty  species  enumerated  in  this  table,  one  is  identical  with 
a  Canadian  species  recognized  as  Tertiary,  as  seen  below,  from  quota- 
tions of  Prof.  G.  M.  Dawson's  Geological  Report.  Six  are  identical  with 
and  six  also  analogous  to  those  of  the  Lower  European  Miocene,  two  are 
identical  with,  and  one  allied  to,  Arctic  Miocene  species.  Six  have  a 
close  relation  to  those  of  the  Lower  European  Eocene,  or  rather  of  the 


UE8QUKBXUX.]  EVIDENCE   OF  AGE   OP   LIGNITIC   GKOliP.  287 

Tertiary  divisioD,  separated  at  its  base  under  the  Dame  of  Paleocene. 
Three  are  identified  and  two  analogous,  in  the  flora  of  Oolden.  Nine 
identical  and  one  analogous,  in  that  of  Black  Butte ;  and  four  have  an- 
alogy with  Cretaceous  forms. 

The  relation  of  Point  of  Bocks  with  the  Canadian  Tertiary  is  especially 
niarkecL  by  Lemna  soutata^  a  floating  plant,  described  by  Prof.  J.  W. 
Dawson,  in  the  report  of  the  geology  and  resources  of  the  region  in  the 
Ticinity  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel.    The  geologist  of  the  commission, 
Prof.  George  Mercer  Dawson,  obtained  the  specimens  from  a  bed  of  clay 
near  the  very  base  of  the  Lignitic  formation,  where,  according  to  the  in- 
formation kindly  furnished  to  me,  the  vegetable  remains  representing 
this  species  were  very  abundant,  but  difficult  to  get  from  the  crumbling 
shale.     Though  their  reference  to  any  living  species  is  not  distinctly 
marked,  the  peculiar  character  of  the  plants  does  not  permit  any  doubt 
aboat  its  identity  with  that  of  Point  of  Bocks,  which  is  also  represented 
by  numerous  specimens.    Half  the  specimens  from  this  place  bear  re- 
mains of  this  species  and  of  another,  Pistia  corrugata^  which  may  be  a 
mere  form  of  the  same.    In  regard  to  the  identity  of  the  Lignitic  meas- 
ures of  Canada  with  those  of  the  United  States,  the  evidence  is  equally 
conclusive.    The  report  quoted  above  proves  it,  by  good  sections  and 
diagrams,  which  indicate  the  same  distribution  of  Lignitic  beds,  clay, 
and  sandstone  strata,  as  in  the  great  Lignitic  of  the  Bocky  Mountains, 
of  which  that  of  Canada  is  a  mere  continuation.    It  enumerates,  also, 
besides  those  which  are  descirbed,  a  number  of  plants  from  the  Lower 
Tertiary,  of  a  higher  stage,  mostly  of  Miocene  types. 

In  remarking  upon  the  fossil  plants  which  he  had  to  determine,  the 
celebrated  professor  of  Montreal,  J.  W.  Dawson,  says,  ^^  That  the  plants 
of  the  first  group  are  for  the  most  part  identical  with  those  found  by 
American  geologists,  in  the  Fort  Union  series,  and  which  have  been  de- 
termined by  Professor  Newberry  and  by  M.  Lesquereux.  They  are 
also  similar  to  plants  collected  by  Dr.  Bichardson,  in  the  Lignitic  series 
of  the  Mackenzie  Biver,  as  described  by  Heer,  and  represented  by  speci- 
mens in  the  collection  of  the  geological  survey,  &c.  They  also  approach 
very  closely  the  so-called  Miocene  floras  of  Alaska  and  Greenland,  as 
described  by  Heer,  and  in  their  facies,  and  in  several  of  their  species, 
they  coincide  with  the  Miocene  floras  of  Europe.''  He  then  adds,  <^  If 
we  were  to  regard  the  affinities  of  the  plants  merely,  and  to  compare  them 
with  the  Miocene  of  other  countries,  and  also  to  consider  the  fact  that 
several  of  the  species  are  identical  with  those  still  living,  and  that  the 
whole  facies  of  the  flora  coincides  with  that  of  modern  temperate  Amer- 
ica, little  hesitation  would  be  felt  in  assigning  the  formation  in  which 
they  occur  to  the  Miocene  period.  On  the  other  hand,  when  we  consider 
the  fact  that  the  lower  t>ed3  of  this  formation  hold  the  remains  of  rep- 
tiles of  Mesozoic  types ;  that  the  beds  pass  downward  into  rocks  hold- 
ing Baculites  and  Inocerami;  and  that  a  flora  essentially  similar  is  found 
associated  with  Cretaceous  animal-remains,  both  in  Dakota*  and  Yan- 
couvei^s  Island,  we  should  be  inclined  to  assign  them  at  least  to  the  base 
of  the  Eocene. 

From  this  it  seems  that  Professor  Dawson  does  not  separate  the  two 
essential  groups  of  the  Tertiary:  the  upper  one  with  its  Miocene  types,  a 
flora  indicating  a  temperate  climate  like  that  of  the  middle  zone  of  the 
United  States )  the  lower  one  with  its  numerous  species  of  Palms,  of  Ficus, 
&c.,  evidently  representing  a  subtropical  vegetation.  In  this  last  flora, 
the  one  which  is  now  under  examination  in  this  paper,  there  is  no 
species  identical  or  analogous  to  any  of  those  of  the  Dakota  group. 

*  The  assertion  is  right  for  Yancouver^s  Island  bat  not  for  the  Dakota  group. 


288       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  extraordinary  separation  of  both  floras  has  been  safiQciently  estab- 
lished by  former  comparison  and  descriptions  of  species.  In  the  apper 
stage  some  rare  typnes  of  the  Gretaceoas  re-appear.  Bat  appareotlj 
the  specimens  obtained  by  the  survey  mostly  represented  the  upper 
stage  of  the  Canadian  Lignitic.  For  Professor  Dawson  describes  and 
enumerates,  from  Porcupine  Greek,  seventeen  species,  all  of  Miocene 
type,  and  most  of  them  formerly  described  by  Professor  Heer  and 
Professor  Newberry,  from  the  Miocene  formations  of  Alaska,  Greenland, 
and  especially  from  the  Union  group,  with  which  the  Poicnpine  Greek 
group  appears  closely  allied.    These  plants  are: 

Equisetum  species,  similar  to  E.  arcticum  Heer. 

Glyptostrobus  Europeus,  Heer. 

Sequoia  Langsdorfii  Brgt. 

Thuia  interrupta  Newby. 

Phragmites  t  species. 

Scirpns  species. 

Populus  Bichardsoni  Heer. 

Gorylus'rostrata  Ait. 

Gorylus  American.  Walta. 

Diospyros  species. 

Bhamnus  concinnus,  Newby. 

Gary  a  antiquorum,  Kewby. 

Juglans  cinereaf  or  J.  bilinica,  Ung. 

Viburnum  pubescens,  Pursh. 

To  this  and  by  comparison  are  added  the  species  catalogued  by  Heer, 
from  Bichardson's  collection  on  the  Mackenzie,  which|  says  Professor 
Dawson,  belongs  to  the  same  region.    They  are  : 

1.  Glyptostrobus  Europseus  Heer. 

2.  Sequoia  Langsdorfii  Brgt. 

3.  Piuus  species. 

4.  Smilax  Franklini. 

5.  Populus  Bichardsoni. 

6.  Populus  arctica. 

7.  Populus  Hookeri. 

8.  Salix  Bheana. 

9.  Betula  species. 

10.  Gorylus  Macquarrii. 

11.  Quercus  Olafseni. 

12.  Platan  us  aceroides. 

13.  Hedera  McGlurii. 

14.  Pterospermites  dentatns. 

15.  Phyllites  aroideus. 

16.  Antholithes  amissus. 

17.  Garpolithes  seminulum. 

The  species  described  in  the  same  report  from  the  lower  stage  of  the 
Lignitic  of  Gauada  are  fewer  and  apparently  represented  by  more  im- 
perfect specimens.  They  are  Equisetum  Parlatoriij  Heer,  of  the  Miocene 
of  Europe,  a  species  to  which  U.  Haydenii  of  Garbon  is  closely  allied. 
Its  habitat  is  marked  as  Great  Valley. 

Lemna  scutata  sp.  nov.,  abundant  at  the  Bad  Lands,  and  also  at  Point 
of  Bocks. 

Scirpus  species.  Bad  Lands. 

Salix  Ehetma  f  Heer  (Great  Valley),  species  of  the  Miocene  of  Green- 
land. 


L«fiQUEiiEcx.j  EVIDENCE   OP  AGE   OP  LIGNITIC   GROUP.  289 

Sapindus  affiniSj  Newby,  (Bad  Lands),  species  of  the  TTuion  groui^. 

Jthamtimy  an  undescribed  species  (Great  Valley),  corresponding,  by 
its  preserved  part,  to  R.  Eridani  Ung.,  which  is  Ficus  jynXj  a  Miocene 
species  of  Europe  and  of  the  upper  American  Lignitic  also. 

Aescultis  antiquusj  Trapa  horealis^  and  CarpoUthes^  three  new  species, 
described  from  obscure  specimens,  from  the  same  locality  as  that  of 
Lemna,  the  Bad  Lands,  west  of  Woody  Mountain. 

From  the  exposition  of  this  flora,  it  is  not  surprising  that  Professor 
Dawson  should  admit,  as  the  result  of  his  study  of  the  fossil  plants  of 
the  Lignitic,  the  Tertiary  age  of  these  formations.  For,  indeed,  in  this 
flora  there  is,  as  remarked  already,  no  trace  of  any  vegetable  remains 
which,  by  comparison  with  the  species  of  the  Dakota  group  or  with 
those  of  the  Cretaceous  of  Europe,  could  be  recognized  as  identical  or 
even  related  to  any  of  them. 

Coming  back  to  the  other  plants  of  Point  of  Bocks  for  considering 
their  characters  for  an  evidence  of  their  age,  by  comparison  with  other 
groups  of  floras  than  that  of  Canada,  we  find  in  the  table  three  of  them 
marked  as  analogous  to  Cretaceous  types.  The  first,  Pistia  corrugataj 
may  be,  as  remarked  in  the  description,  an  undeveloped  or  young  form 
of  Lemna  scutata^  a  question  here  without  importance.  At  first  I  con- 
sidered this  species  as  being  the  first  of  this  genus  recognized  in  a  fossil 
state,  for  none  has  been  published  as  yet.  But  Count  Saporta  informs 
me  that  a  species,  Pistia  Mayelii,  Sap.  ined.,  has  been  found  in  the  fresh- 
water Upper  Cretaceous  of  Fuveau,  France.  From  the  sketch  kindly 
communicated  by  the  author,  his  species  appears  very  different  in  its 
characters  from  that  of  Point  of  Bocks.  The  generic  affinity,  however, 
is  worth  remarking,  for  a  plant  so  profusely  represented  as  is  our  species, 
which,  by  itself  or  mixed  with.  Lemna  scutataj  covers  both  sides  of  a 
number  of  large  specimens. 

By  the  same  degree  of  affinity,  I  have  marked  in  the  Cretaceous  col- 
umn of  the  table  Sequoia  longifoliaj  also  found  at  Black  Butte,  and 
Sequoia  biformis;  the  first  on  account  of  a  distant  likeness  to  S.  Smit- 
hiana,  and  the  other  to  S.  ReicJienba^shi  and  8.  rigida,  three  species 
recognized,  the  first  in  the  lower,  the  two  others  in  both  the  upper 
and  lower  stages  of  the  Cretaceous  of  Greenland.  The  wide  distribution 
of  Sequoia  species  is  generally  known ;  it  is  marked  here  by  the  presence 
of  these  two  species  in  two  stages  of  the  Cretaceous.  But  without 
taking  into  account  the  longevity  of  these  forms,  we  have  to  consider 
that  if  we  have  here  two  conifers  merely  related  to  Cretaceous  species, 
this  cannot  eliminate  the  testimony  of  Sequoia  brevifolia,  which  is  as 
profusely  represented  in  the  flora  of  Point  of  Bocks  as  Pistia,  and  by 
specimens  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation.  One-half  of  the  specimens 
of  Mr.  Cleburn,  besides  a  large  number  of  those  of  Professor  Hayden,  show 
it  in  its  two  somewhat  different  forms.  As  it  is  distinctly  and  easily 
determined,  its  characters  being  precise,  and  as  this  conifer  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Miocene  flora  of  Greenland  and  of  that  of  the  Baltic,  its 
documentary  evidence  is  more  positive  than  that  of  the  two  other  Sequoia 
represented  as  yfet  by  small  fragments,  and  merely  allied  to  Cretaceous 
types. 

I  consider  as  referable  to  the  Eocene  by  analogy  of  distribution  Sabal 
Orayana  and  the  two  species  of  Dryophyllum  of  l?oint  of  Bocks.  That 
Palms  have  originated  in  the  Cretaceous  is  now  an  established  fact. 
Schimper,  in  his  Vegetable  Paleontology,  Indicates  as  from  Cretaceous 
formations  two  species  of  uncertain  affinity.  And  nevertheless,  in  a 
more  recent  work,  the  Flora  of  Gelinden,  by  Saporta  and  Marion,  the 
authors  remark  that  one  species  of  Palms  only  was  known  by  its  fronds 

19  n 


290       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERKIT0BIE8. 

from  the  Gretaceoas.  The  recent  discovery  by  Schweinfarth  of  a  frait, 
Palmacites  rimoamSj  Heer,  *  in  the  Upi)er  Oretaceoas  white  chalk  of  the 
oasis  of  Chargeh,  west  of  Thebes  (aboat  25^^  latitude  north),  is  another 
evidence  of  the  presence  of  palms  in  the  Upper  Gretaceons.  That,  bow- 
ever,  remains  of  this  kind  are  extremely  rare  even  at  the  end  of  the 
Gretaceons  is  proved  by  the  importance  attached  to  the  discovery  of  a 
fruit  of  this  kind  in  a  region  under  the  tropic.  From  the  Paleocene,  as 
represented  in  the  floras  of  Gelinden  and  of  Sezane,  no  species  of  Palms 
have  been  positively  determined.  For  the  fragments  de-scribed  in  this 
last  flora  under  the  generic  name  of  Ludoviopsis  are  indefinitely  referred 
by  the  an thor  either  to  the  PandaneaB  or  to  the  Palms.  As  yet,  of  the  fifty 
species  of  known  fossil  Palms  from  their  fronds,  twenty  belong  to  the  Mio- 
cene, especially  to  its  lower  stage ;  eight  are  described  from  the  Tertiary  of 
Italy,  without  reference  to  any  of  its  divisions,  nine  are  Oligocene,  twelve 
Eocene,  and  one  Gretaceons.  Of  the  eight  species  of  Sabal  described,  one 
species  is  Miocene,  two  Oligocene,  and  five  Eocene.  tSabal  andegarfenm 
Schp.,  and  8.  precurgoria  Schp.,  two  species  of  the  Upper  Eocene  of 
France,  are  very  closely  related,  the  first  to  Sabal  communis  of  Golden, 
the  other  to  8abal  Orayana  found  in  many  localities  of  the  Lower  Lignitic, 
from  Mississippi  to  Vancouver.  In  considering  the  Liguitic  flora  by  the 
specimens  of  fossil  plants  from  Black  Butte,  Golden,  Golorado  Springs, 
the  Baton  Mountains,  &c.,  where  the  preponderance  of  remains  of 
Sabal  and  Flabellaria  is  so  marked,  how  could  it  be  i)0S8ible,  if  even  we 
had  no  other  characters  for  direction,  to  refer  it  to  the  Gretaceous  f  The 
above  speaks  plainly,  and  shows  how  I  had  to  recognize  the  flora  of 
Vancouver  as  Tertiary,  from  the  numerous  specimens  of  Sabal  sent  by 
Professor  Evans  from  Nanaimo,  even  if  the  other  plants  of  the  locality 
had  not  represented  Tertiary  types.  It  was  the  same  case  for  the  flora 
of  the  Mississippi  State,  where  the  Palms  are  also  in  preponderance.  At 
Point  of  Bocks,  four  large  specimens  upon  sandstone  represent  the  same 
species  of  Sabal  as  that  of  Vancouver  and  Mississippi,  8.  Orayana^  which, 
in  the  opinion  of  a  celebrated  European  paleontologist,  is  one  of  the 
finest  and  most  positively  characterized  species  of  the  genua 

The  two  species  of  Dryophyllum  described  from  Point  of  Bocks  are 
indicated  in  the  table  of  distribution  as  analogous  to  the  Eocene.  This 
genus  represents  a  separate  section  of  the  oaks,  corresponding  by  the 
form  of  the  leaves  and  the  indentations  of  their  borders  to  the  Ghestont* 
oaks  of  the  present  North  American  flora.  Messrs.  Debey  and  Etting- 
hausen  have  separated  it  for  the  classification  of  some  leaves  found  in  the 
Gretaceonsof  Belgium.  It  represents,  therefore,  a  Gretaceous  type,  which, 
however,  like  some  others  of  the  same  formation,  FagnSj  Platanfis^  &c., 
does  not  appear  to  have  reached  its  full  development  from  or  at  its  origin. 
We  see  it,  for  example,  in  the  Dakota  group  flora,  in  the  proportion  of 
two  species  in  about  one  hundred  and  thirty,  while  in  the  Paleocene  flora 
of  Gelinden  it  has  four  species  in  thirty,  and  the  same  number  in  forty- 
eight  in  the  flora  of  Sezane.  It  then  re*appears  by  more  or  less  numer- 
ous representatives  in  analogous  species  of  QuercuSj  and  may  therefore 
be  followed  nearly  without  interruption  to  the  present  time.  From  this 
it  is  clear  that  the  reference  of  fossil  species  of  this  genus,  when 
remarked  in  connection  with  remains  of  Tertiary  plants,  should  more 
appropriately  pertain  to  the  Eocene  than  to  the  Gretaceous.  Therefore 
if  the  presence  of  species  of  Dryophyllum  in  the  Point  of  Bocks  flora, 
and  that  also  of  Pitsia^  Sequoia  btformis^  and  Sequoia  longifoliOy  im- 

*  Ueber  foesile  fnichte  der  Oase  Clwrgeh,  0.  Heer,  in  Denka.  der  Schweis,  Katnrf. 
Gesells.,  vol.  zzvii,  1876. 


LtsQUEHBux.]  EVIDENCE   OF  AGE   OP   LIGNITIC   GROUP.  291 

prints  to  it  an  odd  physiognomy,  it  is  either  as  remnants  of  tbe  past, 
merely  recording  a  few  features  of  old  generations  passed  awc'vy,  or  as 
contemporaneous  long  persistent  types,  which  do  not  distinctly  charac- 
terize any  peculiar  epoch.  As  proof  of  this  assertion  we  have  the  true 
Lower  Eocene  character  marked  in  the  same  flora  of  Point  of  Eocks  by 
four  species,  Fictis  planicostata^  Viburnum  margiruitum^  Populus  me- 
landrioideSj  and  Oreviopsia  Cleburniy  which  evidently,  related  to  species 
of  the  Sezane  flora,  though  in  various  degrees,  have  no  affinity  what- 
ever to  Cretaceous  types. 

The  flora  of  Point  of  Socks  is  related  to  that  of  Black  Butte  by  nine 
identical  forms  or  by  one-third  of  its  species.  In  considering  the  evi- 
dence of  synchronism,  the  identity  of  two  floras  could  not  be  more  posi- 
tively proved  than  this,  and  nevertheless  we  have  here  two  to  three  thou- 
sand feet  of  interposed  measures.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  upon  which 
more  will  be  remarked  presently.  The  group  of  plants  at  Point  of  Eocks 
has,  besides  the  Eocene  representiitives.  six  species  identified  with,  and 
as  many  related  to  those  of  the  Miocene  of  Europe.  Therefore  wo  see 
here,  what  has  been  remarked  in  other  localities  of  the  Lignitic,  a  com* 
pound  or  admixture  of  old  and  young  tertiary  types,  in  comparison  at 
least  with  the  fossil  floras  of  Europe,  and  thus  a  general  character  which 
does  not  distinctly  relate  to  any  peculiar  stage  of  European  Tertiary. 
We  have  the  Paleocene  by  relation  to  species  of  Sezane ;  the  Upper 
Eocene,  especially  the  Ligurian  or  Oligocene,  by  the  Palms,  and  the 
Miocene  by  a  number  of  common  and  generally  distributed  forms  which, 
like  Sequoia  langsdorfii^  Fopultu  mutabiliSf  Fious  tilicefolia^  Cinnamomum 
missisHpiensej  Ehamnus  rectinerviSj  Juglans  rugosaj  &c.,  are  omnipresent 
and  constant  types,  indicating  merely  the  Tertiary  age  for  the  Lignitic  flora. 
For  this  reason  I  shallcontinue  to  carefully  record  its  pointsof  affinity  with 
the  divers  groups  of  the  geological  floras  of  Europe :  but  at  the  same 
time  denying  as  yet  sufficient  evidence  of  identity  to  any  of  them  I 
persist  to  consider  it  simply  as  the  Lower  Eocene  flora  of  this  continent. 
I  said  above  that  the  identity  of  specific  forms  at  Point  of  Bocks  and 
Black  Butte  was  worth  recording  more  carefully,  as  a  remarkable 
case  in  regard  to  the  distribution  of  plants.  In  marine  strata  the  long 
preservation  of  types  is  a  matter  of  little  concern,  for  the  circumstance 
under  which  the  marine  faunas  are  distributed  may  be  the  same  for  very 
long  periods,  as,  for  example,  the  mineral  elements  entering  into  the  com- 
pounds, the  depth  and  temperament  of  tbe  water,  &a  But  thatacompara- 
tively  large  number  of  land  or  fresh-water  plants,  subject  to  modifica- 
tions or  forced  to  migrations  by  atmospheric  changes,  may  be  preserved 
identical  through  the  lapse  of  time  indicated  by  the  thickness  of  the 
measures  heaped  along  Bitter  Greek,  has  not  been  proved  by  as  positive 
an  evidence  as  we  have  it  here.  The  distance  between  both  localities  is 
eleven  miles  only,  and  the  superposition  of  the  strata  is  all  along  so 
dear,  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  any  mistake  in  the  calculation  of  the 
vertical  space  sepaxating  both  points.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  hazard 
a  corgecture  upon  the  length  of  time  indieated  by  the  building  up  of 
these  intermediate  measures.  Evidently  of  a  shore  formation,  the  heap- 
itt|C  of  their  materials  may  have  been  more  rapid  than  for  the  deposits 
at  the  wide  bottom  of  the  sea.  They  evidence,  however,  in  their  suc- 
cession, a  series  of  sandstone  beds  which  though  of  greater  thickness 
are  interstratified  by  beds  of  clay,  built  up  of  swampy  deposits  of  long 
duration  and  especially  of  coal-beds,  still  more  clearly  denoting  the  slow 
progress  of  the  work. 

A  geological  fact  like  the  one  remarked  between  the  relation  of  the 
floras  of  Point  of  Bocks  and  Black  Butte  and  the  positive  evidence  of  t  he 


292       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

long  periods  of  time  and  formations  whicli  separate  them  is  an  instrnc- 
live  document,  whose  importance  as  point  of  comparison  in  the  study  of 
the  geographical  distribution  of  our  present  flora  and  of  its  analogy  to 
ancient  types  will  be  easily  accepted  by  botanists.  But  here  it  has  to 
be  considered  merely  in  connection  with  the  question  of  the  age  of  the 
Lower  Lignitic. 

The  Cretaceous  Dakota  group  is  separated  from  Point  of  Bocks  by  a 
thickness  of  strata  about  the  same  as  that  which  is  marked  between 
Point  of  Eocks  and  Black  Butte.  Nevertheless,  between  the  floras  of 
the  Nebraska  and  Kansas  Oretaceous  and  that  of  Point  of  Bocks  and 
Black  Butte,  we  find  scarcely  any  analogous  type,  and  not  a  single 
identical  form.  The  erosions  may  have  indeed  considerably  thinned 
the  marine  strata  representing  the  Cretaceous  above  the  Dakota  group, 
but  that  cannot  lessen  the  strength  of  the  deduction  made  from  the 
total  disconnection  of  two  floras,  one  of  which  denotes  by  its  essential 
characters  a  marked  dissimilarity  of  atmospheric  circumstances,  a 
weighty  evidence,  if  not  a  positive  proof,  of  a  change  of  epoch,  if  not  in 
the  sea,  at  least  upon  the  land.  It  is  useless  to  repeat  that,  as  yet,  no 
marine  invertebrate  remains  of  Cretaceous  type  have  been  discovered  in 
the  whole  Lignitic  measures  above  Point  of  Bocks.  We  may  admits 
however,  that  while  the  Tertiary  age  was,  at  its  beginning,  represented 
as  a  land  formation,  as  seen  by  its  flora,  a  Cretaceous  marine  fauna  may 
have  still  locally  persisted  in  deep  seas.  Facts  of  this  kind  are  recorded 
in  European  geology.  The  presence  of  the  Saurian  Agathaumas  in  the 
Lignite  bed  of  Black  Butte  is  then  certainly  explainable  as  denoting  the 
wandering  of  that  animal  out  of  its  domain,  and  its  death  by  i>enetra- 
ting  into  a  peat-bog  and  being  irretrievably  swallowed  by  its  soft  mat- 
ter. If  once  imbedded  in  soft  peat,  no  animal,  not  even  man,  can  get  oat 
of  it.  By  this  fact,  and  also  from  the  reason  that  the  coriaceous,  ligne- 
ous plants  of  the  bogs  are  not  food  for  mammals,  I  explain  the  scarcity  of 
bones  of  Eocene  animals  in  the  lower  beds  of  the  Lignitic.  As  a  shore 
formation,  a  surface  covered  with  deep  bogs  surrounded  by  sand  wastes, 
this  primitive  land  would  not  aflbrd  food  to  mammals  or  even  be  accessi- 
ble to  them.  Every  one  who  has  explored  a  peat-bog  knows  how  these 
formations  are  deprived  of  animal  life.  Very  few  bones  of  the 
Aurochs  have  been  found  in  the  bogs  of  North  Germany,  and  the  area 
covered  by  the  Lignitic  shows  how  compact  and  continuous,  not  to  say 
universal,  were  those  swamps  of  the  Lower  Tertiary.  I  l)elieve,  there- 
fore, that  if  the  bones  of  Eocene  mammals  are  not  discovered  in  the 
lowest  part  of  the  Lignitic,  they  will  be  found  in  the  upper  strata. 
Moreover,  the  agglomeration  of  bones  in  certain  localities  depend  on  pecu- 
liar circumstances,  and  donotimmediately  and  forcibly  relate,  like  plants, 
to  the  general  characters  of  a  whole  period. 

The  question  of  the  subdivision  of  the  Lignitic  or  Tertiary  measures, 
which  I  have  separated  in  four  groups,  from  the  non-coincidence  in  the 
general  character  of  the  flora,  is  still  disputed,  and  this  division  con- 
tradicted by  the  assertion  that  the  discordance  is  merely  apparent, 
and  a  result  of  the  geographical  distribution  of  species,  as  we  may 
see  it  now  in  groups  of  plants  at  distant  localities.  The  contempo- 
raneity of  the  fossil  floras  is  not  merely  marked  by  the  identity  of  some 
species,  but  also  by  a  kind  of  general  character  denoting  the  same 
climatic  circumstances.  The  modification  due  to  the  geographical  dis- 
tribution may  be  easily  recognized  by  the  presence  or  absence  of  a 
number  of  species  in  the  flora  of  the  Bitter  Creek  basin,  of  that  of 
Colorado,  the  Baton  Mountains,  the  Lower  Union  group,  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  Vancouver.    There  is  between  these  localities  a  wide  dis- 


IXSQUEREUX.J  EVIDENCE   OF   AGE   OP   LIGNITIC   GROUP.  293 

t£ince;  and,  indeed,  tbe  Yancoaver  flora  may  show,  in  its  details,  marked 
points  of  dissimilarity  to  that  of  the  Mississippi.  But,  one  of  the  prom- 
inent characters  of  the  Lower  Lignitic  is  the  predominance  of  Palms, 
and  we  find  it  manifest  in  all  the  localities  named  above.  Indeed,  1  have 
found  remains  of  Palm,  espeoially  of  Sabal,  whenever  I  have  seen  Lower 
Liguite  beds;  and,  as  it  has  been  remarked  formerl^^,  iSoZ^a^  Grayatia  has 
been  observed  on  specimens  from  Vancouver,  Point  of  Bocks,  Golden,  the 
Mississippi,  &c.  With  this  there  are,  in  all  these  floras,  a  predominance 
of  subtropical  forms,  and  the  absence  of  northern  types,  rendering  more 
evident  their  correlation  iu  time.  Sufficient  details  have  been  given  on 
the  species  of  the  group,  and  on  their  distribution,  in  Dr.  Hayden's 
former  report  (1873),  p.  378  to  390. 

The  group  of  plants  of  the  Evanston  division  has,  as  yet,  no  remains 
of  palm -leaves,  but  fruits  doubtfully  referable  to  the  Palm  family; 
with  this  it  has  some  of  its  species  of  leaves  represented  at  Golden, 
others  at  Carbon.  The  general  character  of  its  flora  does  not  indicate 
as  high  an  average  degree  of  temi)erature  as  that  of  the  Lower  Lignitic. 
The  group  has  been  separated,  as  an  intermediate  one  whose  relation  is 
not  positively  fixed  now.  According  to  Professor  (3ope^s  description, 
bones  of  Eocene  vertebrate  animals  have  been  found  iu  connection  with 
it.  Its  true  horizon  may  be  rendered  more  definite  by  further  discoveries. 
But  in  the  group  of  Carbon  the  general  character  of  the  flora  is  evident, 
and  its  relation  to  the  Miocene  of  Europe  and  of  Greenland  is  exposed, 
not  only  by  this  general  kind  of  related  facies,  but  also  by  a  number  of 
species,  like  Platunus  aceroides  and  Ouillelmw^*.  Acer^  Fopulus  arcticaj 
Taxodium  dubiumy  Alnus  Kefersteinii  Betula^  Quercvs^  CoryluSj  indicating, 
together  with  the  total  absence  of  Palms,  a  marked  difl'erence  in  the 
climatic  circumstances  governing  the  flora  and  that  of  the  Lower 
Lignitic  group.  This  difference,  also,  is  not  remarked  at  Carbon  only. 
It  is  reproduced  in  the  same  degree,  by  general  affinity  and  identity  of 
species,  iu  the  flora  6f  Coral-Hollow,  San  Joachin  County,  and  of  Con- 
tra Costa,  south  of  Mount  Diablo,  California ;  of  Bridge  Creek,  John 
Day  Valley,  and  of  Blue  Mountain,  Oregon;  of  Bellingham  Bay, of 
Alaska,  as  established  by  Heer's  flora  of  that  country,  and  therefore  fol- 
lowed northward  from  Carbon  to  Greenland.  Some  of  its  types  are  so 
definite  that  a  single  specimen  of  a  species  of  Acer  or  P/dto^u^  would 
suffice  to  positively  identify  this  group  as  Miocene,  just  as  a  few  spec- 
imens of  Quereusfurdner  vis  proved  the  Eocene  age  of  the  Cascade  Mount- 
ains of  Oregon,  whose  formations  were  at  first  supposed  to  be  Post- 
Tertiary  or  of  recent  origin. 

A  few  words  more  will  be  sufficient  to  answer  the  other  objections 
recorded  at  the  beginning  of  this  paper  against  the  value  of  vegetable 
paleontology  in  its  application  to  geology  for  the  determination  of  the 
age  of  the  formations.  We  know  now  well  enough  that  remains  of 
fossil  plants  are  abundantly  found  in  the  land  deposits  of  this  continent. 
The  result  obtained  from  the  onset  of  American  researches  in  vegetable 
paleontology  let  us  surmise  what  an  immense  amount  of  documentary 
data  the  after-coming  geologist  shall  be  able  to  gather  in  the  same 
field.  The  authority  of  animal-remains  shall  continue  undoubted  as  far 
as  it  refers  to  marine  formations.  But  when  land  formations  are  to  be 
considered,  theauthority  should,  when  evident,  be  accepted  as  decisive. 

*  The  fragment  of  leaf  fonnd  in  connection  with  the  bonee  .of  the  Saurian  at  Black 
Batte,  and  conaidered,  from  the  character  of  nervation  of  the  middle  of  Uie  leaf,  the  only  part 
preserved,  as  doabtfnlly  referable  to  P.  GuUldnuB  f  was  identified  from  better  specimens, 
showing  the  outlines  of  whole  leaves,  as  a  new  species  of  VUfUimum,  described  in  this  paper  as 
Vibumun  ptatanoides. 


294  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

There  may  be  some  exceptioDal  cases  where  both  kind  of  evidence  may 
be  in  opposition^  however,  and  afford  reasons  for  dispute  of  anthority. 
For  example,  no  Cretaceous  invertebrate  marine  remains  have  been  fomid 
in  the  strata  of  the  Lignitic  above  Point  of  Eocks,  nor  in  the  Bitter 
Creek  series  above  this  point,  nor  in  the  whole  extent  of  the  Colorado 
Basin ;  hence  the  plants,  being  characteristic  and  Tertiary,  the  whole 
formation  should  be  admitted  as  Tertiary,  of  course.  But  Vancouver 
shows,  as  far  as  its  flora  is  known,  identity  of  characters  of  its  fossil 
plants  with  those  of  the  Lower  Lignitic,  as  known,  from  the  above-named 
stations ;  its  relation  is  therefore  defined  as  land  formation,  and  this 
should  be  to  my  persnosion  considered  as  evidence  of  synchronism  and 
therefore  of  its  Tertiary  age,  though  the  beds  bearing  Tertiary  plants 
may  be  locally  and  casually  overlaid  by  marine  strata  with  Cretaceous 
animal-remains.  This  case  has  some  analogy  with  that  of  the  presence 
of  the  bones  of  a  Cretaceous  Saurian  at  Black  Butte. 

Conformability  or  uncomform ability  of  stratification  proves  very  little 
in  regard  to  the  changes  which  are  considered  as  indicating  a  new  epoch 
or  period.  Of  course  the  disturbances  of  wide-expanded  surfaces  of  the 
earth  modify  in  various  degrees  the  atmospheric  circumstances,  and,  in 
a  less  degree,  however,  those  which  govern  the  distribution  of  animals 
under  wat^r.  Therefore  the  changes  in  the  characters  of  the  floras  or 
the  faunas  may  be  more  or  less  evident  in  correlation  with  these  dis- 
turbances. But  these  are  more  generally  so  gradual  that  they  cannot 
be  remarked  by  traces  of  unconformability,  and  the  consequences  in 
modifications  of  marine  or  land  beings  can  be  appreciated  only  at  very 
long  distances  of  time.  Gradual  changes  of  this  kind  seem  to  have  pro- 
gressed during  the  whole  period  of  the  Cretaceous  formations  of  the  West, 
from  the  base  of  the  Dakota  group  to  that  of  the  Tertiary  Lignitic,  and 
later  still ;  for  in  the  whole  vertical  space  occupied  by  the  deposits  no 
unconformability  of  strata  is  remarked.  But  the  concurrence  of  gradual 
atmospheric  modifications  with  those  of  the  earth  surface  is  distinctly 
recognizable  in  the  general  character  of  the  flora  of  the  lower  Lignitic 
compared  to  that  of  the  Dakota  group,  this  being  of  a  temperate 
climate,  while  that  of  the  Lignitic  proves  a  subtropical  one.  Of  course 
the  life  under  deep  seas  cannot  be  modified  in  the  same  degree  and  in  the 
same  period  of  time.  It  is  but  very  slowly  influenced  by  land  atmospheric 
changes,  and  from  this  there  is  in  some  instances  between  the  in- 
habitants of  the  land  and  those  of  the  sea,  a  forcible  geological  discord- 
ance, like  that  exposed  at  Black  Butte  by  the  Saurian  and  the  plant's 
remains  wherein  it  was  imbedded. 

Perhaps  the  more  weighty  objection  against  the  deductions  taken 
from  the  characters  of  the  Lower  Lignitic  flora  is  that  of  the  unreliability 
of  comparison  between  the  vegetable  tyi)es  of  both  continents  in  their 
relation  to  supposed  synchronous  epochs.  From  this  objection  it  is 
said  that  we  should  not  attempt,  in  regard  to  the  distribution  of  the 
North  American  fossil  plant,  to  consider  anything  known  of  the  geo- 
logical relation  of  those  of  Europe.  This  objection  appears  at  first 
trifling,  and  it  seems  that  it  could  be  answered  by  the  mere  assertion  that 
as  American  paleontologists  have  constantly  taken  their  points  of  com- 
parison from  Europe,  in  considering  the  relation  of  the  animal  remains 
to  the  age  of  the  strata,  where  they  were  discovered,  vegetable  paleon- 
tology should  be  allowed  to  use  the  same  privilege ;  for  no  section  of 
natural  science  can  be  defined  and  progress  a  priori  or  without  means 
of  comparison,  and  where  to  And  any  if  the  European  scientific  do- 
main should  be  closed.  But  in  this  objection  there  is  something  more 
than  the  mere  privilege  of  comparison.    It  seems  positive  that  from  its 


i^guKBEux.]  EVIDENCE   OP  AGE    OP   LIGNITIC   GROUP.  295 

first  appearance  the  Americau  land  iSora  has  a  proper  American  cbnracter, 
recognizable  not  merely  in  diftcrence8,  but  in  priority  of  types.  •  I  have 
already  allnded  to  this  phenomenon,  which,  though  seemingly  observ- 
able in  many  instances,  is,  however,  not  positively  ascertained  as  an 
actuality,  and  not  referable  to  a  principle  of  a  general  application.  We 
have,  as  far  as  our  knowledge  goes,  a  precedence  of  vegetable  Devonian 
types  which  are  already  oeen  in  the  Silurian ;  the  Carboniferous,  also, 
are  recognized  by  remains  of  Lepidodendron  as  low  as  the  Marcellus 
epoch.  The  Sub-Carboniferous  flora  of  this  continent  is  mostly  Devonian 
for  Europe,  and  the  Lower  Carboniferous  has  a  number  of  specific  forms, 
considered  by  European  authors  as  Permian.  Farther  up,  the  Trias  is 
Jurassic  by  its  Cycadece^  and  the  Cretaceous  of  the  Dakota  group  is 
typically  allied  to  the  Miocene  species,  and  still  more  to  the  present 
flora  of  this  country.  If  it  is  so,  the  objection  expressed  above  is  a 
mighty  one,  for  then  our  Lignitic  flora  might  be  of  an  older  period  and 
representative  of  an  American  Cretaceous  formation,  though  having 
already  the  characters  of  European  Eocene  floras  t  We  have,  in  this 
peculiar  case,  a  point  of  reliable  comparison  which  answers  the  ob- 
jection. The  flora  of  Point  of  Bocks,  considered  as  Tertiary,  is  prob- 
ably at  the  lowest  stage  of  the  formation.  Its  characters  have  been 
exposed  in  a  table  of  comparison.  Now,  the  floras  of  Gelinden,  in 
Belgium,  and  of  S<6zanne,  in  France,  are  connected  with  strata  ac- 
knowledged by  stratigraphy  and  animal  paleontology  as  of  the  oldest 
European  Tertiary.  And  here  as  at  Gelinden,  for  example,  the  Creta- 
ceous type,  represented  by  Bryophyllum^  is  far  more  evident  than  at 
Point  of  Bocks,  and  in  the  flora  of  Suzanne  it  is  about  in  the  same 
proportion  as  in  that  of  Point  of  Bocks  and  Black  Butte.  In  this 
<^se,  therefore,  no  trace  of  precedence  of  vegetable  types  is  remarked  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  and  the  floras  of  both  continents,  ofifering 
evident  synchronism  by  stratification,  and  both  animal  and  vegetable 
paleontology,  may  be  considered  as  giving  reliable  evidence  by  the 
comparison  of  tbeir  characters. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  opinion  on  the  Tertiary  age  of  the  Lignitic 
contradicts  evidence  admitted  by  the  highest  scientific  authority. 
Though  no  personal  opinion  may  be  recognized  as  authoritative  in 
science,  we  have,  on  the  question  discussed  here,  a  concurrence  of 
views  expressed  by  Dr.  Newberry  for  the  Lignitic  flora  of  the  Union 
group  of  the  Upper  Missouri  Biver,  and  by  Prof.  J.  W.  Dawson 
for  that  of  Canada.  These  are  certainly  the  highest  authorities  in 
this  country.  From  Europe,  the  opinion  of  Count  Saporta,  who  is 
deeply  interested  in  tbe  progress  of  the  botanical  paleontology  of  this 
country,  is  not  less  explicit.  After  the  examination  of  some  of  the 
plates  prepared  for  tbe  flora  of  the  Lignitic,  he  writes:  '<That 
Sphenopteris  Eocenica  is  closely  allied  to  A^plenium  Wegmanni,  Brgt., 
of  Suzanne;  that  species  analogous  to  what  I  have  described  as 
Abietitea  dvhiua  and  Abietites  setigera  have  been  found  in  the  Upper 
Cretaceous  of  St.  Paulet,  France ;  that  our  Palms,  especially  PalmaciteH 
Goldianus,  denote  Eocene ;  that  the  magnificent  species  Sabal  Grayana 
is  allied  to,  and  perhaps  an  ancestor  of,  Sabal  majors  which  in  Europe 
ap])ears  at  the  beginning  of  the  Miocene;  and  that  ^/abeUaria  communis 
is  extremely  similar  to  Sabal  andegavienaiSy  which  is  found  in  tbe  Eocene 
Superior  of  the  south  of  France,  but  which  has  not  been  figured  till 
now."  From  all  this  and  other  points  of  afi^nity  which  the  cele- 
brated paleontologist  of  France  makes  in  regard  to  the  species  of  the 
lower  group  of  the  Lignitic  flora,  he  concludes  as  follows  :• — "  In  re- 

•  In  letter,  October,19, 1875. 


296       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITORIES. 

suraiDg,  and  Dotwithstanding  that  Abietiies^  which  I  consider  as  a  Cre- 
taceouA  type,  your  first  group  seems  indeed  to  be  legitimately  Eoeecc, 
by  its  Ferns,  its  Palms,  its  coriaceous  and  prototypical  Poplars,  its 
Cinnatnomumj  and  its  Vibumunij  as  related  to  the  Suzanne  flora,  and  by 
one  of  its  Palms  to  the  Upper  Eocene  of  Angers.  If  one  would  suppose 
this  flora  more  recent  than  the  Eocene,  he  would  have  to  admit  soch  a 
dissemblance  between  Europe  and  America  that  every  comparisoo  by 
the  floras  between  the  geological  stages  of  both  continents  should  ap- 
pear an  impossibility."  The  assimilation  of  American  species  with  a 
number  of  Miocene  species  published  in  Europe  is  considerod  by  Saporta 
as  doubtful  and  not  quite  conclusive ;  and  he  remarks,  also,  that,  though 
his  opinion  on  the  age  of  the  Lower  Lignitic  group  is  given  aocording 
to  present  impression,  the  great  geographical  distance  renders  the 
affinities  between  compared  localities  very  difficult  to  fix  with  precision, 
even  in  supposing  them  contemporaneous. 

These  quotations  must  be  excused  by  reason  of  the  importance  given 
now  to  the  question  of  the  age  of  the  Lignitic,  which,  controverted  in 
various  ways,  demands  light,  and  has  to  be  considered  in  every  possible 
point  of  view.  The  problem  is  not  yet  solved.  Eequested,  as  I  am,  to 
contribute  a  share  in  the  discussion,  by  closely  adhering  to  paleontologi- 
cal  evidence,  and  exposing  it  as  far  as  it  is  given  by  fossil  plants,  I  had 
to  enter  into  details  in  order  to  show  its  weight.  And  no  better  oppor- 
tunity could  be  afforded  for  this  purpose  than  a  review  of  the  group  of 
plants  obtained  from  Point  of  Eocks  by  Dr.  Hayden. 

From  the  following  descriptions  it  will  be  remarked  that  some  of  the 
specimens  have  been  found  and  communicated  to  the  survey  by  Mr. 
William  Cleburn,  of  Omaha,  a  zealous  explorer  and  student  of  the  vege- 
table paleontology  of  the  Western  Territories. 

Description  of  species  of  fossil  plants  from  Point  of  Eocks. 

\\  1.  FUCUS  LIGNITUM,  «p.  nov. 

Frond  flattened,  irregularly  dichotomous;  branches  diverging  ob- 
liquely ;  branchlets  short,  terminal,  linear-divaricate,  tufted,  forking  at 
the  point. 

The  fragment  figured  is  the  only  one  of  this  kind  in  the  specimens.  It 
represents  a  species  allied  to  SpJicerococcus  crispiformis^  Sterub.,  as  de- 
scribed in  fleer's  Flor.  Tert.  Helv.  (p.  23,  Pi.  IV,  fig.  1),  and  still  more, 
perhaps,  to  the  living  Fueuscanalieulatus^  Agh.,  very  common  along  the 
coasts  of  the  Baltic  Sea,  and  also  discoverd  in  numerous  specimens  in 
the  Tertiary  of  Spitzbergen.  The  base  of  the  lowest  branches  is  four 
millimeters  broad,  but  the  size  of  the  branchlets  diminishes  nearly  one- 
half  at  each  dichotomous  division.  The  terminal  branchlets  are  only 
half  a  millimeter  broad,  fasciculate-dichotomous,  short,  split,  or  furcate 
at  the  point,  and  divaricate.  The  substance  appears  thin,  membrana- 
ceous, and  yellowish. 

flABiTAT. — Point  of  Eocks,  Br.  F.  F.  Hayden. 

K  2.  Salvinia  attbnxjata,  sp.  nov. 

Leaves  small,  one  centimeter  or  less  in  diameter,  opposite,  joined  at 
the  narrowed,  slightly-pediceled  base,  round  or  broadly  oval,  indis- 
tinctly reticulate  by  vertical  and  parallel  rows  of  quadrate,  large  cells, 
marked  in  the  middle  by  black  spots,  formed  by  very  small,  close  cells, 
or  pores,  without  any  trace  of  a  middle  nerve. 

This  fine  species  is  related  by  its  reticulation  and  its  size  to  Salvinia 
Mildeanay  fleer  (Bait.  Flor.,  p.  17,  PI.  Ill,  figs.  1  and  2),  differing  from 


LE8QUBEEUX.1  FOSSIL   PLANTS   FROM   POINT   OF   ROCKS.  297 

it  by  broader,  less  distinct,  square  areolsB,  the  absence  of  a  dividing 
middle  nerve,  and  the  narrowing  of  the  base  to  a  very  short  pedicel. 
By  these  two  last  characters,  this  species  is  nnlike  any  of  this  genus. 
It  is,  however,  probable  that  the  two  leaves  representing  it  were  not, 
when  embedded  into  the  clay,  in  their  full  state  of  maturity,  one  of 
them  being  smaller  than  the  other,  and  its  areolation  far  less  distinct. 
In  the  young  leaves  of  the  living  Salvinia  natans^  the  leaves,  l>efore 
attaining  their  lull  development,  have  the  middle  nerve  scarcely  dis- 
cernible. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Bocks,  William  Cleburn. 

K3.  S£LAGIN£LLA  t  FALCATA,  9p.  nov. 

Frond  small,  dichotomous ;  pinnse  narrow-linear,  one  to  four  centime- 
ters long,  six  to  seven  millimeters  broad ;  pinnules  close,  two-ranked, 
in  right  angle  to  the  rachis,  generally  covering  each  other  at  the  bor- 
ders, falcate  upwards,  lanceolate-acuminate,  suddenly  narrowed  to  the 
point  of  attachment,  without  distinct  middle  nerve. 

I  have  figured  four  different  parts  of  this  plant,  which  is  abundantly 
scattered  among  the  floating  rootlets  and  upon  the  specimens  of  the 
Lemna  f  Scutata.  It  may  represent  some  kind  of  floating  fern,  per- 
haps, rather  than  a  species  of  Selaginella.  It  is,  however,  closely 
allied  to  Selaginella  BertJioudi,  Lsqx.,  described  in  Dr.  Hayden's  Annual 
Beport  for  1873  (p.  395),  differing,  however,  by  the  two-ranked  position 
of  the  leaves  and  their  distinctly  falcate  form. 

Hajbitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden,  TF.  Cleburn. 

One  of  Mr.  Cleburu'a  specimens  represents  a  fragment  of  a  stem  ten 
centimeters  long,  one  centimeter  broad,  round,  but  flattened  by  com- 
pression, covered  with  densely  imbricate  leaves  of  the  same  form  and 
size  as  those  of  the  branches.  This  stem  proves  the  relation  of  the 
described  fragments  to  the  lyoopodiaceous  family. 

K4.  Selaginella  laciniata,  sp.  nov.  t 

Branches  dichotomously  divided ;  divisions  two  to  three  centimeters 
long ;  leaflets  f  opposite,  distichous,  divided  from  the  base  in  three  to 
five  filiform  laciuise,  some  of  them  forking  at  the  middle,  all  curving 
upward,  or  falcate. 

By  its  mode  of  vegetation,  the  form  and  divisions  of  the  pinnsB  or 
branchlets,  these  small  plants  are  exactly  similar  to  those  described 
from  Dr.  Hayden's  specimens  under  the  name  of  Selaginella  falcata. 
The  difference  is  in  the  remarkable  laceration  or  thread-like  divisions 
of  the  leaflets.  The  laciniaB  distinct  and  in  relievo  upon  the  stone  are 
like  the  veiulets  of  fern -leaves,  when,  by  maceration  and  decomposi- 
tion, their  epidermis  has  been  destroyed,  or  like  skeletons  of  leaves.  In 
this  case,  however,  as  these  thread-like  branches  are  more  or  less  nu- 
merous, either  simple  or  forking  from  the  middle,  and  thus  differing  in 
number  and  mode  of  divisions  for  each  leaflet,  this  appearance  cannot 
result  from  decomposition  in  water.  It  is  probable  that  these  remains 
represent  a  kind  of  lyoopodiaceous  plant,  living  sometimes  partly  im- 
mersed, and  that,  as  it  happens  in  numerous  species  of  water-plants  of 
this  epoch,  the  immersed  leaves  become  decomposed,  and  grow  into  la- 
ciniate  divisions,  while  the  emerged  ones  are  entire  or  undivided.  This 
difference  in  the  leaves  is  particularly  marked  in  Kaaturtium  lacustre^ 
Gray,  known  to  every  botanist.  I  do  not  know,  however,  any  Lyco- 
podium  species  shovf  ing  this  kind  of  variations  in  leaves.  Even  L.  in- 
undatum  has  the  leaves  of  the  immersed  part  entire  or  without  divis- 


298  GEOLOGICAL   SXTEVEY  OF   THE   TEBRITOEIES. 

ions.    It  is  therefore  uncertain  if  the  specific  separation  of  these  fiag- 
ineiits  is  authorizable. 
Habitat. — Point  of  Rocks,  William  Clebum, 

^  5.  Sequoia  bbeyifolia,  Heer. 

Branches  fiexaous;  branchlets  opposite  or  svlternate,  open  and  diverg- 
ing near  the  base,  then  carving  upward  and  erect  from  the  middle  to 
the  top.  Leaves  of  two  kinds,  either  small,  short,  scaliform  at  the  base 
of  the  branchlets  and  covering  the  whole  of  them  when  young,  or  oblong, 
enlarged  in  the  middle,  obtuse  or  abruptly  narrowed  to  a  point,  and 
gradually  and  slightly  so  toward  the  decurring  base,  distichous,  oblique, 
decreasing  in  length  toward  the  base  and  the  top  of  the  branchlets. 
We  have  a  large  branch*  and  numerous  more  fragmentary  sfiecimensof 
this  fine  species  described  by  Ueer  in  Flor.  Arct  (p.  93,  PL  II,  iig.  23), 
from  Greenland  specimens,  in  Flor.  Spitz,  (p.  37,  PI.  IV,  figs,  2-3),  from 
Spitzbergen  specimens,  and  formerly  in  Fl.  Baltica  (p.  21,  PI.  Ill,  fig.  10). 
It  is  well  characterized  by  the  form  of  its  generally  short  open  dis- 
tichous leaves,  either  abruptly  pointed,  or  obtuse,  deeply  nerved,  and 
slightly  decreasing  in  width  from  above  the  middle  to  the  base.  We 
have,  however,  a  number  of  specimens  with  somewhat  narrower,  nearly 
linear,  longer  leaves,  which  show  a  notable  deviation  of  the  normal  form. 
The  cone  of  this  species  is  not  known  as  yet.  One  of  the  specimens  bear- 
ing scattered  branchlets  and  leaves  of  this  Sequoia  has  a  cone,  which 
api>ears  to  be  a  flattened  cross-section,  or  perhaps  the  flattened  base  of 
the  cone  turned  upward,  the  pedicel  marking  the  central  point  around 
which  the  scales,  oblong,  cuneate,  narrow,  emarginate  at  the  top,  are  im- 
bricated to  the  borders.  These  scales  rather  resemble  those  of  a  Offp- 
tostrohus  than  those  of  a  Sequoia. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Rocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden^  Wm.  Olebumy  whose 
collection  has  about  one-half  of  the  specimens  representing  this 
species  in  its  normal  form,  and  its  variety. 

^\6.  Sequoia  longifolia,  Lsqx.,  MSS. 

Branches  thick  ;  leaves  closely  appressed,  erect,  long  linear  lanceolate- 
pointed  or  accuminate,  enlarged  above  the  slightly  contracted  and  decur- 
ring base  ]  scars  deep,  lingulate-pointed,  marked  by  a  deep  groove  in  the 
middle. 

This  species  was  already  described  from  Black  Butte  specimens ;  these 
have,  some  of  them  at  least,  longer  leaves  than  those  of  Black  Butte.  In 
these,  the  leaves  average  two  and  a  half  to  three  centimeters  long  aud 
three  millimeters  wide ;  in  those  of  Point  of  Rocks,  the  leaves,  of  the  some 
width,  are  generally  five  centimeters  long,  even  more.  In  both  forms, 
they  are  marked  by  a  broad  indistinct  middle  nerve,  and  the  surface, 
seen  with  the  glass,  appears  very  thinly  striated  in  the  length.  This  char- 
acter, as  well  as  the  thick  consistence  of  the  leaves,  seems  to  prove  the 
identity  of  the  species,  though  the  leaves  of  the  specimens  of  Point  of 
Rocks  are  not  only  longer  but  proportionally  narrower  and  scarcely 
contracted  to  the  point  of  attachment  to  the  branches.  In  both,  these 
leaves  are  generally  crowded  and  covering  the  stem. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Rocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

I  \  7.  Sequoia  tiformis,  «p.  nov. 

Stems  thick,  pinnately  branching ;  branchlets  short,  obliquely  di- 
verging ;  leaves  either  linear  or  somewhat  broader  in  the  middle,  grad- 

*  A  beautiful  specimeu,  the  property  of  Mr.  £.  H.  Clarke,  agent  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad,  who  kindlj  lent  it  for  illustration  of  the  species. 


ULSQUBRiux.]  FOSSIL   PLANTS   FROM   POINT   OF   ROOKS.  299 

unlly  narrowed  to  a  point,  slightly  contracted  to  the  decnrrent  base, 
slightly  incurved  or  falcate,  sometimes  erect  and  appressed  to  the  stem; 
scar-leaves  triangular  or  liugnlate  pointed. 

This  species  apparently  bears  two  kinds  of  leaves,  even  upon  the  same 
specimens;  either  long,  two  centimeters,  and  very  narrow-linear,  less  than 
one  millimeter  wide,  or  shorter  and  broader,  decreasing  gradually  from 
the  base  to  the  point,  linear-lanceolate,  nearly  oneand  one-half  millime- 
ters wide  and  only  eight  to  ten  millimeters  long;  the  middle  nerve  is 
deeply  marked  upon  both  kinds  of  leaves.  I  should  have  considered 
the  numerous  specimens  bearing  branches  of  this  Sequoia  as  represent- 
ing two  species,  the  one  with  narrow  longer  leaves,  the  other  with  shorter 
broader  leaves.  But  even  the  diflference  in  the  length  and  proportion- 
ate width  of  the  leaves  is  distinctly  perceivable  upon  one  of  the  speci- 
mens, and  the  difference  also  in  the  length  of  the  leaves,  all  narrow  and 
of  the  same  width,  is  evident  upon  another.  There  are,  moreover,  a 
large  number  of  specimens,  all  fragmentary  indeed ;  and  the  difference 
in  regard  to  the  size  of  the  leaves  is  apparent  upon  most  of  them.  In 
the  average,  the  leaves  are  much  narrower  than  those  of  Sequoia  Beich- 
enhachi^  Heer,  to  which  this  species  is  related  by  the  falcate  form  of 
some  ot  the  leaves. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  F.  Hayden. 

>f8.  WlDDRINaTONIA  COMPLANATA,  9p.  nov. 

Stem  thick,  disticho-pinnate ;  branchlets  short,  thick,  alternate,  ob- 
liqne;  leaves  small,  in  spiral  order,  closely  imbricate  and  appressed, 
oblong-lingulate  pointed  upon  the  primary  branches,  ovate-pointed  or 
rhomboidal  and  shorter  upon  the  obtuse  branchlets. 

This  species,  represented  by  many  specimens,  is  evidently  related  to 
Widdnngtonia  antiqua  (Sap.  Et.,  2, 1,  p.  69,  PI.  I,  fig.  4),  for  the  form  of 
the  leaves,  which  are,  however,  more  closely  appres^dd  in  the  American 
species,  and  more  distinctly  placed  in  spiral  order  around  the  branch- 
lets.  These  leaves  do  not  appear  of  a  thick  substance,  the  coat  of 
coaly  matter  over  them  being  extremely  thin. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Br.  F.  F.  Hayden^  William  Cleburn. 

K9.   PiSTIA  COEBUGATA,  8p.  noV. 

Leaves  thick,  at  least  toward  the  base,  varyingin  diameter  from  two  to 
three  and  one-half  centimeters,  broadly  obovate,  generally  bordered  from 
above  the  base  by  a  wavy  margin  two  to  five  millimeters  broad ;  gradu- 
ally narrowed  into  a  short  pedicel  about  three  millimeters  thick,  termi- 
nating into  a  bundle  of  radicles;  veins  emerging  from  the  pedicel  in  two 
or  three  thick  bundles,  dividing  and  diverging  from  the  base  of  the 
leaves,  atid  forming  in  ascending,  by  a  kind  of  abnormal  anastomosis, 
irregularly  polygonal  meshes. 

These  leaves,  resembling  in  form  a  small  bladder,  contracted  on  one 
side,  seem  somewhat  inflnted,  or  at  least  thickened,  from  the  base  to 
above  the  middle,  or  composed  of  two  distinct  areas,  the  lower  one  cir- 
cular and  separated  by  a  narrow  groove,  or  deep  line,  from  the  wrinkled 
border  which  surrounds  it,  narrowing,  however,  gradually  toward  the 
pedicel.  The  areolation  of  this  border  seems  disconnected  and  distinct, 
representing  large  quadrangular  areolae,  whose  subdivisions  cnrve  along 
in  festoons.  Sometimes,  however,  the  central  part  is  not  inflated,  or 
thicker,  and  in  this  case,  as  in  specimens  representing  .voung  leaves,  no 
traces  of  borders  are  perceivable.  This  groove,  therefore,  and  the  sep- 
aration of  the  leaf  in  two  distinct  parts,  may  be  caused  by  a  kind  of  fold 


300       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBRITORIES. 

around  a  tergescence  of  the  lower  part,  formed  by  au  abnormal  growth 
of  radicles.  The  upper  surface  of  the  leaves  is  somewhat  rough ;  the 
lower  surface,  inside  of  the  fringe,  is  dotted  with  minute  holes,  or  like 
spongious.  The  leaves  are  generally  mixed,  or  superposed  to  thin  foli- 
form  long  radicles,  all  of  the  same  size,  coming  in  bundles  from  linear 
rootlets,  two  to  five  millimeters  thick.  They  form  a  thick  coating  sor- 
rounding  the  leaves,  or  whereupon  the  leaves  Are  floating,  without  evi- 
dent connection  or  point  of  attachment  to  them. 

At  first  I  supposed  these  leaves  as  representing  the  same  species  as 
the  following,  but  their  relation  to  species  of  Pistiaj  whose  leaves  are  flat 
and  not  like  vesicles,  seems  to  indicate,  though  the  likeness  in  some  of 
the  characters  may  be,  that  these  organs  represent  two  kinds  of  water- 
plants.  Comparing  this  one  to  leaves  of  Pistia  spathtUata^  Mich.,  from 
specimens  of  Louisiana,  the  affinity  is  remarked  not  only  in  the  obovate 
sha[>e  of  the  leaves,  but  in  the  kind  of  nervation,  by  inflated  primary 
veins  diverging  from  the  base  of  the  pedicel,  where  they  pass  into  bun- 
dles of  radicular  filaments  of  the  same  characters  as  those  of  the  fossil 
plant.  Most  of  the  leaves  of  the  living  species,  the  old  ones  especially, 
bear  from  the  middle  to  the  base  an  inflated  spongious  coating  similar 
to  that  which  is  observed  on  the  under  surface  of  the  fossil  leaves.  The 
more  marked  difiereuce  is  in  the  central  part  of  the  fossil  species,  which 
appears  surrounded  by  a  distinctly-marked  deep  line,  while  in  the  leaves 
of  P.  spathulata  the  thick  zone,  though  definite,  terminates  in  passing  up- 
ward along  the  primary  veins ;  but  this  diflerence,  like  that  of  the  areo- 
lation  along  the  borders,  is  specific  only  and  the  generic  identity  appears 
clearly  defined. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Rocks,  very  abundapt,  and  covering  by  itself  only 

large  surface  of  shale.  Dr.  F»  V,  Hayden^  Wm.  Clebum. 

« 

MO.  Lemna  Scutata,  Daws. 

Fronds  round,  entire,  slightly  undulate  on  the  edges,  sometimes  an  inch 
in  diameter,  single  or  grouped ;  roots  numerous,  filiform,  proceeding 
from  a  round  spot  near  the  notch  of  the  frond. 

To  this  species,  as  described  and  figured  by  Professor  Dawson  (Report 
on  the  Geology  of  the  Forty-ninth  Parallel,  Appendix  A,  p.  329,  Tab.  XVI, 
figs.  5  and  6),  I  refer  a  number  of  round  bodies,  leaves  or  fronds,  mixed 
.  with  the  species  described  above.  Comparing  them  with  the  author's 
figures,  there  is  no  difiereuce  whatever,  except  that  if  some  of  them  do 
not  show  any  trace  of  veins,  others,  exactly  of  the  same  shape,  are 
veined  from  the  base,  where  the  radicular  filaments  are  attached  to  them 
and  the  veins  distributed  as  in  the  former  species.  Some  specimens  also, 
one  of  which  has  been  figured,  show  the  basilar  part  inflated,  or  the 
l>edicel  wherefrom  the  veins  are  diverging, just  in  the  center  of  the  cir- 
cular organism,  as  if  it  had  been  a  bladdery  or  vesicular  plant,  flattened 
by  compression.  I  still  believe  that  both  the  leaves  described  above 
and  these  represent  the  same  kind  of  vegetable,  these  being  the  young 
and  yet  undeveloped  organs.  All  the  different  appearances  of  these 
plants,  represented  by  numerous  specimens,  have  been  figured,  and  the 
comparison  of  their  various  forms  will,  I  think,  satisfy  paleontologists 
in  regard  to  their  relation  to  a  species  of  Pistia. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Rocks,  mixed  with  the  former,  I>r.  F.  V.Eayien^ 
Wm,  Cleburn. 

-Ml.  Ottelia  Americana,  «p.  nov, 

Spathe  ovate  narrowed  to  a  round  pedicel,  surrounded  by  an  undu- 
lated and  wrinkled  fringe,  emarginate  at  the  top. 


I-E6QUBRBUX.1  FOSSIL  PLANTS   FBOM  POINT   OF   BOCKS.  301 

The  central  part  of  this  organism,  representing  the  spathe  of  a  water- 
plant,  is  oval,  somewhat  inflated,  narrowed  to  a  round  pedicel,  and  sur- 
ronnded  by  a  margin  or  fringe  half  a  centimeter  broad,  cut  or  emargin- 
nte  at  the  top.  The  middle  part  is  slightly  inflated  and  striate  in  the 
length.  The  border  fringe  is  opaqne,  and  does  not  show  any  ap- 
l>earance  of  nervation.  Comparing  it  to  a  figure  of  OtteliaalisfnoideSj 
I*ers.,  from  Ceylon,  kindly  communicated  by  Saporta,  the  fossil  plant 
Beems  in  perfect  concordance  of  characters  with  the  living. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Eocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayd^  represented  by  one 
specimen  only,  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 

Vvj.2.  Sabal  Gbayana,  Lesqx.  ^  / 

Trans.  Am.  Philsoc.,  vol.  xiii.,  p.  412,  T.  xiv.,  figs.4-6. 

Frond  apparently  large,  represented  by  fragments  only ;  rachis  flat, 
elongated  linear-acuminate,  six  to  eight  inches  long,  enlarged  at  its 
base  and  rounded  on  both  sides  ]  rays  numerous,  gradually  enlarging 
upward,  half  to  two  and  one-half  centimeters  broad,  marked  with  dis- 
tant and  distinct  slender  veins.  The  characters  of  this  species  have 
been  described  in  detail  as  quoted  above.  The  species  is  always  easily 
identified  by  its  slender  though  distinct  and  equally  distant  veins. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Rocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

Kl3,  Deyophyllum  ceenatum,  ap.  nav. 

Leaves  oblong,  lanceolate,  abruptly  oblique  to  the  petiole  or  subtrun- 
cate ;  borders  deeply,  regularly  crenate ;  substance  of  the  leaves  some- 
what thick,  subcoriaceous ;  surface  rough ;  nervation  pinnate,  middle 
serve  flat  and  broad,  lateral  veins  diverging  sixty  to  sixty-five  degrees, 
•flat,  distinct,  slightly  curving  in  ascending  to  the  borders  subcampto- 
drome,  the  veins  forking  up  under  the  sinuses  of  the  teeth,  and  a  branch 
passing  up  along  the  borders  from  the  point  where  the  veins  enter  the 
teeth ;  nervilles  thick,  in  rightangle  to  the  vein's,  forming,  by  subdivision 
and  anastomosis,  a  square  or  indistinctly  polygonal  areolation. 

Of  all  the  species  described  of  this  genus,  none  is  comparable  to  this 
one,  which  is  especially  distinct  by  its  broadly  obtusely  dentate  borders. 
It  is  represented  by  two  fragmentary  specimens. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

Vl4.  Dbyophyllum  subfaloatum  8p.  nav. 

Leaf  subcoriaceous,  linear-lanceolate,  acuminate  or  sharply  pointed : 
borders  regularly  serrate  with  short  blunt  teeth  turned  upward ;  lateral 
veins  parallel,  diverging  thirty  to  forty  degrees,  straight  to  the  point  of 
the  teeth ;  fibrillaB  close,  thin  but  distinct,  simple  or  ramified  in  the 
middle,  the  upper  ones  joining  nearly  in  right  angle,  a  branch  veinlet 
which  pass  from  near  the  point  of  the  lateral  veins  tundev  the  sinuses,  and 
follows  along  and  close  to  the  borders. 

There  is  only  a  fragmentary  specimen  of  this  species,  the  upper  half 
of  a  leaf.  By  its  form  and  nervation,  it  seems  at  first  referable  to  the 
'  genus  Castaneay  and,  truly,  it  would  be  easy  to  find  leaves  of  the  present 
C.  v€8ca  apparently  perfectly  similar  to  this  fossil  one.  There  is,  how- 
ever, a  difference  in  the  areolation,  or  in  the  arrangement  of  the  tertiary 
veins.  In  these  primary  types  of  Quercus  and  OiMtanea  described  under 
the  name  of  Dryophyllum^  the  upper  branch  of  the  secondary  veins 
passed  from  near  the  i)oint  of  the  vein  under  the  sinuses  and  closely 
follows  the  borders,  which  thus  sometimes  appear  narrowly  marginate, 
and  is  joined  nearly  at  right  angle  by  the  upper  fibrillre.    This  charac- 


3U2       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

ter,  though  still  iudistiDctly  traced  io  the  leaves  of  Castanea^  aod  of 
some  species  of  chestua^oaks,  is  far  less  regular,  the  apper  braacb«s 
which  follow  the  borders  beiug  of  various  sizes,  not  so  exactly  intralld 
to  the  borders,  and  not  in  close  proximity  to  them.  This  new  siteeiesis 
intimately  related  to  DryaphyUum  DewdUquei  Sap.  &  Mer.  (Flof*  de  Qe- 
linden)^  especially  to  the  fragment  figured  in  PI.  Ill,  Fig.  2.  It  differs 
only  by  the  shorter,  less  acute  teeth  of  the  borders,  the  slightly  falcate 
form  of  the  leaf,  and  the  close  thin  fibrillar. 
Habitat. — Point  of  Bocks,  TTm.  CMmm. 

f\15.  POPULUS  MBLANARTA,  Hccr. 

Leaves  with  a  long,  slender  petiole ;  deltoid,  subtruncate  at  base ; 
borders  acutely  serrate ;  primary  basilar  lateral  nerves  emerging  from 
above  the  border  base  of  the  leaf,  with  a  pair  of  thin  marginal  veinlets 
underneath. 

Considering  what  can  be  seen  of  this  leaf  from  the  fragment  which 
represents  merely  its  lower  half,  with  the  long,  slender  petiole,  the  dis- 
tinct nervation,  and  a  few  of  the  border-teeth,  it  exhibits  characters  in 
accordance  with  those  described  above,  and  translated  from  Schimper's 
Vegetable  Paleontology,  and  especially  with  the  figure  given  of  this 
species  in  Flor.  Tert.  Helv.  (PL  LIV,  fig.  7).  Professor  Herr  remarks, 
that  it  essentially  differs  from  Populm  latior^  var.  subtruncata^  by  the 
position  of  the  lateral  primary  nerves  at  a  distance  from  the  border-base 
of  the  leaves.  In  the  leaf  figured  as  indicated  above,  this  distance  is 
still  greater  than  in  that  in  the  Flor.  Helv.  Heer  remarks  also  that 
he  has  seen  a  large  number  of  specimens  of  the  same  species,  but  that 
in  all  except  one,  which  he  has  figured,  the  upper  part  of  the  leaves 
was  destroyed,  as  it  is  in  ours.  He  mentions  as  distinctive  characters, 
the  acutely  serrate  borders  of  the  leaves,  and  the  middle  nerve  thicker 
than  the  lateral  ones,  the  same  as  seen  upon  our  specimen.  I  have, 
therefore,  no  doubt  about  the  relation  of  this  leaf  to  the  European 
species. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Sayden. 

\^).6.  POPULUS  MELANARIOIDES,  «p.  flOV. 

Leaf  subcoriaceous,  nearly  round,  subtruncate  at  base,  long-petioled ; 
borders  undulate ;  nervation  ternate  from  above  the  base  of  the  leaf, 
secondary  veins  two  pairs,  at  a  great  distanee  from  the  primary  ones, 
these  much  branched  outside  ^  the  others  simple,  all  the  divisions  pass- 
ing to  near  the  borders,  where  they  become  efiaoed  in  the  areolation; 
nervilles  thick,  flexnous,  in  right  angle  to  the  veins,  forming  by  raoii^ 
fication  at  right  angle  square  polygonal  meshes. 

By  the  su^oriaceous  substance,  the  long  slender  petiole  of  the  leaves, 
this  species  is  referable  to  the  section  of  the  Trq^ida  (Trembling  P<^ 
lars).  As  in  Populus  tremulafolia,  Sap.  (Et,  3^  2,  p.  26,  PI.  lU,  fig.  4), 
to  which  this  species  is  allied,  the  veins  and  their  branehes  pass  through 
the  areas  to  very  near  the  borders,  which  they  seem  to  reach.  Tlie 
American  form  differs  merely  by  less-distinctly  undulate  borders,  the 
distance  of  the  primary  lateral  nerves  above  the  base,  and  by  the  great 
distance  of  the  secondary  veios.  These  two  last  characters  are,  how- 
ever, of  no  moment  for  the  speoifieation  of  poplar-leaves,  as  can  be  n- 
marked  in  the  examination  of  a  few  leaves  of  the  too  oomHMm  Popuha 
aUba.  In  fossil  species,  Po/pulm  JfoMiiieiwis,  Sap.  (Bt,  3, 2,  p.  30,  PI.  Iff 
fig.  6),  is  represented  by  three  leaves,  each  of  a  different  character  of 
nervation.     The  relation  of  this  species  with   that  of  the  Tertiary 


LE8QUBRBUX.]  FOSSIL   PLANTS   FROM  POINT   OF   ROCKS.  303 

(Miocene?)  of  Provence,  described  by  Saporta,  may  be  therefore  more 
intimate  than  it  appears  from  the  comparison  of  a  single  leaf.    Our 
species  is  also  comparable  to  Populm  heliadumy  Ung.,  by  its  form,  and 
to  P.  melanariaj  Heer,  by  its  nervation. 
Habitat.— Point  of  Rocks,  Wm.  Clebum. 

^17.  FlOUS  ASAKIFOLIA,  Ett 

Leaves  petioled,  broadly  reuiform,  sabcordate  or  subpeltate,  very 
obtuse,  small,  with  borders  crenalate ;  primary  nerves  palmately  five 
to  seven ;  middle  nerve  straight ;  upper  lateral  ones  strong,  curving 
inward,  branching  and  anastomosing  with  the  upper  secondary  veins; 
Teinlets  transversal,  their  ramification  forming  a  protuberant,  or  em- 
bossed, very  distinct,  polygonal  areolatiou. 

Though  this  species  has  been  already  briefly  described  from  speci- 
mens found  at  Golden,  in  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden's  report  for  1872  (p.  378),  it 
had  as  yet  not  been  figured,  the  fragments  of  leaves  being  generally 
too  incomplete.  It  is,  however,  easily  recognized  by  its  peculiar  nerva- 
tion, forming  small,  elevated,  polygonal  areolse,  an  areolatiou  like  an 
embossed  checkerboard,  resembling  that  of  Asarnm  JSuropeum,  The 
fragments  of  Golden  seem  to  be  part  of  much  larger  leaves  than  those 
of  Ettinghausen,  who  described  the  species  in  Bilin  Flora  (p.  80,  PI. 
XXV,  figs.  2-3).  These  per  contra^  from  specimens  of  Point  of  Eocks, 
are  perfectly  well  and  entirely  preserved  leaves,  rather  smaller,  except 
one,  than  the  leaves  of  Bilin.  They  are  also  slightly  more  expanded 
on  the  sides,  or  reniform,  and  the  crenulations  less  distinct,  but  these 
border-divisions  are,  for  their  size,  related  to  the  areolation,  which  is 
wider  in  proportion  of  the  size  of  the  leaves.  Our  leaves,  also,  are 
evidently  peltate,  at  least  in  two  of  the  figured  specimens.  One  only 
has  the  position  of  the  thick  petiole  marked  similarly  to  that  of  the 
European  leaves ;  but  even  the  representation  of  the  species  by  the  au- 
thor seems  to  indicate  peltate  leaves,  whose  borders  are  erased  at  the 
base  or  at  the  point  of  attachment  of  the  petiole.  The  differences  are 
too  unimportant  to  be  consideii»d  as  specific  characters.  These  leaves 
merely  represent  a  local  variety,  or  a  var,  minor.  This  species  appears 
to  be  rare  in  the  Tertiary  of  Europe,  as  it  has  till  now  been  seen  only 
in  the  plastic  clay-beds  of  Bilin. 
Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Eaydsn^  Wm.  Olebum. 

^18.  Ficus  Dalmatica,  Ett 

Leaves  narrowly  ovate,  obtusely  pointed,  narrowed  to  a  short  petiole ; 
middle  nerve  thick  toward  the  base,  thinning  upward ;  basilar  lateral 
nerves,  from  above  the  border-base  of  the  leaves,  thin,  ascending  at  an 
acute  angle  of  divergence  of  thirty  degrees  to  the  middle  of  the  leaf; 
secondary  veins  more  open,  equidistant;  nervation  camptodi'ome,  joined 
by  transverse  nervilles. 

In  considering  the  figure  by  the  author  in  Flora  Promina  (PI.  YII,  fig. 
11),  there  is  no  difierence  whatever  between  the  European  form  and 
ours;  but  the  description  says  that  the  secondary  veins  are  branching 
at  the  point,  and  there  is  no  trace  of  divisions  of  veins  observable  upon 
oar  specimens.  As,  however,  the  figured  single  leaf  shows  merely  trans- 
verse nervilles  and  not  real  branches,  and  as  these  nervilles  are  also 
visible  on  the  American  form,  it  is  apparently  identical.  One  of  the 
leaves  represented  in  our  plate  seems  rounded  at  the  base.  This  is 
caused  by  its  reversement  into  the  stone,  the  upper  part  cf  the  leaf  be- 
ing flat  and  tbe  lower  carved  down  in  entering  the  stone  where  the 
extreme  base  and  petiole  are  imbedded. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Eayden. 


304       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITOEIES. 

^J9.  Ficus  Planicostata,  Lsqr. 

Dr.  F.  Y.  Hayden's  Report  on  the  Geol.  Survey  of  the  Terr.  1872,  p. 
393. 

A  small  leaf  in  a  perfect  state  of  preservation  represents  this  spe- 
cies very  common  at  Black  Butte.  It  is  easily  recognized  by  the  broadly 
ovate,  thickish,  entire  leaf,  slightly  pointed  or  obtuse,  rounded  or  sub- 
cordate  at  base,  short-petioled,  three-nerved  from  the  top  of  the  petiole, 
&c. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Eocks,  Wm.  Clehum. 

f\20.  Ficus  Tili^folia,  Heer. 

Like  the  former,  it  has  been  described  previously  in  Dr.  F.  V.  Hay- 
den's Eeport  for  1871,  p.  287,  from  specimens  of  Washakie  station ; 
mentioned  in  supplement  to  this  report,  p.  12,  from  Evanston ;  p.  G, 
from  Placi^re  anthracite ;  in  same  report,  for  1872,  p.  375,  from  above 
the  Gehrnngs  coal,  near  Colorado  Gity  ^  and  p.  393,  from  Black  Butte 
station.  We  have  also  specimens  from  Golden  and  other  localities ;  for 
here,  as  in  the  Miocene  of  Europe,  this  fine  species,  so  easily  identified, 
is  distributed  through  the  whole  thickness  of  the  Lignitic,  excepting, 
however,  the  upper  stage,  that  of  the  Green  Eiver  group,  where  it  has 
not  been  found  as  yet.  I  have  figured  it  from  specimens  of  Point  of 
Eocks,  not  merely  because  it  is  there  clearly  represented,  but  to  show 
more  evidently  the  relation  of  this  locality  with  the  Tertiary  Lignitic. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Eocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

rV21.  Ficus  irregularis,  Lsqx. 

This  species  was  published  under  the  name  ot  Ulmusf  irregularis^  in 
Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden's  Eeport  for  1872  (p.  378),  the  generic  reference  being 
then  uncertain.  Numerous  specimens  obtained  later  from  Black  Butte, 
where  the  species  is  common,  shows  a  thick  inflated  leaf-stalk,  a  char- 
acter which  indicates  the  relation  to  Ficus.  The  specimen  of  Point  of 
Eocks  is  like  the  counterpart  of  one  already  engraved  fix)m  Black  Butte 
specimens;  the  identity  of  characters  is  unmistakable,  and  therefore  it 
was  flgured  also  as  another  recoi^d  of  identity  of  the  flora  of  both  local- 
ities. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Eocks,  Dr.  F.  F.  Hayden. 

\\22.  TrapaT  microphylla,  «p.  nov. 

Leaves  small,  round,  or  broadly  oval,  obtuse,  rounded  to  a  short  peti- 
ole, with  borders  denticulate  from  below  the  middle,  three-nerved  from 
the  top  of  the  petiole,  or  irregularly  pinnately  nerved  ;  lateral  veins  at 
an  acute  angle  of  divergence,  fifteen  to  twenty  degrees,  fleznous,  with 
dichotomous  branches,  all  craspedudrome ;  areolation  by  subdivision  at 
right  angle,  polygonal,  distinct. 

These  leaves  vary  in  size  from  a  little  more  than  one  centimeter  long 
and  nearly  as  broad  to  about  two  and  a  half  centimeters  long  and  nearly 
two  centimeters  broad.  They  are  generally  oval-obtuse,  somewhat  en- 
larged toward  the  round  point ;  the  borders  are  minutely  dentate  except 
at  and  near  the  base,  rounded  to  a  comparatively  long  and  slender  peti- 
ole, the  only  one  of  the  leaves  where  it  is  preserved  being  eighteen  milli- 
meters long,  and  its  petiole  nine  millimeters.  The  areolation  is  peculiar, 
in  square  or  polygonal  areolse,  formed  by  close,  thick  nervilles,  aoasto- 
mosing  with  veinlets  parallel  to  the  veins  and  their  divisions,  the  areola- 
tion being  clearly  defined,  and  the  parietes  as  thick  as  the  veins.  The 
same  kind  of  areolation  is  remarked  upon  the  lower  surface  of  the  leaves 


uMQUBEBux.]  FOSSIL  PLANTS   PBOM  POINT   OP   ROCKS.  305 

of  Trajpa  natans^  which,  though  comparable  to  the  fossil  ones  by  the  areo- 
la t  ion,  has  its  borders  deeply  toothed  and  a  mach  thicker  consistence. 
Id  this  species,  the  leaves  appear  membranaceous  and  as  pellucid,  so 
distinctly  marked  in  black  appear  the  nervation  and  the  areolation 
upon  the  yellowish  substance  of  the  leaves.  These  leaves  are  mixed  with 
the  filaments  oT  rootlets  described  with  Lemnaf  bullataj  and  represent 
evidently  a  kind  of  water-plant.  No  fossil  leaves  published  as  yet  are, 
to  my  knowledge,  comparable  to  these,  except  those  described  by  Pro- 
fessor Newberry,  in  the  Report  of  the  Colorado  Exploring  Expedition 
by  Lieut.  S.O.  Ives  (p.  131,  PI.  Ill,  fig.  5),  under  the  name  of  Neuropteris 
angulata.  The  outline  or  general  form  of  the  slightly  dentate  leaves,  the 
pinnate  nervation,  and  the  remarkably  acute  angle  of  the  secondary 
veins  are  characters  common  to  both  species;  even  the  irregular  though 
oo  o  bscurely  marked  division  of  the  secondary  veins  seems  to  be  of  the 
same  kind,  it  may  b&  remarked  that  Professor  Dawson  has  observed 
and  described  a  fruit  of  Trapa  found  in  connection  with  his  Lemna  scu- 
tata;  therefore  in  circumstances  similar  to  those  where  these  leaves, 
referred  to  Trapa^  are  found. 
Habitat. — Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  F.  Hayden,  Wm.  Clebum. 

tf23.  Laurus  (Pbbsea)  pb^stens  f ,  sp.  nav. 

Leaf  coriaceous,  large,  broadly  lanceolate  or  elliptical,  narrowed  up- 
ward to  an  acute  point,  and  downward  in  the  same  degree  to  a  thick, 
short  petiole;  middle  nerve  thick;  secondary  veins  strong,  parallel; 
uervilles  distinct ;  areolation  very  small,  lightly  marked. 

The  very  fine  and  well-preserved  leaf  is  sixteen  centimeters  long  from 
the  base  of  the  thick  petiole,  which  is  one  centimeter  long,  five  centi- 
meters broad  in  the  middle,  where  it  is  the  widest,  and  has  thick  sec- 
ondary veins  regularly  branching,  with  distinct  uervilles  and  the  areo- 
lation of  a  Laurus,  The  foliaceous  substance  of  the  lower  part  of  the 
leaf  is  debtroyed,  bat  the  middle  thick  nerve  and  the  petiole  are  pre- 
served, as  well  as  the  outline-borders.  By  its  nervation,  this  species  is 
allied  to  Persea  speeiosay  Heer,  diifering  by  the  form  of  the  leaf  and  the 
thick  middle  nerve.  By  these  two  last  characters,  it  is  comparable  to 
Xaitrti* |>ri»cep«,  Heer  (PI.  Tert.  Helv.,  II,  p.  77,  PI.  XC,  tigs.  17-20), 
differing,  however,  by  the  secondary  veins  somewhat  thicker  and  slight- 
ly more  distant.  It  is  most  closely  related  to  the  present  Laurm  Can- 
ariengiSj  Sm. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

K24.  Viburnum  EOTUNDiFOLiUM,  «p.  luw. 

Leaf  nearly  round,  small,  surrounded  by  a  block  bordor,  slightly''  and 
distantly  denticulate  by  extension  of  the  borders  at  the  point  of  contact 
of  the  secondary  veins  and  of  their  branches,  all  craspedodrome ;  sec- 
ondary veins  open,  diverging  fifty  to  sixty  degrees,  equidistant,  parallel, 
the  two  lower  pairs  ramitied,  the  upper  ones  only  forking  near  the  bor- 
ders; areolation  distinct,  from  parallel  distant  fibrilise,  branching  and 
anastomosing  in  large  equilateral  meshes. 

The  black  borders  of  the  leaves,  the  general  characters  of  nervation, 
and  the  facies  are  the  same  as  in  the  other  species  of  Viburnum  pub- 
lished from  Black  Butte.  This  leaf  differs  especially  by  its  nearly  round 
form,  the  base  rounded  to  the  petiole,  the  secondary  veins  more  open, 
and  especially  the  very  small,  slightly-marked  teeth  of  the  borders.  But 
for  this  last  character,  this  leaf  could  be  referredto  Vihumumplatanoid^s, 
Lsqx.,  as  represented  by  the  small  leaf  of  PL  XXXVIII,  fig,  lOy  of  the 

20  H 


306       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

inecl.  Lignitic  Flora.    Iq  this,  the  secondary  viens  are,  however,  more 
oblique  aud  more  distant.    It  may  be  a  mere  lociU  variety. 
Habitat. — Point  of  Bocks.  Dr.  F,  V.  Hayden. 

V\25.  ViBUBNTTM  Wympbri,  Hecr. 

This  species  has  been  described  in  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden's  Report  for  1873, 
p.  382,  and  referred,  with  some  doubt,  to  the  Greenland  species  described 
in  Arct.  Fior.  (II,  p.  475,  PL  XLVI,  tig.  1**).  The  secondary  veins  in  oar 
species  are  more  distont  and  less  regularly  parallel.  Though  its  rela- 
tion to  the  arctic  species  is  somewhat  doubtful,  it  does  not  show  any 
difference  whatever  from  that  of  Bhick  Butte. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Rocks,  Dr.  F.  V,  Hayden. 

'^\26.  ViRBUBNUM  marginatum,  Lsqx. 

The  specimen  is  fragmentary,  but  the  species,  very  common  at  Black 
Butte,  is  recognizable. 
Habitat.— Point  of  Bocks,  Win.  Clebum. 

N\27.  DiosPYROS  BRA0HYSEPAL4,  Al.  Brauu. 

Described  already  in  Dr.  Hay  den's  lieport  for  1872  (p.  394),  from  spe- 
cimens of  Black  Butte,  and  in  Report  for  1873  (p.  401),  from  specimens 
of  Sand  Creek,  Colorado,  a  locality  identified  with  Golden  by  its  flora. 
But  none  of  the  leaves  found  as  yet  are  as  well  preserved  and  as  well 
characterized  as  that  of  Point  of  Bocks,  which  is  especially  comparable 
to  the  leaves  in  Heer's  Fl.  Tert.  Helv.  (PI.  CXI,  fig.  2).  The  species  is 
not  rare  in  the  Miocene  of  Europe,  especially  in  the  lower  groups^  and 
appears  equally  widely  distributed  in  our  Lower  Tertiary. 

Habitat.— Point  of  Rocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

K  28.  Greviopsis  Clebxjrni,  «p.  nov. 

Leaves  of  medium  size,  subconaceous,  ovate,  rounded,  and  narrowed 
by  an  inward  curve  to  the  short  petiole,  sinuato-denticnlate,  three-nerved 
from  above  the  base;  primary  veins  thick;  secondary  veins,  two  or 
three  pairs,  distant  from  each  other,  and  also  from  the  primary  nerves, 
all  branching  outside  with  subdivisions  or  veinlets  entering  the  teeth ; 
nervilles  in  right  angle  to  the  veins,  llexuous,  simple,  or  branching  in 
the  middle ;  areolation  obsolete. 

This  flue  leaf,  about  five  centimeters  long  (the  point  is  broken),  fear 
centimeters  broad  in  its  widest  part,  below  the  middle,  is  so  remarkably 
similar  by  its  form,  the  denticulate  borders,  and  the  nervation,  to  Oreti- 
opsis  orbiculata^  Sap.  (Sezane  Fl.,  p.  411,  PI.  XI,  figs.  11  and  12),  tbat  its 
generic  identity  is  positive.  It  specifically  differs  by  its  larger  size,  tbe 
more  distant  veins,  and  the  (double  ramification  of  the  primary  nerves. 
This  ramification  is  more  distinct  and  more  generally  multiple,  tbe 
branches  forking  before  reaching  the  borders  and  curving  along  them. 
The  leaf  has,  like  those  of  the  European  species,  a  subbasilar  marginil 
veinlet,  which  follows  the  borders,  and  is  united  by  nervilles  in  right 
angle  to  tbe  primary  lateral  nerves  above. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Rocks,  Wm.  Cldmm. 

K  29.  Rhus  hembrakaoba,  ip.  nov. 

Leaves  small,  membranaceons,  thicktsh,  oblong,  obtnsely-pointed, 
rounded  or  snbttuncate  at  base,  irregularly  coarsely  dnplicato-dentate; 
lateral  veins  open,  the  lowest  decurving  to  the  middle  nerve,  craspedo- 
drome,  more  or  less  ramified. 


LMQUBBKux.]  FOSSIL   PLANTS   FROM   POINT   OF  JSOCKS.  307 

Of  tbis  species,  there  ia  the  point  of  a  leaf,  and  another  one  nearly 
entire,  though  somewhat  lacerated,  about  two  and  a  half  centimeters 
long,  including  the  petiole  (three  millimeters),  and  one  and  a  half 
centimeters  broad,  oblong  or  Ungulate,  with  borders  cut  from  the  base 
iu  comparatively  large,  pointed  teeth,  either  simple  or  with  small  pro- 
tuberances on  the  back  of  the  largest  ones ;  nervation  craspedodrome, 
the  secondary  veins  entering  the  large  teeth,  and  more  or  less  irregu- 
larly and  obscurely  dividing  iu  very  thin  branches,  joined  in  the  middle, 
and  forming  a  large,  scarcely  distinct  areolation.  By  the  form  of  the 
leaves  and  the  border-divisions,  this  species  is  comparable  and  closely 
related  to  Rhus  Pyrrhne^  Ung.,  as  figured  in  Tert.  Flor.  Helv.  of  Heer 
(PI.  CXXYI,  fig.  20),  which  has  leaves,  round  truncate  at  the  base,  and 
short- petioled,  as  in  one  of  our  specimens.  Like  Rhus  Pyrrhw^  it  is  also 
comparable  to  Rhu$  aramatiea  Ait.,  a  very  common  species  of  our  pres- 
ent fiora.  This  has  also  generally  doubly  dentate  teeth,  and,  in  southern 
specimens,  a  thickish,  membranaceous  consistence. 

Habitat. — Point  of  Rocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

'ISO.  JUGLANS  BHAMNOIDES,  LSQX. 

A  small  leaf  of  this  species,  which  is  not  yet,  however,  definitively  lim- 
ited, as  seen  from  the  description  in- Dr.  F.  V.  Ha.yden's  Report  for  1871 
(p.  294),  and  which  may  be  identical  with  Juglans  Leconteana^  Lsqx.,  and 
Vomus  acuminata^  Newby.  Though  it  may  be  of  the  value  of  the  species, 
the  leaf  from  Point  of  Rocks  is  identical  in  all  its  characters,  even 
in  its  size,  with  some  of  those  found  in  the  burned  beds  of  red  shales  at 
Black  Butte. 

Habitat. — ^Point  of  Rocks,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hay  den. 

The  three  following  species  have  been  sent  also  by  M.  Glebum  from 
near  the  Alkali  stage-station,  on  the  Sweetwater  road,  about  thirty 
miles  north  of  Green  River  station  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad.  The 
proprietor  of  the  specimens  did  not  himself  visit  the  locality,  but 
obtained  them  from  another  party,  who  did  not  give  any  details  on  the 
relative  position  of  the  beds  where  they  were  discovered.  They  repre- 
sent three  species,  all  new. 

The  character  of  the  leaves,  as  also  the  presence  of  remains  of  Palms 
at  the  same  locality,  seem  to  indicate  about  the  same  station  as  that  of 
Point  of  Rocks  or  Black  Butte.  They  are  described,  therefore,  as  of  the 
same  group. 

T  1.  ALNITES  tTNBQUILATEBALIS,  »p.  nOV. 

Leaves  thin,  variable  in  size,  broadly  oval  or  ovate-pointed,  rounded 
to  a  short  petiole ;  borders  crenato-sernite;  nervation  pinnate;  lateral 
veins  irregular  in  number  and  distance,  curving  in  passing  to  the  bor- 
ders, at  an  angle  of  divergence  of  fifty  to  sixty  degrees,  and  entering  the 
teeth  by  their  ends  or  by  small  branchlets,  wheu  they  pass  under  the 
teeth  and  follow  the  borders. 

These  leaves  vary  in  size  from  four  to  eight  centimeters  long  and 
from  three  to  six  centimeters  broad, one  of  the  sides  measuring  generally 
one-fourth  in  width  more  than  the  other.  The  irregularity  in  the  num- 
ber of  the  veins  is  correspondingly  great ;  one  of  the  leaves,  the  smallest 
for  example,  has,  on  one  side,  five  lateral  veins,  the  lower  much  branched 
outside,  and  on  the  other,  ten,  all  simple.  The  largest  of  the  leaves 
of  this  species,  which  is  represented  by  a  number  of  specimens,  is 
related  by  form  and  nervation  to  Populus  Xebrtditi,  Wat.,  which  Saporta 


308  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

conHiders  as  refenible  to  his  Alnus  oardiophylla.  It  is  represented  in  the 
Sezane  Flora  (Pl/XY,  fig.  8).  The  general  facies  of  the  American  leaves 
is,  however,  different,  the  teeth  l^ing  broader  and  more  obtase,  the 
nervation  more  distinctly  pinnate,  and  the  disposition  of  the  veins  to 
enter  the  teeth  by  their  extremity  more  marked;  and  compared  to  Alnus 
cardiophyllaj  it  is  especially  different  by  the  constant  inequality  of  the 
leaves.  This  last  character  and  the  irregularity  of  qervation  are  not  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  the  leaves  of  A  {nte^.  Alnus  viridisau^A.serrtilatu 
are,  however,  sometimes  irregularly  reined,  and  the  ineqnality  of  the 
sides  is  seen  in  a  number  of  fossil  species,  AlniM  cycladuvij  Ung.,  especl* 
ally  A,  sporadum^  Sap. 
Habitat. — Alkali  station,  Wm.  Clebum. 

T  2.  JUGLANS  ALKALINA,  Sp.  flOV. 

Leaves  pinnately  compound  ;  leaflets  lanceolate,  tapering  npward  to  a 
long  acumen,  either  narrowed  or  rounded  to  a  short  petiole ;  borders 
crenulate;  lateral  veins  distant,  mostly  alternate,  parallel,  separated  by 
short  intermediate  tertiary  veins,  curving  in  passing  toward  the  bordeiB 
at  an  open  angle  of  divergence,  and  ascending  high  along  them  in  fes- 
toons ;  nervilles  in  right  angle  to  the  veins,  branching  in  the  middle,  and 
forming,  by  subdivisions,  irregularly  quadrate  or  polygonal  meshes. 

This  species  is  represented  by  four  leaves,  and  its  characters  distinct. 
It  is  comparable  to  Juglandites  peramplus^  Sap.,  and  Juglandites  cemuuM, 
Sap.,  both  of  the  Sezane  flora,  partaking  of  some  of  the  characters  of 
both.  It  is,  however,  still  more  intimately  allied  to  Jvglans  Bilinioa, 
Heer  (Flor.  Tert.  Helv.,  Ill,  p.  90,  PI.  CXXX,  figs.  5-19),  from  which  it 
merely  differs  by  the  position  of  the  lateral  veins  at  a  more  acute  angle 
of  divergence  following  higher  up  along  the  borders,  and  by  the  thicker 
and  more  numerous  tertiary  veins. 

Habitat. — Alkali  station,  Wm.  Clebum. 

T  3.  Carpites  viburni,  «/>.  nav. 

Seeds  or  nutlets  cordate  obtuse,  five  to  seven  millimeters  long,  three 
or  four  millimeters  broad,  convex,  grooved  in  the  middle  from  the  point 
to  the  base,  surrounded  by  a  membranaceous  pellicle,  the  remains  of  au 
apparently  fleshy  outer  envelope.  They  resem  Lie  seeds  of  a  similar  kind 
which  I  have  found  in  great  quantity  at  Golden,  and  referred  to  the 
genu9  VihuTmum.  Their  form  is  like  that  of  the  seeds  of  Ff6t(n»«im 
Whympen,  Heer  (Spitz.  Flor.,  p.  60,  PI.  XllI,  figs.  22  and  27). 

Habitat. — Alkali  station,  Wm.  Cleburn. 

NEW    SPECIES    OP    TERTIARY    FOSSIL    PLANTS    BRIEFLY 

DESCRIBED. 

The  following-described  species  have  been  discovered  since  the  publi- 
cation of  the  last  annual  report  of  Dr.  F.  V.  Hay  den's  Geological  Sur> 
vey  of  the  Territories.  They  are  represented  by  specimens  sent  from 
different  localities  indicated,  with  each  species,  as  well  aa  the  name  of 
the  discoverer.  All  these  species  have  been  figured  for  the  second 
volume  of  the  Contributions  to  the  Fossil  Flora  of  the  Western  Terri- 
tories. 

/'  1.  Sphebia  bhytismoides,  sp.  nov. 

The  spots  formed  by  this  small  fungus  npon  the  bark  of  some  stems 
and  Hie  leaves  of  a  Myrica  are  composed  of  circular  perithecia,  placed 


ije»nuitifKi;x.l     NEW   SPECIES   OP   TEKTIABY   FOSSIL   PLANTS.  309 

five  or  Rix  in  a  circle,  formiDg  thus  a  small  crenulate  ring.  The 
peritbecia  become  connected  sometimes,  apparently  by  decomposition  ; 
tbey  are,  however,  generally  separated.  The  size  of  the  spots  varies 
from  one  to  two  millimeters. 

Habitat. — Black  Batte,  upon  Caulinites  Sparganioides. 

'^  2.  Htpnum  Haydenh,  «p.  nov. 

Stem  rigid,  sparingly  divided  in  nearly-  opposite,  short  branches,  in- 
flated toward  the  top,  or  clab-shaped;  leaves  closely  imbricated  all 
aroand,  lanceolate-acaminate  or  sharply  pointed,  concave.  Comparable 
especially  to  Hypnum  Bosciij  Schwgr.,  an  American  species  of  the  pres- 
ent time. 

Habitat. — South  Park,  near  Castello  Banch,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

^  3.  Lygodium  Mabyinei,  sp.  nav. 

A  single  leaflet  of  this  fine  species.  It  is  simple,  ligulate,  obtuse, 
(serrolate  above,  hastate  at  base;  middle  vein  and  veiulets  distinct; 
veins  forking  once  or  twice.  Allied  to  the  living  Lygodium  vennstum 
which  ranges  from  Mexico  to  Brazil. 

Habitat. — ^Top  of  gypsum  series, Grand  Eagle  j  unction,  A,  B,  Marvine. 

4.   IiYGODIUM  DENTONI,  «p.  flOfJ. 

Leaflets  bi-tripartite,  with  short,  obtuse  divisions  and  broad  sinuses, 
broadly  triangular,  rapidly  narrowed  to  a  subcordate  or  subtruncate 
base,  entire,  bi-trinerved  from  the  base;  primary  nerves  distinct,  like 
the  veins,  which  are  forked  once  or  twice,  and  become  very  close  along 
the  borders. 

Habitat. — Green  River  group,  near  the  mouth  of  White  into  Green 
Biver,  Frof,  yfilliam  DenUm. 


•? 


^-v 


5.  Gonioptebis  pulghblla,  f  Heer. 

An  intermetliate  form,  represented  by*  mere  fragments  of  pinnse  and 
separate  pinnules.  The  shape  of  the  pinnules  united  to  the  middle 
refers  it  to  0.  pulchella^  while  by  the  less  pointed  leaflets  and  the  nerva- 
tion it  represents  G.  Fischeri  of  the  same  author. 

Habitat. — Golden,  in  sandstone,  above  coal. 

6.  Zamiostbobus  T  mibabilis,  «p.  nov. 

This  species,  whose  reference  to  Zamice  is  not  positively  ascertained, 
is  represented  by  a  fragment,  the  half  cross-section  of  a  silicified  cone, 
about  fourteen  centimeters  in  diameter.  The  outer  surface  is  marked 
by  the  rhomboidal  obtuse  top  of  black  seeds,  or  stony  fruits,  surrounded 
by  a  white  vtiscnlosocellular  matter.  In  the  cross-section  of  the  cone, 
these  seeds,  of  an  enlarged  rhomboidal  form,  three  to  three  and  a  half 
centimeters  long,  six  to  eight  millimeters  broad,  of  the  same  size  in 
their  whole  length,  or  slightly  narrowed  to  the  base,  appear  fixed  or 
implanted  into  a  zone  of  whitish,  subpellucid  mass  of  ceilulosovascu- 
lar  filaments.  Under  this  ring  of  white  matter,  one  centimeter  thick, 
comes  the  central  part,  or  axis  of  the  cone,  represented  by  mixed  frag- 
ments of  blackish  opaque  matter,  agglutinated  and  amorphous.  The 
fruits, or  seeds,  are  represented  by  a  black,  compact,  opaque  silex,  pierced 
in  the  length  by  large  pores  or  ducts  passing  from  the  t4^p  to  the  base 
of  the  fruits.  The  intervals  between  them,  nearly  as  large  as  the  seeds, 
are  filled  by  the  same  whitish  cellulosovascular  matter  which  com- 
poses the  white  zone  wherein  the  ba^  of  the  fruits  is  embedded.    The 


310  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

figure  only  of  the  specimen  can  give  a  good  idea  of  tbis  fragment  of 
cone.  It  is  distantly  comparable,  lor  the  form  and  the  disposition  of  its 
surface-scars,  to  Androstrobus^  a  genus  established  by  8cbimper  for 
some  cylindrical  cycadeous  male  cones,  formed  of  imbricated  scales  bear- 
ing sessile  anthers  on  their  lower  surface.  For  the  position  of  the  froitSi 
it  has  a  distant  relation  to  Zamiostrobus  gibbusj  Heuss.,  a  cone  which 
shows,  in  its  section,  oblong  seeds,  in  right  angle  to  the  axis,  with  their 
tops  appciiring  at  the  outside  surface.  Both  these  cones  are  figured  ia 
Schimper's  Yeget.  Pal.  (PI.  LXXII,  ligs.  1, 2,  U,  15).  There  is,  however, 
a  great  difference  in  the  very  large  size  and  in  the  characters  of  this 
silicified  strobile  with  those  of  a  Zamia.  It  apparently  represents  a 
peculiar  genus  of  the  Cycadinece, 
Habitat. — Found  loose  around  Golden,  Dr,  F.  V.  Hayden. 

'T  7.  Sequoia  affinis,  sp.  nov. 

Branches  long,  slender,  pinnately  branching;  leaves  short,  oblong, 
imbiicated  and  obtuse;  or  longer,  lanceolate-acute,  erect  or  slightly 
retlexed ;  brancblets  bearing  cones,  open ;  strobiles  small,  round-oval, 
obtuse;  scales  large,  rhomboidal,  with  entire  borders,  a  central  oval 
mamilla,  and  wrinkles  passing  from  it  to  the  borders  all  around ;  male 
branches  erect,  with  more  acute  and  open  leaves,  resembling  sterile 
branches  of  Qlyptoatrobus  Europeus^  with  small,  round  catkins,  covered 
to  the  top  by  imbricated  lanceolate  leaves. 

Tbis  species,  of  which  we  have  numerous  and  admirably  well-preserved 
S|)ecimeus,  is  much  like  Sequoia  CouUicB^  Ueer,  of  the  Bovey-Tracry  flora, 
differing,  however,  from  it  by  the  more  obtuse  point  of  the  scale-like 
leaves,  by  more  acute  and  longer  leaves  of  the  sterile  branches,  by  more 
slender  brancblets  bearing  cones  at  their  ends,  by  proportionally  larger, 
more  oval  cones  (not  globular),  by  the  indistinctness  of  a  middle  nerve 
on  the  back  of  the  leaves,  which  appear  merely  convex  or  inflated,  etc. 
The  seeds  are  of  the  same  size  as  those  of  ti»  Coutsiw;  they  difter  also 
somewhat  by  a  cordate  base  and  a  mere  trace  of  middle  m-rve  near  the 
top,  where  it  divides  and  passes  on  both  sides,  curving  along  the  borders. 

Habitat.— Middle  Park,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 

K  9.  Sequoia  aotjminata,  sp.  nov. 

The  form  of  the  leaves  is  about  the  same  as  in  Sequoia  Xongifolia;  they 
are,  however,  generally  shorter,  narrower,  less  crowded  upon  the  stems, 
and  especially  distinct  by  the  smooth  surface  of  the  leaves.  In  this 
jspecies,  the  denudated  branches  are  striate,  while,  in  the  former,  they 
bear  the  scars  of  the  baseof  the  leaves.  This  difference,  however,  may  be 
merely  the  result  of  decortication  in  the  specimens  representing  this  last 
species. 

Habitat.— Black  Butte. 

T    10.  Sequoia!,  species. 

Cones  flattened,  apparently  long,  linear-obtuse,  marked  at  the  surface  by 
shields  of  scales,  (apophyses.)  the  only  organs  preserved.  These  are  sepa- 
rated from  each  other,  not  continuous  nor  imbricate,  rhomboidal  in  outline, 
With  acute  sides,  and  rounded  top,  bearing  in  the  middle  a  round  mamilla, 
from  which  wrinkled  lines  are  diverging  to  the  borders.  The  8i)ecimcn 
represents  two  crushed  cones,  of  which  nothing  can  be  seen  but  what  is 
described  here. 

Habitat.— Middle  Park,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden. 


i.x«Qi.^RBiJx.]  NEW   TERTIARY   FOSSIL   PLAKTS.  311 

11 .   Arundo  reperta,  9p.  nov. 

Stem  thick,  articalated ;  surface  striated,  marked  witb  roaod,  obtase 
knots,  either  placed  ou  the  articolatious  or  here  and  there  upoD  the 
stem,  without  normal  distribution }  ear  of  seeds  crushed,  representiug 
lanceolate  glumes,  sharp-poioted  and  rounded  at  base,  and  ovate-lanceo- 
l»te-acute  seeds,  truncate  at  the  base,  with  the  center  elevated  or  con- 
vex, apparently  covered  with  a  coating  of  hairs.  The  glume  is  longer 
than  the  seeds,  and  nerved  in  the  middle. 

Habitat. — Green  Biver,  west  of  the  station,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden, 

12.  Arundo  obtusa,  «p.  nor. 

Though  the  specimen  is  not  as  well  preserved  as  that  of  the  former 
species,  the  characters  of  the  organs  which  it  represents  are  discernible, 
and  indicate  a  marked  specific  diiierence.  The  strisB  or  primary  veins 
of  the  small  fragment  of  a  brunch  are  thick,  more  distinct,  and  evidently 
separated  by  four  or  five  thinner  secondary  veins ;  the  glumes  and  pallets 
are  shorter,  equally  striate,  without  middle  nerve,  and  the  seed  is  much 
shorter,  broader,  obtuse  at  one  end,  and  truncate  at  the  other.  The 
fragment  which  I  consider  a  pallet  is  slightly  emarginate  or  truncate  at 
the  point 

Habitat.— Golden,  South  Table  Mountain. 


-7 

I    < 


13.  Palm AOiTES  Goldianits,  «p.  nor. 

Species  representing  a  large  i'ragment  of  a  flabellat^  leaf  with  five  to 
nine  rays  on  each  side,  of  a  flat,  narrow,  linear  rachis.  Biiys  averaging 
one  and  a  half  centimeters  broad,  marked  by  deep,  narrow  farrows, 
without  costsB,  joining  the  rachis  in  an  acute  angle  of  twenty  degrees, 
united  to  it  by  their  whole  undiminished  base,  without  decurring  along 
it.  Surface  somewhat  shining;  substance  thick ;  primary  veins  distinct 
at  least  in  some  places,  where  the  epidermis  is  destroyed,  two  to  two 
and  a  half  millimeters  distant,  separated  by  ten  secondary  veinlets,  thin, 
but  often  discernible  to  the  naked  eyes. 

Ha  bit  AT. — Golden. 

'Tl4.  Sabal  oommunis,  9p.  nav. 

Leaves  of  medium  size,  borne  upon  a  nearly  flat  or  merely  convex 
petiole,  its  top  passing  at  the  upper  side  into  a  short  acuminate  rachis, 
while  on  the  lower  side  it  is  cut liorizontuUy  or  nearly  truncate;  rays 
not  very  numerous,  the  lowest  in  right  angle  to  the  rachis,  not  descend- 
ing lower  than  its  base,  rapidly  enlarging,  carinately  folded  near  the 
point  of  attachment  to  the  rachis,  becoming  mostly  flat  or  scarcely 
OS) rinate  upward ;  caiinie  narrowly  costate;  primary  veins  broad,  gen- 
erally black  when  the  epidermis  is  removed,  one  to  two  millimeters 
apart;  intermediate  veins  thin  and  numerous,  avemging  twelve  in  the 
large  intervals  of  two  millimeters.  This  species  is  closely  related  to 
Babat  andegaviensis^  Schp.  of  the  Eocene  of  Angers,  France. 

Habitat. — Golden,  where  it  is  common. 

"y  15.  Myrica  Ludwigii,  Schp. 

Leaves  of  middle  size,  subcoriaceous,  oblong  or  linear-lanceolate, 
gradually  tapering  into  a  long  entire  acumen,  distantly  and  deeply  den- 
tate along  the  borders ;  middle  nerve  thick  ;  secondary  veins  suboppo- 
site,  open,  parallel,  curving  in  passing  to  the  borders,  camptodrome, 
forking  at  the  base  of  the  teeth,  the  branches  entering  them,  while  the 
top  of  the  veins  is  curved  along  the  borders. 

Habitat. — Green  lUver  group,  near  mouth  of  White  Biver,  Prof.  W. 
Denton. 


312       GEOLOaiCAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBRITOBIES. 

"^  16.  Mybiga  insignis,  sp.  nov. 

Leaf  meinbraoaoeoas,  large,  narrowly-oval  or  oblonf?  acaminate,  prn- 
uatelylobed ;  lobes  short,  entire,  tarned  npward,  triangalar-acate;  lateral 
ueina  open,  slightly  carving  in  passing  to  the  point  of  the  lobes ;  tertiary 
veins  nearly  as  thick  as  the  secondary  ones,  forking  ander  the  acote  sinuaes 
of  the  lobes,  the  branches  ascending  along  the  sides ;  areolation  large, 
I)olygonal,  formed  b.v  the  anastomosis  in  the  middle  of  the  areas  of 
nervilles  at  right  angle  to  the  veins.  There  are  of  this  beantifQl  apeeies 
two  fragments  of  leaves,  indicating  the  average  size  of  ten  ceotimeterB 
long  and  four  centimeters  broad.  The  point,  as  in  the  former  species,  is 
entire,  and  still  more  rapidly  and  acutely  acuminate;  and  the  lobes, 
alternate,  short,  equal  and  similar,  give  to  this  species  a  beaatifol  ap- 
'  pearance. 

Habitat. — Middle  Park,  Dr.  F.  F.  Hayden. 

^  \   17.  Mtbioa  f  Lessigiana,  sp.  not?. 

This  species  is  represented  by  nearly  the  half  of  the  leaf,  enormous, 
at  leastif  it  belongs  to  this  genus.  Leaf  linear,  oblong  in  outline,  deeply 
lobed ;  lobes  ojiposite,  ovate-lanceolate,  obtusely  pointed,  at  an  open 
angle  of  divergence,  entire,  joined  at  a  short  distance  of  the  thick  mid- 
dle nerve  in  obtuse  sinuses ;  lateral  veins  thick,  subopposite  on  an 
open  angle  of  divergence,  asceridiug  to  the  point  of  the  lobes,  rami- 
fied from  the  middle  npward  in  branches  curving  to  and  along  the  bor- 
ders ;  tertiary  veins,  variable  in  thickness,  relative  position  and  direction, 
some  forking  under  the  sinuses,  and  passing  upon  both  sides  of  it; 
others  traversing  the  large  intervals  betweetl  the  b9>se  of  the  secondary 
veins  and  the  borders  of  the  lobes,  and  following  the  borders  in  multiple 
festoons;  areolation  of  the  same  character  as  in  the  former  species,  the 
large  areolse,  however,  being  subdivided  in  very  small  meshes  of  the 
same  character.    • 

This  magnificent  leaf  seems  of  a  pellucid  texture,  though  thick ;  at 
least,  all  the  details  of  areolation  and  nervation  are  distinctly  perceiv- 
able in  black  upon  the  chestnut-color  of  the  leaf.  Though  the  fragment 
does  not  represent  one-half  of  the  leaf,  the  terminal  leaflet  being  de- 
stroyed, and  the  base  also,  still  it  is  twenty-three  centimeters  long  and 
eighteen  centimeters  broad,  each  lobe  being  nine  to  ten  centimeters 
long  from  the  middle  nerve  to  the  pomt^  and  seven  and  a  half  centime- 
ters broad  between  the  sinuses.  It  is  doubtful  if  this  leaf  represents,  as 
the  former,  a  species  of  the  section  of  the  CampUmia,  It  resembles 
Camptonia  grandifolia^  CTDg-j  which  was  till  now  considered  as  the  giant 
representative  of  the  section,  but  whose  leaf  is  scarcely  half  as  large  as 
this.  The  nervation  and  areolation  of  this  leaf  are  of  the  8amecha^ 
acter  as  that  of  Myrica^  identical,  indeed,  to  that  of  3/.  Matheraniane  Sap., 
Et.  II,  2y  p.  93,  T.  v..  Fig.  7,  whose  lobes  are  also  of  the  same  form.  It 
is  much  larger,  however,  too  large  it  seems  for  a  Myrica.  By  the  forin 
of  the  leaf  it  is  comparable  to  Ardlia  multifida  Sas,  Et.  1, 1,  T.  Xli,  f. 
1  and  1^,  and  also  but  more  distantly  to  Ciissaniapolydrys  Uug.,  Flora 
von  Euboea,  p.  47,  T  XVII,  f.  L 

Habitat. — Found  in  connection  with  abed  of  lignite  west  of  Denver, 
Colo.,  aud  kindly  communicated  by  Mr.  TF.  H.  Lessig^  who  discovered 
it,  aud  had  the  specimen  framed  in  a  bedding  of  plaster. 

\'  13.  Betula  Vogdesii,  sp.  nov. 

Leaves  small,  ovate,  acutely-pointed,  rounded,  and  narrowed  to  the 
petiole,  minutely  serrulate,  penniuerve,  lateral  veins  distant,  opposite  ator 


UBM)umux.j  NEW  TEBTIAEY   FOSSIL  PLANTS.  813 

near  the  base,  simple  or  rarely  brancbiDg,  passing  up  in  an  angle  of 
divergence  of  thirty  to  thirty-five  degrees,  nearly  straight  to  the  bor- 
ders, craspedodrome ;  details  of  areolation  obsolete. 

Habitat.— Near  Fort  Fetterman,  in  connection  with  a  profusion  of 
remains  of  Tmxodium  distiehumj  Ideutenaait  Vogdes. 

^   19.  CASTANEA  INTEBHEDIA,  4^.  nOf. 

Leaves  proportionally  long  and  narrow,  linear-lanceolate  pointed, 
narrowed  to  the  base ;  borders  equally  and  sharply  dentate ;  teeth  acu- 
minate, turned  upward ;  areolation  and  nervation  similar  to  that  of 
Castanea  Veaca.  By  its  character  it  is  intermediate  between  Castanea 
JJngeri  of  the  Miocene  and  0.  vesca* 

Habitat. — Middle  Park,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden.  ^ 

~  20.  CARPINUS  aBANBIB,  Uug. 

This  species,  so  common  in  the  Miocene  of  Europe,  is  represented  ia 
oar  flora  by  a  number  of  leaves  identical  in  all  the  characters. 
Habitat. — Near  Florissant,  South  Park,  Dr.  F.  F.  Hayden. 

T   21.  QUEBCUS  Haidingebi,  Ett 

Leaf  ovate-lanceolate,  narrowed  to  the  base  (point  broken) ;  borders 
obtusely  crenatoserrate ;  lateral  veins  numerous,  close,  on  an  angle  of 
divergence  of  forty  to  forty-five  degrees,  rarely  branching,  camptodrome 
and  craspedodrome.  The  leaf  appears  to.be  tapering  to  a  point.  It  is 
upon  coarse  sandstone,  and  the  details  of  areolation  are  totally  oblit- 
erated. By  its  form,  the  divisions  of  the  borders,  and  the  nervation,  it 
agrees  with  the  characters  of  the  species,  except  that  in  this  leaf  the  mid- 
dle nerve  is  not  thick,  as  described  by  Heer. 

Habitat.— Green  River,  Dr.  F.  V.  Haydei^ 

'^  22.  Planeba  UNaEBi,  Ett. 

Leaves  short-petioled,  ovate,  acuminate,  narrowed  to  the  base,  simply, 
coarsely  serrate  Irom  the  middle  upward }  secondary  veins  nine  pairs, 
passing  up  to  the  point  of  the  teeth  in  an  acute  angle  of  divergence.  This 
form,  though  represented  by  one  leaf  only,  is  in  entire  concordance  of 
characters  with  those  of  this  species  widely  distributed  in  the  Miocene  of 
Surope. 

Habitat.— South  Park,  Capt.  Ed.  Berthaud. 


T   > 


23.  Ficus  ovALis,  8p.  nov . 

The  only  leaf  repeseuting  this  species  is  coriaceous,  oval,  entire,  nar- 
rowing in  a  curve  to  a  long  thick  or  flat  broad  petiole,  grooved  in  the 
middle  penninerv;  lateral  vein  alternate,  camptodrome,  curving  along 
the  borders  in  fiestoous ;  tertiary  veins  short }  areolation  obsolete.  The 
upper  part  of  the  leaf  is  broken. 

Habitat.— Pleasant  Park,  Plum  Creek,  Dr,  F.  V.  Hayden. 

I  24.  Picus  PSEUDO-popuLUS,  sp.  nav. 

Jjeaves  oval-pointed,  narrowed  to  the  petiole,  entire,  three^erved  from 
the  top  of  the  petiole;  lateral  veins  at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence, 
like  the  secondary  veins,  two  or  three  pairs,  the  lower  of  which  is  at  a 
great  distance  from  the  primary  ones,  camptodrome;  nervilles  distinct, 
in  right  angle  to  the  midrib,  crossed  by  oblique  brauchlets,  forming  a 
large    equilateral  or   polygonal   areolation.     A    remarkal>id  species, 


314       QEOLOGICAL  SUBVET  OF  THE  TEBRITOBIES. 

resembling  a  Cinfiamomum  by  the  nervation  of  its  leaves  and  a  Zizjfphru 
by  the  form. 

Habitat. — Evanston,  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden.     . 

>•!   - 
T  25,  Ficus  Wyomingiana,  ap.  nov. 

May  be  a  variety  of  the  former,  resembliog  it  closely  by  the  form  of 
the  entire,  long-petioled  leaf.  The  difiterence  is  marked,  however,  by 
the  total  absence  of  secondary  veins;  the  middle  nerve  bein^  joined 
to  the  lateral  ones  by  strong  nervilles  in  right  angle. 

Habitat. — West  of  Green  Biver  station,  Dr.  F.  V.  Haydenu 

^  26.  Diosp YEOS  !  FiGOiDE A,  «p.  nov. 

Leaf  ovate,  narrowed  to  a  point  (broken),  rounded  to  the  petiole, 
thickish,  entire,  pinnately- nerved;  midrib  thick,  deeply  marked,  as  also 
the  secondary  veins,  parallel,  at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence,  all  doubly 
camptodrome ;  fibrillaB  thick,  nearly  in  right  angle  to  the  veins,  divided 
in  the  middle;  areolation  square  or  polygonal ;  surface  rough.  The 
generic  relation  of  these  leaves  is  not  satisfactorily  fixed. 

Habitat.— Black  Butte. 

^  27.  Viburnum  platanoides,  sp.  nov. 

This  species  essentially  differs  from  Viburnum  marginodum  by  the  less 
numerous,  more  open,  lateral  veins,  whose  branches  are  more  curved  in 
passing  up  to  the  borders,  and  especially  by  the  enlarged  truncate  or 
snbiruucate  base  of  the  leaves.  The  direction  of  the  veins  along  the 
lower  branches  of  the  lateral  veins  is  the  same,  and  the  borders  are  den- 
tate in  the  same  manner,  though  not  black -margined  as  in  V.  margin- 
atum. 

Habitat. — Black  Butte,  mixed  with  Saurian  bones,  and  as  abun- 
dant in  that  bed  as  is  its  congener,  in  the  shale  above  the  main  coal 
of  the  same  locality. 

T   28.  CiSSUS  PABOTTIJSFOLIA,  Sp.  nOV. 

Leaves  ovate-subcordate  or  narrowed  to  tne  base,  gradually  and  ob- 
tusely pointed,  undulato-crenate,  threenerved  from  the  top  of  the  peti- 
ole or  from  a  little  above  the  border- base ;  lower  secondary  veins  at  a 
distance  from  the  primary  ones,  which  are  much  divided ;  all  the  branches, 
like  the  secondary  veins,  craspedodrome ;  nervilles  strong,  in  right  angle 
to  the  veins;  areolation  small,  square,  b^  subdivision  of  veinlets. 

The  species  is  represented  by  a  few  leaves,  one  of  them,  fragmentaiy, 
has  a  cordate,  unequal  base,  and  may  belong  to  a  different  species. 

Habitat. — Green  Biver,  west  of  the  station,  Dr.  F.  V.  Sayden. 

K  29.  Bhamnus  Bossmasslebi  f ,  Heer. 

Leaves  oblong-obovate,  obtusely  pointed,  entire,  narrowed  to  the  base, 
penninerve ;  secondary  veins  close,  parallel,  passing  to  the  borders  nearly 
straight  and  curving  along  them  in  festoons.  These  leaves  are  small; 
one  only  is  preserved  entire;  their  speciQc  relation  is  not. fixed. 

Habitat.— Black  Butte. 

^  30.  Phaseolites  juglandinus  !,  Heer. 

Leaflets  of  an  apparently  compound  leaf,  oval-oblong,  obtusely  pointed, 
rounded  to  a  short  petiole,  entire,  subcoriaceous,  penninerve;  lateral 
veins  parallel,  distinctly  camptodrome,  and  following  the  borders  in  fes- 
toons ;  ultimate  areolation  small,  irregularly  quadrate. 


7' 


1 


UBQURREux.]  NEW   TERTIARY   FOSSIL   PLANTS.  315 

The  species  may  be  different  from  tbe  Earopean  one  bearing  tbis 
name,  but  it  appears  to  differ  only  by  more  open  secondary  veins. 

Habitat. — Green  Kiver  group,  near  month  of  White  Eiver,  Prof. 
Wm,  Denton. 

31.    liEGUHlNOSITES  ALTERNANS,  «p*  noV, 

Leaflet  lanceolate,  narrowed  to  the  sessile  base  (point  broken),  appa- 
rently tapering  and  acute;  borders  entire;  secondary  veins  close,  nu- 
merous, fifteen  pairs  in  a  space  of  two  and  a  half  centimeters,  with  in- 
termediate shorter  tertiary  veins  anastomosing  by  crossing  veiulets; 
areolation  obsolete.  This  leaf  is  comparable  to  a  Dalhergia  or  a  Podo- 
gonium  by  its  nervation ;  its  form,  especially  the  narrowed  base,  is  com- 
parable to  Cassia. 

Habitat. — Near  month  of  White  Eiver,  Prof.  W.  Denton. 

32.  Sapindus  Dentoni,  sp.  nov. 

Xieaves  lanceolote,  gradually  narrowed  to  a  long  acnmen,  nnequilat- 
eral  and  rounded  at  base  to  a  short  petiole,  entire  or  slightly  undulate, 
thick ;  secondary  veins  close,  parallel,  diverging  forty  to  fifty  degrees, 
thick,  straight  to  the  borders,  where  they  abruptly  curve,  and  which  they 
closely  follow. 

Species  allied  to  Sapindus  falcifoliuSy  Heer,  but  remarkably  distinct 
from  this  and  other  congeners  by  tbe  thick,  close,  lateral  veins  straight 
to  the  borders,  where  they  curve  so  abruptly  that  they  appear  at  first 
sight  as  craspedodrome.  The  areolation  is  of  the  same  character  tis 
that  of  S.  falcifolius. 

Habitat. — Green  Eiver  group,  near  mouth  of  White  Eiver,  Prof.  W. 
Denton. 

33.  LOMATIA  MIGROPHTLLA,  sp.  noV. 

Leaves  very  small,  thick,  coriaceous,  linear-lanceolate,  gradually  nar- 
rowed to  a  point,  and  in  the  same  degree  to  the  base ;  secondary  veins 
simple,  thin,  in  an  open  angle  of  divergence,  connected  to  a  marginal 
vein.  We  have  two  leaves  of  this  fine  species.  It  is  comparable  to 
Lomatiafirma^  Heer,  of  the  Baltic  flora,  but  very  small  and  thick;  the 
snrface  mostly  covered  by  a  coating  of  coaly  matter. 

Habitat. — Same  locality  as  the  former,  Prof  W.  Denton. 

A  large  number  of  fruits  and  seeds,  considered  under  the  name  of 
Palmacites^  CatpoliteSy  etc.,  have  been  figured  i'or  the  Lignitic  Flora.  As 
the  characters  of  these  organs  cannot  be  represented  by  mere  description, 
they  are  not  mentioned  in  this  short  synopsis. 


A  REVIEW  OF  THE  CRETACEOUS  FLORA  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 


§1.— GENERAL  BEMABKS. 

The  formation  known  ander  the  name  of  Dakota  group  is  positively 
determined  as  Cretaceous  by  the  animal-remains  profusely  embedded 
into  the  strata  overlying  it.    This  fact  has  been  repeatedly  and  cleari; 
exposed  in  the  former  reports  of  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden.    As  this  formatioo 
rests  immediately  upon  thick  limestone  beds  of  Permian  age,  its  Aon, 
which  is  mostly  represented  by  dicotyledonous  leaves,  has  apparently  no 
ancestors  in  this  country.    In  Enro[)e,  the  dicotyledonous  plants  of  tb» 
Cretaceous  epoch  are  scarcely  known,  or,  at  least,  they  have  not  yet 
been  satisfactorily  studied  and  described.    The  more  recent  and  impor- 
tant publication  on  the  subject  refers  to  the  Cretaceous  of  Greenland, 
and  exposes  the  specific  characters  of  a  proportionally  large  namber  of 
Cryptogams  and  Gymnosperms,  Ferns,  Conifers,  Cycads,  with  few  Dicoty- 
ledonous.   Three  of  these  only  are  represented  in  the  flora  of  the  Dakota 
group.    There  is,  therefore,  from  antecedents  or  from  contemporaneoas 
floras,  no  points  of  comparison  to  which  the  character  of  the  plants  of  this 
group  might  be  referred.     For  analogies,  we  have  to  look  to  spe- 
cies described  from  more  recent  epochs.    And,  in  these  researches, 
the  paleontologist  is  met  with  another  kind  of  difficulty.    The  straU 
where  the  dicotyledonous  leaves  are  found  in  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Dakota, 
&c.,  are  separated  from  the  Lignitic-Tertiary  formations  by  a  few  tboa- 
sand  feet  of  measures,  mostly  shale  and  sandstone,  all  of  marine  origin, 
with  animal  fossil-remains  denoting  an  uninterrupted  series  of  Creta- 
ceous types.    These  strata  are  generally  overlaid  by  heavy  beach-sand- 
stone locally  interspersed  with  fucoldal  remains,  extremely  abundant  in 
some  places,  or  with  a  mass  of  crushed,  half-pulverized  fragmentsof  land- 
plants.     Over  this,  the  Lignite  beds  come  to  view,  with  their  accom- 
panying shales  and  sandstones,  wherein  vegetable  remains  are  found 
sometimes  in  profusion  and  in  a  beautiful  state  of  preservation.    Here, 
then,  we  should  expect  to  recognize  forms  of  leaves  or  species,  if  not 
identical  with  those  of  the  Dakota  group,  at  least  showing,  as  probsble 
offsprings,  some  affinity  of  characters  with  them.    This  as  yet  is  not 
the  case.    The  typical  forms  of  leaves  of  the  iN'orth  American  Creta- 
ceous are  not  at  all  repeated  in  the  Lower  Lignitic  flora  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  not  more  than  they  are  in  the  Lower  Eocene  of  Earope. 
With  the  exception,  however,  of  the  peculiar  type  of  oak  and  chestnat, 
Bryaphyllumy  which  originates  in  the  Middle  Cretaceous  of  both  con- 
tinents, is  recognized  in  species  of  the  Lower  Eocene  of  France,  Sezaud 
and  Gelinden,  as  in  that  of  Point  of  Bocks,  in  Wyoming,  and  leaving 
some  of  its  representatives  in  all  the  geological  series,  passes  to  tbd 
flora  of  our  time.    Some  few  more  leaves  of  the  Dakot>a  group  have  a 
relation  to  species  of  Evanston,  especially  to- those  of  Miocene  of  Car- 
bon, in  the  same  proportion,  about,  as  they  have  to  Miocene  species  oi 
Europe ;  more  still  are  closely  allied  to  species  of  the  Pliocene  of  Oali* 
I'omia ;  but  the  analogies  become  far  more  evident  and  marked,  also,  b; 

316 


t.Ka<iXj:BREUx-]  REVIEW   OP   CRETACEOUS   FLORA*  817 


nnmeroas  points  of  similarity,  in  the  present  vegetation  of  'the 
.^trlnntic  slope  of  North  America. 

"Xljis  absence  of  related  forms  in  the  nearest  geological  series  of  the 
Ojnetaceous,  the  re-appearance,  also,  of  Cretaceous  types  in  more  recent 
fox-matlons,  and  especially  at  this  time,  are  perplexing,  indeed,  to  1  he 
qoerist,  surrounding  the  study  of  this  flora  with  a  great  deal  of  nncer- 
'ta.inty  and  of  difficulty.    Who  can  believe  that  the  dicotyledonous  plants, 
^^irliich  were  destined  to  take  such  an  immense  predominance  in  the  vege- 
t:at^ion  of  the  world,  were,  from  the  beginning,  the  same  as  they  are  now  ? 
S^ow  suppose  that,  after  their  exclusion  from  the  floras  of  long  geo- 
log^icar  epochs,  a  number  of  them  have  re-appeared  anew,  with  their 
original  characters?    This  would  seem  an  anomaly,  in  contradiction  to 
'wliat  is  known,  or,  rather,  generally  admitted  in  regard  to  the  succession, 
'tlie  DQultiplication,  and  the  improvement  of  types,  in  following  the  ascend- 
ii3^  grade  of  the  vegetable  reign  in  its  development.    Do  we  not  miS' 
take  in  recording,  as  evident  and  close  points  of  affinity,  what  may  be 
mere  illusional  appearances  I    Questions  of  this  kind  give  to  the  study 
of  the  North  American  Cretaceous  flora  a  higher  degree  of  importance, 
'but,  at  the  same  time,  force  the  paleontologist,  who  is  trying  to  decipher 
tlie  hieroglyphic  records  of  the  old  floras,  to  pursue  his  researches  with 
tiie  greatest  caution,  reviewing  again  and  again  the  forms  which  lie  con- 
siders as  specific,  comparing  them  from  as  large  a  number  of  specimens 
as  may  be  obtainable,  especially  studying  their  relations  with  the  veg- 
etable contemporaneous  types  recognized  in  the  same  formations,  or  in 
those  of  another  country.    This  renders  the  acquisition  and  the  study  of 
new  materials  constantly  desirable,  and,  therefore,  subject  the  conclu- 
sions arrived  at  to  possible  modifications.    For  this  reason,  the  first 
volume  of  the  Cretaceous  flora  of  the  Dakota  group  should  be  considered 
as  an  incomplete  memorial,  to  which  successive  supplements  have  to  be 
added  by  every  one  who,  engaged  in  paleontological  I'esearches,  is  in 
po8ition  to  get  specimens  of  fossil  plants  from  this  group.    The  present 
review  is  one  of  these  supplements,  demanded  tor  the  reasons  alluded 
above;  first,  by  the  discoveries  in  the  Cretaceous  formations  of  new  and 
important  materials,  modifying,  by  their  characters,  generic  divisions 
fixed  from  insufficient  specimens,  or  adding  new  species  or  new  types  to 
those  which  were  already  knoWu ;  and,  secondly,  by  the  critical  notices 
of  learned  friends,  at  home  and  abroad,  who,  sensible  to  the  importance 
of  the  data  ofllerea  to  science  by  the  first  exposition  of  the  flora  of  the 
Dakota  group,  have  urged  me  to  pursue  the  work  merely  begun,  and 
to  bring  forth,  without  delay,  the  results  obtained  by  these  new  re* 
searches. 

There  is,  however,  still  another  and  more  forcible  inducement  to  re- 
view successively  the  data  procured  by  new  researches  and  discoveries, 
in  addition  to  our  knowledge  of  the  North  American  Cretaceous  flora. 
It  is  the  insufficiency  of  the  materials  obtainable  fortbecomparison  and  the 
determination  of  specimensof  fossil  plantsin  thiscountry.  Messrs*  Debey 
and  Ettlngbansen  began  the  study  of  the  Cretaceous  flora  of  Belgium  al- 
ready in  1843.  After  spendinga  few  yearsin  exploring  the  Cretaceous  for- 
mation in  its  geological  and  stratigraphical  distribution  and  in  collecting 
specimens,  having,  as  they  supposed,  about  three  hundred  species  to  an- 
alyze, they  published,  in  1848,  an  abridged  synopsis  or  general  review  of 
the  Cretaceous  flora  of  Belgium,  describing  then  only  a  new  genus  of 
Conifers,  and  a  few  species  referable  to  it.*  In  1849  they  still  published,  as 

*  Ubersicht  der  unveltliobeD  Pflanzenreete  dcs  Kreidegcbii^es  tiberbaupt,  nnd  der 
Aacbener  Kreidescbichten  im  Besonderen,  in  Verb,  des  nat.  VereiDee  d.  preos.  RheiD- 
landd,  1848. 


31ft  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OP   THE   TERRITORIES. 

eA^deDce  of  the  progress  of  their  researches,  a  catalogue,  names  only,  of 
seventy  species  of  their  Belgian  Cretaceous  plants.  But  after  they  had 
enlarged  their  collection  of  specimens,  and  pursued  their  work  of  compar- 
isoD,  they  were  soon  called  to  review  their  first  determinations  and  to 
acknowledge  that  very  few  of  their  former  specifications  could  be  pre- 
served, as  they  had  to  unite  in  one  species  a.  number  of  forms  which  were 
first  considered  as  different,  or  to  separate  some  others  which  they  had 
formerly  admitted  as  identical.  In  1850  the  great  herbarium  of  the 
Botanical  Garden  of  London  was  opened  to  them,  and  they  had  free  ac- 
cess to  the  immense  materials,  especially  exotic  species  of  plants  of  the 
present  time,  which  they  wished  to  have  for  comparing  the  vegetable 
forms  of  the  Cretaceous.  In  1851  the  celebrated  authors  published  an- 
other short  genial  review  of  the  Cretaceous  flora  of  Maestrich.  These 
were  merely  introductory  memoirs  to  the  work  which  they  had  under- 
taken, and  for  which  they  acknowledge  the  assistance  received,  not  only 
by  direct  communications  of  the  greatest  botanists  and  paleontologists 
of  the  time,  Brongniart,  Decaisne,  Hooker,  &c.,  but  also  by  the  free  use 
of  the  largest  botanical  and  paleontological  collections  of  Europe,  and 
of  scientific  libraries,  where  they  could  study,  from  its  origin,  the  lit- 
erature referable  to  vegetable  paleontology }  all  the  papers,  even  the 
most  unimportant,  which  have  been  published  on  the  subject.  It  was 
only,  in  1859,  and  after  nearly  fifteen  years  of  stpd}',  that  the  first 
and  second  parts  of  their  work  were  published.  The  first,  concerning  the 
Thallophytes,  describes  and  represent,  in  three  plates,  eighteen  species 
of  Fucoids,  or  marine  plants,  four  species  of  Fungi,  and  one  Lichen. 
The  second  part,  on  the  Acrobrise,  describes,  with  figures,  forty-one  spe- 
cies of'  Ferns,  and  two  species  of  doubtful  relation  to  this  family. 
Since  then  nothing  more  of  this  work  has  been  published,  and  we  know 
the  dicotyledonous  leaves,  whose  remains  are  said  to  abound  in  the  Bel- 
gian Cretaceous  formation,  merely  by  some  generalities  related  to  their 
classification  and  a  few  generic  names. 

The  work  of  the  European  authors  is  certainly  of  the  highest  scien- 
tific order,  and  might  be  taken  as  a  model  to  be  followed  for  proceeding 
in  paleontological  researches  in  our  country.  But  who  could  work  ten 
to  fifteen  years  in  preparing  the  publication  of  a  report,  when  in  his  re- 
searches a  naturalist  does  not  find  any  materials  for  comparison.  We 
have,  as  yet,  no  valuable  collections  in  vegetable  paleontology,  and  it  is 
especially  because  the  first  materials  have  to  be  carefully  prepared  for 
institutions  of  this  kind,  that  the  paleontologist  is  called  to  review  and 
correct  his  determinations  as  fast  as  new  materials  are  prepared  for  ex- 
amination. 

The  plants  of  the  Dakota  group,  as  known  mostly  by  detached 
leaves,  are  striking  by  the  beauty,  the  elegance,  the  variety  of  their 
forms,  and  of  their  size.  In  all  this  they  are  fully  comparable  to  those 
of  any  geological  epoch  as  well  as  to  those  of  our  time.  From  entirely 
developed  leaves,  less  than  one  inch  in  size,  they  show  all  the  gradations 
of  size  to  one  foot,  even  to  one  foot  and  one-half  in  diameter.  The 
multiplicity  of  forms  recognized  for  a  single  species  is  quite  as  marked 
as  it  might  be  upon  any  tree  of  our  forests.  And  to  expose  the  admira- 
ble elegance  of  their  forms,  it  suffices  to  say  that,  at  fii-st  sight,  they 
forcibly  recall  those  of  the  most  admired  species  of  our  time:  the  tulip- 
tree,  the  magnolia,  the  sassafras,  the  sweet-gum,  the  plane-tree,  the 
beach,  the  aralia,  &c.  The  leaves  of  Protophyllum  Stemhtrgii  have  the 
size  and  the  facies  of  those  of  the  catalpa,  one  of  our  finest  ornamental 
trees.  Those  of  Menispermites  obtusilobaj  of  Protogpermum  quadratum, 
represent  in  the  same  manner  some  of  the  rarest  shrubs,  Metii^permum^ 


iJKSQUEBEiix]  EEVIEW   OP  CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  ♦SIS 

JS^erdinandia^  &g.,  carefally  raised  in  conservatories  for  the  graoe- 
ful  forms  of  their  leaves  or  the  richness  of  their  vegetation.  It  is 
indeed  the  first  impression  received  from  the  beauty  of  forms  of  the 
leaves  of  the  North  American  Oretaceoas,  and  the  evident  likeness 
of  their  facies  to  that  of  the  finest  vegetable  types  of  our  time  as  we  see 
t.bem  around  as,  which  strikes  the  paleontologist  and  may  lead  hiui  into 
error,  in  forcing  upon  the  mind  the  belief  of  a  typical  identity  where, 
possibly,  there  may  be  a  mere  likeness  of  outlines,  a  casual  similarity 
of  forms  in  the  leaves.  For,  really,  when  we  enter  into  a  more  detailed 
analysis  of  these  Cretaceous  leaves,  we  are  by  and  by  forcibly  impressed 
by  the  strangeness  of  the  characters  of  some  of  them,  which  seem  at 
variance  with  any  of  those  recognized  anywhere  in  the  floras  of  our 
time,  and  unobserved  also  in  those  of  the  geological  intermediate 
periods.  Not  less  surprised  are  we  to  see  united  in  a  single  leaf,  or 
species,  characters  which  are  now  generally  found  separated  in  far  dis- 
tant families  of  plants.  The  leaves  of  Eremophyllum^  so  striking  by 
the  peculiar  appendages  of  their  borders;  those  of  Anomopliyllum^  refer- 
able to  planes  by  one  half,  to  oaks  by  the  other;  those  of  Vlatanvs 
obtusHoba,  half  Acer^  &c.,  are  of  this  kind.  On  another  side,  the  charac- 
ters of  some  of  the  Cretaceous  species  are  sometimes  of  such  a  transient 
or  indefinite  order  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  take  hold  of  them  and 
to  expose  them  with  a  degree  of  reliance.  At  first  sight  they  seem 
very  distinct,  but,  in  comparing  a  number  of  specimens,  the  differences 
dwindle  by  unmistakable  transit^ions,  and  disappear.  In  other  leaves, 
on  the  contrary,  visibly  identical  by  their  outlines,  the  nervation  is  so 
different  that  they  are  forcibly  separated  and  referred  to  far  distant 
generic  divisions.  Hence,  this  flora  does  not  leave  any  satisfaction, 
any  rest,  to  the  mind.  Even  the  most  clearly  defined  types  become 
doubtful  in  regard  to  their  integrity  when  we  see  others,  which  at  first 
were  recognized  as  positively  fixed,  manifesting  instability  and  pointing 
to  diversity  of  relations  by  the  discovery  of  new  specimens.  The 
leaves  considered  first  as  Sassafras  seemed  evidently  referable  to  this 
genus;  but  when  leaves  of  the  same  type  were  found  with  dentate 
borders,  though  bearing  besides  all  the  characters  of  a  genus  which 
belongs  to  the  LaurinecBj  a  family  where,  as  yet,  no  representative  has 
been  found  with  dentate  borders  of  leaves ;  when  others  were  obtained 
with  subdivision  of  the  lower  lobes  in  two  or  three,  thus  showing  the 
palmate  shape  of  Aralia  leaves,  the  confidence  in  the  value  of  the  char- 
acters at  first  recognized  had  to  be  abandoned. 

This  revision  l)ears,  therefore,  on  the  degree  of  relation,  or  of  generic 
identity,  which  may  exist  between  the  leaves  of  the  Dakota  group  and 
species  of  plants  living  at  our  time  in  this  country  or  described  from 
intermediate  geological  periods;  on  the  degree  of  persistence  in  the 
characters  which  have  been,  or  should  be,  considered  as  specific  in  the 
determination  of  these  leaves ;  on  the  essential  types  of  the  Cretaceous 
flora  considered  as  original,  derived,  or  ancestors.  These  questions 
cannot  be  examined  in  the  order  where  they  are  presented  above ;  but 
they  may  be  touched  upon,  as  far  as  opportunity  is  offered,  in  remark- 
ing upon  the  different  vegetable  groups  represented  in  this  flora. 

It  is  remarkable  that  though  the  Dakota  group  formation  is  recog- 
nized as  marine  by  the  presence  of  marine  fossil  mollusks,  no  remains 
of  marine  plants  have  been  to  this  time  found  in  any  part  of  its  strata. 
Divers  reasons  may  be  suggested  in  explanation  of  this  fact ;  the  coarse- 
ness of  the  matrix,  for  example,  wherein  the  vegetable  fragments  were 
imbedded,  and  where  mere  cellular  and  soft  plants  could  not  be  pre- 
served.   The  fossilization  of  the  leaves  in  the  red  ferruginous  shale  of 


320  .      GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

the  Dakota  group  is  not  a  true  petrification.  The  forms  or  casts  onlr 
are  left  after  the  total  destraction  of  the  sabstance.  This  may  explain 
how  most  of  the  leaves  which  have  been  obtained  trom  this  gronp  of  the 
Gretaceoas  are  of  a  coarse,  thick,  corinceons  texture.  The  delicate  or- 
gans of  plants,  like  thin  leaves  or  sea-weeds,  may  therefore  have  been 
totally  destroyed.  If  it  is  so,  we  know  from  this  flora  a  part  only,  the 
one  which  is  represented  by  leaves  of  a  hard  tissue  and  by  somelfraits 
and  stems.  At  different  places  and  horizons  of  the  forqsation.  especially 
near  the  upper  part  and  at  the  base  of  the  measures,  one  finds  thin  beds 
of  black,  plastic,  soft  clay,  where  reuiains  of  plants  could  be  preserved 
in  their  integrity  even  with  the  epidermis  of  the  leaves..  A  sing^Ie  leaf 
has  been  found  of  that  kind  near  Sioux  City;  it  is  referable  to  one  of 
the  species  most  commonly  represented  in  the  red  shale,  and  therefore 
does  not  afford  any  point  of  comparison.  The  other  deposits  of  clay 
have  been  found  either  barren  of  vegetable  remains  of  any  kind,  or, 
also  near  Sioux  City,  mixed  with  decomposed,  undeterminable  frag- 
ments, especially  of  leaves  of  Conifers  and  of  rootlets  of  water-plants, 
As  it  is  the  case  in  the  red  shales  of  the  other  formation  to  which  this  one 
has  been  compared — the  Upper  Devonian,  the  Lower  Permian  • — thin 
layers  of  coal  or  coaly  matter  have  been  deposited  here  and  there  in  the 
80  called  sandstones  of  the  Dakota  group.  They  are  no  coal-beds,  bow- 
ever,  but  mere  attempts  or  premises,  and  preparatian  also,  of  a  future 
Carboniferous  formation.  In  the  strata  related  as  synchronous  to  the 
Dakota  group,  in  Canada,  Kew  Mexioo,  New  Jersey,  &c.,  no  workable 
coal-bed  has  been  discovered  till  now.  Some,  which  may  be  compared 
to  the  subconglomerate  coal-beds  of  the  Carboniferous,  have  been  appa- 
rently formed  near  the  end  of  the  Cretaceous  epoch.  As  yet,  their  fossil 
flora  is  unknown.  In  connection  with  the  thin  layers  of  coaly  matter  in 
the  shale  of  the  Dakota  group,  no  specimen  of  fossil  plants  has  been 
discovered  till  now. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  period  of  the  Dakota  group  and  in  the  upper 
beds  of  the  formation  a  rapid  succession  in  the  elements  of  the  com- 
pounds, mixed  in  various  ways,  in  the  size  of  the  dSbris^  etc,  indicates  a 
new  influence,  the  introduction  of  deep  marine  water  by  slow  submer- 
sion or  subsidence  of  the  land.    It  is  after  this,  or  in  the  Niobrara  gronp. 
that  the  only  species  of  marine  plant  described  in  the  Cretaceous  Hora 
has  been  found.    This  Zonarites  digitattutji  though  similar  in  its  char- 
acter to  the  si»ecies  published  under  this  name  by  Brongniart  and  Geinitz, 
has  its  relation  contradicted  by  the  great  difference  between  the  geolog- 
ical periods  where  the  remains  have  l>een  found  in  Europe  and    in 
America,  and  still  more  perhaps  by  the  difficulty  of  identification  of  ma- 
rine plants  whose  characters  are  represented  merely  by  a  vague  likeness 
of  outlines.    It  would  have  been  advisable,  perhaps,  to  leave  out  without 
description  a  vegetable  of  that  kind,  not  even  referable  to  the  Dakota 
group,  and  to  leave  also  without  even  a  mention  mere  fragments  like 
those  described  as  Ligodium  trichomanoidesy  Abielites Haydeniij  Flahei- 
laria  minimaj  etc.,  whose  characters  and  relation  are  too  vaguely  indi- 
cated. .But  as  the  Cretaceous  plants  of  this  and  other  countries  are 
scarcely  known,  it  seemed  proper  to  represent  by  drawing  all  the  dis- 
cernible fragments,  leaving  to  time  an  opportunity  of  confirming  or 
refuting  by  better  specimens  the  first  determination.    Even  small  frag- 
ments may  become  valuable  as  complement  of  other  specimens  which, 
fragmentary  also,  may  be  defined  by  those  which  have  been  published 
before,  and  which,  for  the  same  reason  of  defectiveness,  shoold  be  left 

•  Cretaceous  flora  iu  Dr.  F.  V.  Uaydeo's  Report,  vol.  vi,  pp.  26,  27. 
t  Gretaceoas  Flora,  p.  44,  PL  I,  Fig.  1. 


uiMQUKRKux.J  REVIEW   OP   CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  321 

aside  as  rabbish.  Anemidium  Schimperi^  Sphenopteris  grenillioides^  efc.,* 
of  the  Cretaceous  Arctic  flora  of  Heer,  are  not  more  subject  to  satisfac- 
tory determiuatiou  tban^  Lygodium  trichomanoides  or  Fterophyllum  Hay- 
€l^nii.  Moreover,  this  last  species,  thougb  imperfectly  represented,  indi- 
cates a  point  of  relation  between  the  Dakota  group  flora  and  that  of  the 
Cretaceous  {Quadersandstein)  of  the  Hartz  Mountains  in  Germany. 
X^Yagments  of  this  kind  are,  therefore,  doubly  interesting  by  botanical 
and  geological  affinities. 

Before  entering  farther  into  the  discussion  and  comparison  of  generic 
and  specific  types  of  the  North  American  Cretaceous  flora  and  ot  their 
relation  with  vegetable  forms  described  from  Cretaceous  formation  of 
other  countries,  I  have  to  add  a  few  remarks  more  on  the  third  volume 
of  the  Arctic  flora  of  Heer,  which  was  in  publication  at  the  same  time 
as  that  of  the  flora  of  the  Dakota  group,  and  of  which  I  could  give 
only  a  short  mention  (p.  40),  from  a  general  synopsis  formerly  published 
by  the  celebrated  author.  The  Cretaceous  flora  of  Greenland,  which 
constitutes  the  essential  part  of  this  third  volume,*  is  in  two  parts. 
The  first  describes  beventy-five  species  from  four  different  localities  of 
the  north  side  of  the  peninsula  of  Noursoak,  North  Greenland,  repre- 
senting a  lower  stage  of  the  Cretaceous.  Of  these,  thirty-eight  belong 
to  Ferns,t  four  to  Lycopods  and  Equiseta,  eight  to  CicadesB,  sev- 
enteen to  Conifers,  six  to  Monocotyledons,  and  one  to  Dicotyledons. 
This  flora  is,  therefore,  composed  of  fifty-six  per  cent,  of  Acrogcns, 
Ferns,  Lycopods,  and  Equiseta;  twelve  per  cent,  of  Cycadese;  twenty- 
two  per  cent,  of  Conifers ;  eight  i>er  cent,  of  Monocotyledons ;  and  one 
j>er  cent,  of  Dicotyledons.  In  the  Ferns,  the  genera  Aspleniumy 
Pecopteris^  Oleickeniay  are  predominant,  this  last  genus  especially,  which 
is  represented  by  thirteen  species.  In  the  Cicadese,  the  Zamites,  five 
8|>ecies ;  in  the  Conifers,  the  Sequoia  and  PinuSy  the  firat  with  five  spe- 
cies, the  second  with  four. 

The  second  part  of  the  Greenland  Cretaceous  flora  describes  remains 
of  plants,  especially  found  in  the  southern  part  of  the  same  peninsula. 
Considered  as  Upper  Cretaceous  by  the  author,  it  has  in  sixty-two 
species,  thirteen  Ferns,  two  Cycadese,  ten  Conifers,  three  Mono- 
cotyledons, and  thirty- four  Dicot.\ledons.  The  relative  proportion  of 
these  plants  is  therefore  far  different,  as  here,  fifty  five  per  cent,  are 
Dicotyledons.  In  regard  to  their  generic  distribution  the  predominance 
is  marked,  in  the  Ferns  by  Pecopteria  and  Oleichenia^  in  the  Coniters  by 
Sequoia  and  PinuSy  and  by  PopuluSy  ProteoideSy  ChondrapkyUum^  and 
Magnoliay  in  the  Dicotyledons.  And  in  considering  the  general  character 
of  the  land  vegetation  of  North  Greenland,  at  the  Cretaceous  epoch,  and 
as  far  as  it  is  known  for  the  present  by  counting  together  the  species  of 
both  stations,  we  find  it  represented  by  a  percentage  of  thirty-seven  for 
the  Ferns,  three  for  the  Lycopodiacese  and  Equisetace®,  eight  lor  the 
Cycadese,  nineteen  for  the  Conifers,  six  and  a  half  for  the  Monocotyle- 
dons, and  twenty  five  for  the  Dicotyledons,  which  therefore  represent 
only  one-fourth  of  the  whole. 

The  first  exposition  of  the  Dakota  group  flora  shows  four  species  of 
Ferns  and  six  species  of  Conifers  only.    To  this  small  number  we  have 

*  A  number  of  the  Crotaceoas  plants  of  Cape  Staratsohin,  Spitzber^,  are  also  described 
in  this  work.  They  represent  five  Ferns,  one  Eqoisetam,  nine  Conifera,  and  one  Mono- 
cotyledon, or  sixteen  species.  The  predominance  of  Conifers  is  remarkable  as  wen 
as  the  absence  of  CycadesD  and  of  Dicotyledons.  Of  these  species,  three  Ferns  and 
three  Conifers  are  identified  with  the  lower  Greenland  flora,  and  five  Conifers  with  the 
apper,  indicating  an  equal  relation  to  both  or  an  intermediate  geoloji^ical  station. 

t  By  a  misprint  in  the  ibove  exposition  given  in  Cret.  Flora,  p.  40,  the  word  FuooidB 
is  written  for  Ferns. 
21  H 


322       GEOLOGICAL  SURVET  OP  THE  TEBRITORIES. 

added  in  this  review  one  species  of  Oleicherda  and  five  species  of  Conifers. 
The  specific  value  of  some  of  the  vegetable  remains  referable  to  this  last 
familj  is,  however,  donbtfol,  especially  for  those  which  are  represented 
by  cones  only,  Ahietites  Embstinod^  Sequoia  formosa^  Sequoia  JReick- 
enhcuihi,  and  the  fragments  described  as  Inol^nSj  all  which,  however, 
though  uncertain  their  specific  or  generic  relation  may  be,  are  evideDtij 
representatives  of  some  species  of  Goniferis.  Tbe  fragments  referable 
to  tbis  group  are  of  a  difficult  determination  ;  for  the  organs  represented 
upon  the  coarse  shale  or  hard  ferruginous  sandstone  of  tbe  formation, 
merely  expose  some  outlines  of  their  forms  by  the  same  kind  of  fossili- 
zation  or  molding,  remarked  already  for  the  leaves.  We  do  not  find, 
therefore,  any  flattened  cones  with  the  scales,  any  flattened  branches  with 
leaves,  but  impressions  only,  more  or  less  deeply  carved  into  the 
stone,  the  cones  even  passing  through  the  shales  and  showing  the  space 
originally  occupied,  as  a  mere  cylindrical  hollow,  around  which  the  forms 
of  the  scales  are  more  or  less  clearly  engraved.  The  numerous  leaves  of 
PintM  spread  upon  the  surface  have  dug  in  the  same  way  and  bv  their 
hard  substance,  narrow  linear  channels,  representing  the  back  of 
these  leaves,  with  an  indistinct  midrib,  and  the  branchlets  of  Sequoia 
also  are  seen  as  longitudinal  grooves,  bearing  on  both  sides  tbe  same 
impressed  form  of  their  leaves.  This  cannot  be  considered  a  very  dis- 
tinct representation  of  characters,  the  minute  details  desirable  for  an 
exact  determination  being  more  or  less  obsolete. 

Among  the  specimens  recently  examined,  a  fragment  has  been  foood 
referable  to  PhyUoeladus ;  the  presence  of  this  genus  in  the  Cretaceous 
flora  is  thus  sufficiently  ascertiuned.  We  may,  therefore,  record  as 
recognized  in  the  flora  of  the  Dakota  group,  for  the  Ferns,  the  genera 
Lygodium^  SphenopteriSy  Hymenophyllum^  and  Oleichenia^  tbe  three  first 
by  each  one  species,  the  last  by  two ;  and  in  the  Conifers,  Sequoia^ 
by  three  species ;  Finus^  by  one,  and  Phyllodadus  by  one,  leaving^  oal 
as  of  uncertain  generic  relation  with  the  cones  mentioned  above, 
Glypto8trobti8  (t)gra4^llimusy  whiGh  is  i)evhsip8identi^ab\e  with  Sequoia 
condita,  or  with  FreneliteSy  and  Oeinitzia  (f ),  known  merely  by  the  im- 
pressions of  some  detached  scales.  To  this  should  be  added  Araucaria 
spatulata^  described  in  extinct  floras  of  North  America  by  Dr.  Kew> 
berry,  from  Nebraska  specimens. 

A  fine  plant,  doubtfully  described  with  the  Ferns  in  Cretaceona 
Flora,  p.  48,  Plate  XXIX,  figs.  1-4,  under  the  name  of  Todea  (f ) 
saportaneaj  has  to  be  eliminated  from  this  family.  For,  though  the 
shape  of  the  leaflets,  their  mode  of  union  to  the  rachis,  the  position 
of  parallel  equal  branches  are,  by  similarity,  comparable  to  leaflets  and 
to  divisions  of  fronds  of  ferns,  tbe  areolation  of  the  leaves,  which  has  l>ei*a 
studied  from  better  specimens  and  figured  here  again,  PI.  VI,  fig.  2, 
more  positively  relates  these  vegetable  fragments  to  a  peculiar  section 
of  the  Proiedceoe  or  to  Lo^natia^  a  genus  especially  represented  in  Ans> 
tralian  Islands  and  on  the  southwestern  coast  of  South  America,  Chili, 
and  Peru.  For  this  separation  I  readily  submit  to  the  opinions  of 
learned  friendly  critics.  But  I  cannot  consider  the  glumaceous  leaf  and 
tubercle  described  as  Phragmites  cretaceous  in  Cret.  Fi.,  p.  55,  PL  I, 
figs.  13, 14,  and  PI.  XXIX,  fig.  7,  a«  a  species  of  Draccena  or  Yucoa^  &c 
The  tubercle  represented  (fig.  13)  is  really  similar  to  organs  of  the  same 
kind  found  attached  to  Bhizomas  and  to  stems  of  fossil  Phragmites  and 
Arundo.  And  for  confirmation  of  the  warranted  reference  of  the^e 
fragments,  we  have  now  in  Arundo  greenlandiea^  Heer.  Fl.  Arct,  VIII, 
p.  104,  PI.  XXVIII,  figs.  8-11,  leaves  which,  though  narrower,  have  the 
same  form  and  the  same  characters  of  nervations  as  those  of  the  Dakota 


UMQUKBEux.]  REVIEW   OP   CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  323 

^onp.  In  the  Kansas  specimens  only  the  epidermis  of  the  leaf  is 
destroyed  at  a  few  places  where  the  veiolets  become  perceptible.  Gen- 
erally, however,  as  in  the  specimens  of  GreenlaDd,  the  primary  veius 
only  can  be  seen. 

Of  the  fragments  donbtfally  referred  to  Flabdlaria  t  and  described 
as  F.  minima^  Gret.  FL,  p.  56,  PI.  XXX,  fig.  19,  nothing  more  has  been 
discovered  in  regard  to  their  relation,  which  has  to  be  considered  as 
nnkoown  as  yet.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  peculiar  vegetable  form 
described  in  Gret.  FL,  PI.  1,  fig.  6,  as  Pterophyllumf  Haydenii,  which 
waa  supposed  to  represent  some  kind  of  Cieadeoe.  It  difters  from  any 
species  known  of  this  family  by  the  broad  stem  and  short  leaves,  nar- 
rowed to  the  point  of  attachment,  and  from  these  characters  Professor 
Heer  thinks  it  reterable  to  Gonifers. 

!Now,  counting  the  leaf  described  as  Diosooreaf  cretaceay  whose  generic 
reference  may  be  donbted,  but  which  evidently  represent  a  species  of 
the  DioscorecB  or  a  monocotyledonous,  and  also  the  fragments  referable  to 
Conifers  in  the  description,  we  have  to  this  time,  in  the  flora  of  the  Da- 
kota group,and  exclusively  of  the  dicotyledonous,  sixteen  specific  forms, 
representing  the  cryptogamous  acrogens  by  five  Ferns,  the  phoBuogamons 
gymnosperms  by  nine  Gonifers,  and  the  monocotyledonous  by  one  glu- 
maceons  and  one  petaloid  species. 

The  first  dicotyledonous  leaves  described  in  the  Gretaceous  Flora, 
under  the  name  of  Liquidambar  integrifolium^  have  been  considered  by 
some  authors  as  uncertain  in  regard  to  their  generic  relation  merely  on 
account  of  their  entire  borders.    The  form  of  the  leaves,  however,  espe- 
cially as  figured  (PI.  11),  with  the  lobes  slightly  enlarged  above  the 
sinuses,  and  then  gradually  narrowed  to  a  slightly  obtuse  point,  and 
the  nervation  also,  have  the  same  character  as  those  of  the  living  Liqui- 
dambar  styraciflua.    It  is  true  that  the  four  species  of  this  genus  known 
in  the  present  flora  have  serrate  borders  of  leaves.    But  three  fossil 
species  represented  by  leaves  with  entilbe  borders  have  been  described 
as  Liquidambar  from  the  TM*tiary  of  Europe ;  and,  thougli  this  reference 
is  more  or  less  hypothetical  and  controversed,  it  shows,  however,  that 
botanists  of  high  standing — Unger,  Watelet, .  Massalongo — have  con- 
•  sidered  as  probable,  at  least,  the  relation  of  leaves  with  entire  borders 
to  this  genus.    It  is  easily  seen  that  the  leaves  of  Aralia  Towneriy  de- 
scribed in  this  paper  (PI.  IV,  fig.  1),  have  a  relation  of  shape  or  general 
outline  to  those  of  Liquidambar  integrifolium  ;  and  this  apparent  simi- 
larity can  but  suggest  the  possible  reference  of  all  these  and  like  forms 
to  the  geuuB  Aralia.    I  may  admit  this  reference  as  probable  for  the  two 
leaves  figured  in  Gret.  FL,  PI.  XXIX,  figs.  8  and  9,  which  are  compara- 
ble, by  their  primary  nervation,  to  those  of  Aralia  cancreta^  sp.  no  v., 
PI.  IV,  figs.  2  and  3.    But  though  we  have  now  a  large  number  of  speci- 
mens referable  to  divers  araliaceous  types,  there  is  none  as  yet  with 
leaves  divided  into  lanceolate  acute  lobos  like  those  which  are  figured 
in  PI.  II,  Gret.  Fl.    The  reference  of  these  leaves  to  Sterculia  has  been 
proposed  also,  from  analogy  of  forms  to  some  species  of  this  genus. 
The  presence  of  one  well  characterized  species  of  Steroulia  in  the  Greta- 
ceous flora  of  New  Jersey,  where  it  is  in  connection  with  numerous 
leaves  of  Moffnolia  alternansj  seems  to  give  a  kind  of  support  to  this 
proposition.    But  in  this  case,  also,  I  find  too  evident  a  difference  in  the 
characters  of  nervation  of  the  palmately-nerved  leaves  of  Steroulia  with 
those  referred  to  Liquidambar,   Even  taking  as  evidence  of  possible  affin- 
ities the  distribution  in  the  same  formation  of  leaves  referable  to  allied 
genera,  we  could  just  as  well  admit  the  presence  of  Liquidambar  species 
in  the  Dakota  group,  by  the  reason  that  other  forms  of  HamamelideWj 


324       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

a  family  to  which  this  genus  belougs,  are  recognized  in  the  same  group. 
From  these  considerations,  I  persist  in  regarding  as  ancient,  primitive,  or 
derived  representatives  of  a  species  of  Liquidambar  the  fossil  leaves  de- 
scribed under  this  generic  name,  until  other  specimens,  if  any  are  found, 
may  point,  by  a  variation  of  characters,  to  another  more  evident  rela- 
tion.* 

A  number  of  vegetable  remains  of  the  Cretaceous  are  evidently 
referable,  by  their  characters,  to  Populua.  The  only  dicotyledouoas 
leaves  recognized  by  Heer,  in  the  specimens  which  he  studied  trom  the 
Lower  Cretaceous  formationsof  Greenland,  represent  a  Populu8.  appropri- 
ately specified  by  the  name  of  P.  primceva.  From  a  higher  stage  of  the 
same  Cretaceous  formation  of  that  country,  the  celebrated  Swiss  pale- 
ontologist has  described  three  other  species  of  Fopulus,  In  bis  Phyl- 
lites  Cr^tac^es  du  Nebraska,  and  from  specimens  of  the  Dakota  group, 
he  ha^  recognized  Populus  lUigiosa^  Populusf  deheyana^  and  another 
species  still,  P.  cyclophylla^  described  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences  of  Philadelphia.  Professor  Newberry,  in  his  paper 
on  the  later  extinct  floras  of  North  America,  has  described,  also,  besides 
the  doubtful  PJ  debeyana,  three  new  species:  PopiUusf  cardi/oUoy  P. 
ellipticaj  and  P.  micropkilla.  The  specification  and  the  interrogative 
punctup<tion  applied  to  some  of  these  names  show  that  the  authors  them- 
selves do  not  consider  the  generic  reference  as  definitive,  the  character 
of  some  of  the.  leaves  being  somewhat  in  disaccord  with  those  generally 
recognized  in  species  of  Popnlu%  of  our  present  time.  Indeed,  8])ecie9 
of  this  kind,  like  the  present  P.  alba^  i'or  example,  have  such  multiplied 
and  diversified  forms  of  leaves,  such  great  variability  in  their  nervation, 
the  mode  of  attachment  of  the  petiole,  &c.,  that  they  readily  offer,  by 
comparison  with  fossil  leaves  of  obscure  relation,  some  points  of  affinity 
which,  being  not  found  elsewhere,  have  tjo  be  considered  by  the  authors. 
Hence  the  doubtful  references  which  may  be,  and  are  often  rectified  by 
subsequent  discoveries,  as  is  prof  ed  by  the  great  proportion  of  synonyms 
appended  to  th6  enumeration  of  Puptdu^  species.  To  obviate  this  incon- 
venient multiplication  of  fluctuating  species  of  Populnsy  I  proposed  a 
new  generic  division,  under  the  name  of  PopiUUeSj  for  the  classification 
of  those  Cretaceous  leaves,  numerous  indeed,  which,  pai'taking  of  some 
of  the  characters  of  Populus^  are  nevertheless  removed  fr^^i  this  division 
by  some  others,  as  remarked  in  the  memoir. f  Populus  lancastrieruit 
was  considered  as  a  legitimate  species  of  the  genus,  and  in  the  new 
division  were  described  Populiies  elegans^  P.  ovata^  P.  quadrangHlaT%9^ 
P.  JUjthellata^  and  P.  sahsburicdfolioy  with  P.  cyclophyllaj  represented  by 
leaves  which  I  considered  as  answering  to  the  description  of  this  species 
by  Ileer. 

This  first  memoir  on  some  Cretaceous  fossil  plants  from  Nebraska 
had  to  be  prepared,  at  a  short  notice,  from  a  limited  number  of  speci- 
mens. Since  its  publication,  I  have  had  opportunity  to  study  the 
specific  forms  of  this  Cretaceous  flora  by  comparing  a  very  large  number 
of  specimens,  and  have  thus  recognized  a  more  evident  affinity  of  some 
of  those  leaves  referred  to  Populites  with  other  generic  divisions.  The 
only  Populitea  lancastriensis  and  P.  eUgam  which  Schimper  considers  as  a 
true  PoptUtis  are  preserved  in  this  genus,  while  Populites  cyelaphylla  and 
P.  ovata^  appearing  rather  related  by  their  characters  to  the  Ampelid&t, 
are  described  under  a  new  generic  division.  The  leaves  represented  by 
these  species  have,  indeed,  by  their  craspedodrome  and  subpalmate  ner- 

*  Fragments  of  leaves  closely  allied  to  this  form  are  described  as  Phyllites  in  Reiufl^ 
Versteiu,  PI.  LI,  figs.  4  aod  5. 
t  Am.  Joar.  Sci.,  vol.  xlvi,  Jnly,  1868,  p.  93. 


LKfiQUEREUx]  REVIEW   OF   CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  325 

vation,  and  by  their  base  narrowed  to  the  petiole,  a  more  evident 
affinity  to  species  of  CissuSj  or  VitiSj  than  to  those  of  Popultis. 

In  regard  to  the  distribotion  of  FopuluSj  to  which  is  referred  the  most 
ancient  dicotyledonous  leaves  known  as  yet,  that  of  the  Lower  Creta- 
ceoas  of  Greenland,  it  has,  as  said  above,  three  s{)ecies  known  already  in 
the  Upper  Cretaceous  of  that  same  country,  and  five  or  six  in  the 
Dakota  group.  It  has,  however,  not  been  remarked  in  any  Cretaceous 
flora  of  Europe.  It  is  not  mentioned  in  the  review  of  the  genera  repre- 
sented by  the,  as  yet,  undesciibed  species  of  Aiz  la  Chapelle,  and  no 
form  even  distantly  related  is  described  in  the  Lower  Paleocene  flora  of 
Gelinden.  It  has,  however,  one  species  in  the  Eocene  flora  of  Sezane, 
and  increases  in  the  number  of  its  representatives  in  all  the  stages  of 
the  Miocene.  As  far  as  we  know  it,  till  now,  it  has  few  species  in  our 
Lower  or  first  American  Tertiary  group,  the  Eocene;  a  large  propor- 
tion, eight  per  cent,  of  the  species,  in  the  second  ;  still  more,  or  twelve 
per  cent.,  in  the  third ;  and  is  scarcely  present  in  the  fourth,  the  Green 
River  group. 

The  presence  of  willows,  species  of  Salix,  in  the  flora  of  the 
Dakota  group  is  not  controverted;  the  reference  of  leaves  by  which 
the  genus  is  represented  in  this  tbrmation  is  evident.  As  it  is  seen 
in  Cretaceous  Flora,  p.  60,  PL  V,  figs.  1-4, 1  have  described  as  refer- 
able to  one  species  only,  a  number  of  leaves  somewhat  different  in  their 
size  and  their  shape.  As  the  specimens  representing  them  are  from  the 
same  locality,  and  as  I  recognized  upon  some  of  them  fragments  of  leaves 
with  all  differences  of  size,  forms,  and  even  consistence  and  color, 
I  considered  them  as  mere  variations  of  leaves  of  a  same  tree.  Dr. 
INewberry  has  from  the  same  tbrmation  four  species  which,  he  says,  he 
has  chosen  to  regard  as  distinct,  for  geological  convenience.  No  salix 
has  been  recognized  as  yet  in  any  stage  of  the  Cretaceous  of  Green- 
land ;  but  one  species,  ISalix  Hartigiiy  Denk,  is  from  the  qnader  sand- 
stein  of  Germany,  and  another,  8ah'^  Goetziana^  Heer,  from  Qnedliu- 
burg.  The  genus  is  therefore  sparingly  represented  in  Europe  and 
North  America  in  Cretaceous  floras  which  are  considered  as  nearly 
synchronous.  The  other  genera  of  the  Amentaceae,  Betula,  Alnus  or 
Alnites,  Myrica,  Qnercus,  Fagus  and  Ficus,  to  which  leaves  have  been 
referred  in  the  Cretaceous  Flora,  do  not  require  any  observations.  In 
this  case,  as  in  all  the  determinations  of  fossil  plants,  the  characters  of 
the  species  are  not  always  satisfactorily  established,  but  the  generic 
affinities  have  been  recognized  or  passed  without  any  marked  criticism. 
The  generic  relation  is  especially  positive  for  the  remains  referable  to 
Myrica,  which  was  already  represented  in  the  Cretaceous  Fiora  by  one 
fragmentary  leaf  and  by  seeds,  and  to  which  a  fine  new  species  is  added 
in  this  memoir.  It  seems  equally  so  for  Quercus  or  its  pcHsuliar  division, 
Tkryaphyllum^  of  which  we  have  two  new  species,  and  for  Ficus^  to  which 
one  species  is  added. 

Specimens  of  leaves  referable  to  Platanus  have  been  found  in  moder- 
ate proportion  both  in  Nebraska  and  Kansas.  The  first  was  described  by 
Heer,  in  the  "  Phyllites  du  Nebraska,"  as  Platanus  Newberryi^  from  a  very 
incomplete  fragment.  The  accuracy  of  this  determination  was,  however, 
subsequently  testified  by  the  discovery  of  more  complete  leaves  figured 
in  Cretaceous  Flora,  PI.  YIII,  figs.  2  and  3,  and  PI.  IX,  fig.  3,  which  show 
the  narrowed  base  descending  along  the  petiole  lower  than  the  i>oint 
of  union  of  lateral  primary  veins,  and  also  the  tendency  to  a  three-lobed 
iiivision,  characters  which  were  not  observable  in  the  fragment  which 
Professor  Heer  had  for  his  examination.  To  this  fine  species  have 
been  added:   Platanus primcevaj  described  from  leaves  so  remarkably 


326       GEOLOQICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

similar  to  those  of  P.  aceraides^  of  tbe  Miocene,  that  I  was  at  first 
dispoRed  to  consider  them  as  identical ;  then,  P.  Heerii^  rare,  like  the 
former,  and  found  as  yet  only  along  the  blufGs  of  the  Salina  River ;  P. 
obtimloha^  from  a  unmber  of  somewhat  fragmentary  specimens   from 
Beatrice,  ^Nebraska,  all  representing  leaves  of  about  the  same  size  and 
of  the  same  characters ;  P.  affiniSy  P.  recurvata^  and  P.  diminutiva.     All 
the  species  are  described  and  figured  in  Cretaceous  Flora.    The  last  one 
as  remarked  in  its  description  may  be  a  dwarfed  form  of  P.  primtera  or 
P.  Heerii.    The  leaf  appears  as  gnawed  along  the  veins  by  insects  or 
perhaps  by  a  parasite  fungus.    Its  specification  is  not  iK>sitive  and  is 
subject  to  criticisms.    The  base  of  the  leaf  is  rounded  to  the  petiole, 
a  character  as  yet  unique  for  a  species  of  this  kind.     P.  recurvctt^ 
should,  following  the  opinion  of  my  honored  friend  Count  Saporta,  be 
referred  to  the  AraliceaB   by  a  more  intimate  affinity  to  Araliopm 
species;  and  Flatanus  affinis  seems  now,  alter  the  examination   and 
comparison  of  a  number  of  specimens  from  Kansas,  more  evidently 
referable  to  the  Ampelidece  than  to  the  Platanece.    Therefore  these  two 
last  species  are  now  eliminated  from  this  generic  division.    I  persist  in 
considering  P.  Heerii  and  PL  ohtusiloba  as  two  difi'erent  species,  thoug'b  it 
has  been  suggested  that  the  last  was  probably  a  mere  variety  of  the 
first.    The  identity  is  denied  not  only  by  the  facies,  and  the  nervation 
of  the  leaves,  but  especially  by  the  thinner  texture  of  those  of  P. 
ohtusiloba.    The  fact,  that  the  numerous  specimens  representing  it  are 
all  from  the  same  place  in  Nebraska,  and  that  P.  Heerii  has  not  been 
found  in  this  State  till  now,  confirms  this  separation.    In  regard  to  this 
last  species,  Professor  Geinitz  has  remarked  in  the  Isis,  J  875,  p.  558, 
that  paleontologists  might  perhaps  recognize  in  it  a  Credneria,    There 
is  some  similarity  in  the  general  outline  of  the  leaves,  indeed.    But  this 
might  be  said  of  many  of  tbe  generic  forms  of  the  Cretaceous,  which  seem 
to  refer  to  a  few  difterent  types,  or  to  present  in  one  leaf  the  characters 
which  we  now  generally  find  isolated  in  separate  vegetable  groups. 
The  genus  Credneria^  known  as  it  is  to  me  by  what  is  described  in  tbe 
vol.  y,  of  the  Paleontographica,  by  Stiehler,  includes  species  with  cord- 
ate or  subcordate  leaves  (none  narrowed  to  the  petiole),  and  bearing 
above  the  base  two  or  three  true  secondary  veins  in  right  angle  to  the 
midrib.  In  P.  Heerii,  the  leaves  are  cune^iteto  the  base,  even  gradually 
narrowed  or  decnrrent  to  the  petiole,  which  thus  becomes  slightly  winged, 
and  the  veins  under  the  primary  nerves  are  mere  marginal  veinleta.    Per- 
haps the  relation  of  this  species  is  more  marked  to  the  genus  JEtting- 
hatiseniaj  which,  I  regret  to  say,  is  scarcely  known  to  me  except  by 
Chondrophyllum  grandidentatumy    us  represented  by  Heer  in  the  Creta- 
ceous Flora  of  Moletin,  and  by  Phyllites  repandug,  Sternb.,  two  forms 
which  have  no  affinity  to  Platanus, 

In  regard  to  its  geological  distribution,  this  genus  is  truly  remark- 
able. No  trace  of  it  is  recorded  as  yet  in  the  Cretaceous  of  Euroiie,  not 
even  in  the  Paleocene  and  Eocene  of  France,  so  rich  in  fossil  vegetable 
remains.  Its  first  appearance  in  Europe  is  in  the  Upper  Miocene  of 
Oeningen,  and  of  Austria  and  Italy,  where  it  is  represented  by  two 
very  similar  forms,  Platanus  GuiUelmcB  and  P.  aceroides.  These  two 
species  are  present  in  the  same  lormation  from  the  northern  parts  of  the 
Arctic  lands  to  Italy.  It  is  followed  in  the  Upper  Tertiary  or  Pliocene 
of  this  last  country  by  PlaianuH  Aeademiee  Gaud,  related  as  originator, 
perhaps,  to  the  living  P.  orientalis,  I  have  remarked  above  that  tbe 
relation  of  leaves  of  the  Dakota  group  to  Platanus  has  been  considered 
as  doubtful  by  some  European  paleontologists.  This  doubt  may  have 
been  induced  by  thd  understanding  of  the  total  absence  of  Piatanvs 
leaves  in  the  Cretaceous  and  Lower  Tertiary  of  Europe,    if  so,  it  is  oer- 


LEsgurvRELx.l  REVIEW   OP   CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  327 

tuinly  removed  by  the  presence  in  our  lignitic  Eocene  of  some  very 
beautitat  and  well  characterized  species  of  tbis  genns:  Platanus 
Haydenii  aud  P.  Reynoldtni^  Newby.  Tuese  species,  discovered  first  in 
the  Tertiary  of  the  Upper  Missouri  River,  near  Kort  Union,  are  predom- 
inant at  Golden,  Colo.,  by  the  number  of  specimens  which  represent 
them,  and  are  also  found  at  Black  Butte.  The  third  Tertiary  group, 
that  of  Carbon,  has,  for  the  more  numerous  representatives  of  its  flora, 
leaves  of  PlaianuH  Aceroides  and  PL  GuillelnuB.  Ko  species  of  this 
genus  has  been  described  from  the  Green  Biver  or  fourth  group ;  but 
we  have  Irom  the  Upper  Tertiary  (Pliocene)  of  California  very  fine 
8i>ecimens  of  leaves  of  two  species  of  Platanus  closely  related  by  their 
characters  to  the  living  PUUanvs  occidentalism  Therefore,  and  consider- 
ing the  geological  records,  we  may  trace  tlie  origin  of  Platanus  as  far 
down  as  the  North  American  Cretaceous,  and  follow  its  development 
through  nearly  all  the  stages  of  the  Tertiary  to  our  present  time,  by  a 
number  of  closely-allied  intermediate  forms. 

Coming  now  to  the  Laurinem^  I  have  to  remark  somewhat  more  defi- 
nitely on  the  Cretaceous  species  referred  to  this  family.    The  relation 
of  some  of  them  to  the  genera  to  which  they  have  been  referred  is  gen- 
erally acknowledged,  and  the  presence  of  the  Laurinece  in  our  Cretaceous 
flora  receives  a  kind  of  historical  authority  by  that  of  a  Sassafras  in 
a   Cretaceous  formation  of  Greenland;  of  three  species  of  Daphno- 
phyllum    in    that    of   Moletin,  and    of  Laurus   cretacea^  Daphnogene 
primigenia^  Daphnites    Gopperti^  in    that   of   Niedershoena.       Of  the 
species  which  have  been  described  formerly  in  the  flora  of  the  Dakota 
group,  Laurus  Nthrascencis  is  related  to  Daphnophyllum  ellipticum  and 
/>.  cra4tsinervium  of  Heer,  while  Cinnamamum  aud  Oreodaphne  cretacea 
are  comparable  to  Daphnogene  primigenia  of    Ettiughausen.     Persea 
Sternbergii  is  also  evidently  of  the  same  family,  and  the  two  leaves, 
described  here  below  under  the  name  of  Laurus  protecefoliay  are  indeed 
allied  to  species  of  Laurtis  or  of  Persea  by  their  nervation,  especially 
by  the  more  acute  angle  of  divergence  of  the  lower  veins,  though  they 
show  in  the  grooved  middle  nerve  a  character  often  remarked  in  s[)ecies 
of  Ficus^  especially  Fieus  protogea  Heer,  of  the  Greenland  Cretaceous 
flora.    Moreover,  the  fruit  described  (Fl.  Cret,  p.  74)  as  Laurus  macro- 
carpa  satisfactorily  completes  the  evidence  afforded  b^'  the  leaves,  of 
the  existence  of  species  of  Laurince  in  the  vegetable  world  of  the  Cre- 
taceous epoch.     We  have,  however,  to  eliminate  of  this  family  Lauro- 
phyllum  retictilatumy  which  appears  more  properly  referable  to  Fious. 
its  nervation,  and  especially  its  areolation,  formed  of  square  or  irreg- 
ularly i)olygonal  meshes  by  the  interposition  of  tertiary  veins  between 
the  secondary  ones  and  parallel  to  them,  and  the  rectangular  subdi- 
vision of  its  branches,  are  of  the  same  character  as  in  Ficus  Oeinitzij 
Ett.,  Ficus  protogea^  Heer,  and  many  species  of  tbis  genus  now  living 
in  Cuba,  even  Florida,  like  Ficus  suffocansy  F,  lentiginosa,  h.  perttisoy 
F.  dimidiata,  etc.    Numerous  specimens  recently  found  in  Kansas  repre- 
sent this  fossil  species  in  characters  more  precise  than  formerly,  as  seen 
in  its  more  detailed  description  under  the  name  of  Ficus  laurophyllum. 
But  if  the  relerence  of  some  of  the  above-mentioned  leaves  to  the 
Laurinew  is  not  contested,  it  is  not  the  same  in  regard  to  those  which, 
at  first  appearance,  were  considered  as  more  positively  related  to  it, 
and  which  have  been  described  under  the  generic  name  of  Sassafras. 
The  question  of  the  relation  of  those  leaves  which,  by  their  number, 
seem  to  be  the  essential  components  of  the  North  American  Cretaceous 
flora,  has  been  already  touched  upon.*     But  since,  I  have  obtained 

*  Cretaceoas  Flora,  p.  77. 


328       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

from  divers  localities  a  large  number  of  specimens  representing  aD 
the  forms  described  as  species  in  the  same  work,  and  I  hare  now 
some  more  data  to  offer  to  the  consideration  of  paleontologists  on 
the  Bnbj€'ct.  From  historical  documents  the  presence  of  Sassafras 
species  in  the  flora  of  the  Dakota  group  is  as  legitimately  presamable 
as  that  ot  species  of  Laurus  or  Persea.  In  his  Flora  Arctica,  Heer 
has  described  as  Sassafras  arctica  a  leaf  which,  by  its  form,  is  similar 
to  those  described  as  Sassafras  cretaeeum^  as  remarked  by  the  anther, 
difi'ering  merely  by  its  base  somewhat  less  narrowly  tapering  to  the 
petiole.  The  nervation  is  of  the  same  character.  Count  Saporta 
considers  this  Greenland  leaf  as  a  true  representative  of  Sassafras,  fie 
has  himself  published  in  the  Sezane  Flora,*  as  S.  primigenium^  two 
fragmentary  leaves  whose  base,  more  narrowly  tapering,  is  similar  to 
that  of  our  S,  Mudgei^  as  well  as  the  lobes  which,  enlarged  in  the  mid- 
dle, have  that  ovate-lanceolate  shape  so  distinctly  marked  in  the  present 
8.  officinale.  There  is  also  no  appreciable  difference  in  the  nervation. 
The  lower  secondary  veins  of  the  middle  lobe  ascend  a  little  higher  in 
the  leaves  of  the  Sezane  flora,  and  unite  with  those  of  the  lateral  lobes 
somewhat  nearer  the  borders  of  the  sinuses.  Bnt  in  some  of  the  speci- 
mens of  Kansas  the  same  appearance  is  remarked  also,  and  thedifference 
between  the  more  or  less  distance  which  separate  from  the  sinuses  the 
branch  which  unites  the  upper  division  of  the  secondary  veins,  is  ob- 
servable upon  leaves  of  S.  officinale^  this  vein  being  sometimes  mar- 
ginal, sometimes  curving  one  to  three  millimeters  lower  than  the  border 
of  the  sinuses.  Comparing  leaves  of  Sassafras  officinale  with  those  rep- 
resented by  Count  Saporta  in  the  Flora  of  Sezane  and  the  specimens  of 
S.  Mudgei  from  Kansas,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  recognize  any  charac^ 
ter,  even  any  specific  difference  by  which  these  leaves  could  be  sepa- 
rated. It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising  that  Dr.  !N^ewberry  first,  and  att^r 
him  Heer  and  Schimper,  did  consider  Cretaceous  specimens  of  this  kind 
as  representing  species  of  Sassafras.  In  the  last  volume  of  his  superb 
work  on  Vegetable  Paleontology,!  Prof.  W.  P.  Schimper,  speaking  of 
leaves  of  Sassafras  eretaceum^  ot  wjiich  I  had  sent  him  photogniphical 
designs,  remarks,  ^-  That  those  leaves,  very  variable  in  size,  present  such 
a  remarkable  likeness  to  those  of  S.  offimnalCy  now  living  in  North  Amer- 
ica, that  one  would  be  disposed  to  consider  them  as  belonging  to  an 
bomologous  si)ecies.''  He  rightly  adds  that  the  only  difference  seems 
to  be  in  the  thicker  substance  of  the  fossil  leaves.  Pjven  on  this  {K>int 
I  have  from  Texas  specimens  of  the  present  8.  cretaceous^  whose 
leaves  appear  of  a  consistence  nearly  as  thick  as  those  of  the  Dakota 
group  seem  to  have  been. 

But  now,  and  on  another  side,  no  species  of  the  Laurinece  family  living 
at  our  time  is  known  with  dentate  leaves ;  and  it  may  be  remarked,  from 
the  figures,  that  the  two  leaves  described  as  Sassafras  Greiacetim  (Cret 
Flor.,  PI.  XI,  figs.  1  and  2)  have  the  binrders  of  the  lobes  somewhat 
dentate,  and  some  of  the  secondary  veins  running  into  the  point  of  the 
teeth  or  craspedodrome.  This  character  is  still  more  marked  in  &  mi- 
rabile,  loc.  cit.,  PI.  XII,  fig.  1,  a  form  extremely  common  in  Southern  Kan- 
sas, and  represented  in  very  numerous  and  riemarkable  varieties.  In 
some  of  the  leaves  the  secondary  veins  are  all  camptodrame,  and  there- 
fore the  borders  of  the  lobes  are  entire.  In  others,  as  seen,  Pi.  XI,  fig.  *A 
the  outside  lateral  veins  are  craspedodrome,  and  thus  the  boaders  deih 
tate,  while  on  the  inside  they  curve  along  the  borders,  which  are  entire. 

•  P.  366,  Tab.  VIII,  figs.  9  aod  10. 

t  Traitd  do  Paleoatologie  v6gctale,  vol.  iii,  p.  596. 


J 


I.TOQUKREUX.]  BEVIEW   OP   CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  329 

lu  the  fine  complete  leaf,  fig.  1  of  the  same  plate,  the  middle  lobe  has  the 
T'eins  all  camptodrome  on  the  left  side,  while  on  the  right  one  a  few  of 
tbein,  one  or  two,  reach  to  the  border,  which  has,  therefore,  one  or  two 
ahort  uodistinct  teeth,  and  the  lateral  lobes  are  clearly  dentate  on  the  out- 
side only.    This  evidently  shows  snch  a  disposition  to  variations  of 
nervation  and  border  divisions,  that  I  did  formerly  consider  as  unjusti- 
fiable a  specific,  and  still  more  a  generic  division  between  the  leaves  of 
PI.  XI,  figs.  1  and  2,  and  those  of  PI.  XII,  figs.  2  and  3,  of  the  Cret. 
Flora.     When,  therefore,  we  find  the  same  dilierences  between  the 
leaves  which  represent  8.  mirabile,  PI.  XII,  fig.  1,  it  seems  that  the  same 
coDcinsion  should  follow.    But  in  this  case,  with  the  more  generally 
predominant  character  of  the  indentation  of  the  leaves,  which,  in  some 
larger  specimens  than  the  one  figured,  are  more  deeply  cut  by  divisions, 
like  pointed  lobes,  there  is  still  another  one,  remarked  on  a  specimen 
recently  discovered,  which  seems  to  more  forcibly  separate  these  forms 
from  the  Laurinece,  and  indicates  a  more  evident  relation  to  the  Aralia- 
ceas.    The  specimen  communicated  by  M.  Chs.  Steniberg,  to  whose 
careful  and  zealous  researches  the  flora  of  the  Dakota  group  is  indebted 
for  many  important  discoveries,  represents  a  large  leaf  which,  by  its  out- 
lines, the  nervation,  and  the  dentate  borders  of  its  lobes,  is  exactly  like 
oor  8.  miraMle  of  PI.  XII,  ^g.  1.    The  leaf,  which  is  much  larger,  how- 
ever, the  lobes  measuring  ten  centimeters  in  length  from  the  point  of 
onion  of  the  primary  nerves,  greatly  differs  b;  the  forking  of  the  lateral 
nerves,  from  a  point  two  and  one-half  centimeters  above  their  base,  and 
thus  forming,  of  course,  a  subdivision  of  these  lobes  into  two  equal  parts, 
or  a  palmately  five-lobed  leaf.    Among  the  innamerable  varieties  in  the 
shape  of  the  leaves  of  the  living  Sassafras  officinale^  we  'see  a  constant 
and  gradual  mode  of  division  passing  from  a  round  or  oval  and  entire 
shape  to  a  bilobed  and  trilobed  one ;  but,  as  yet,  I  have  been  unable  to 
observe  a  single  case  of  subdivision  of  the  lateral  lobes,  or  to  find  a 
palmately  five-lobed  Sassafras  leaf.    This  character  is,  on  the  contrary, 
tar  more  generally  seen  in  the  Araliacece  of  our  time  than  in  the  trilo- 
bate form  of  Sassafras.    But  in  this  section  of  Araliacece^  the  Eedera^ 
which  may  be  compared  to  our  leaves,  I  do  not  know  any  with  trilobate 
leaves.    Hedera  turbascens^  H,  discolor ^  H.  argentea^  H,  aurifoliaj  H,  jor 
tropwfoliay  have  leaves  five  to  seven  palmately  lobed,  or,  when  occa- 
sionally trifid,  their  segments  are  narrow  and  acuminate,  of  a  ty|)e 
related  to  that  of  Aralia  tripartita  of  PI.  I,  fig.  1,  of  the  memoir.    The  ref- 
erence of  these  leaves  to  Araliaoeas  is,  therSbre,  apparently  obscure  or 
uncertain.    And  still,  on  another  side,  comparing  the  beautiful  Aralia 
saportanea  represented  in  this  memoir,  fig.  2  of  the  same  plate,  we 
see  in  its  nervation,  as  well  as  in  the  indentation  of  the  borders,  &c.,  a 
remarkable  identity  of  characters  with  those  of  the  five-lobate  leaf  of 
Araliopsis  mirabilis.    Thus  we  have  about  the  same  degree  of  evidence 
in  regard  to  the  relation  of  these  fossil  leaves  to  Aralia  or  to  Sassafras. 
Going  further  into  this  kind  of  investigation,  we  are  met  by  a  new 
difficulty  in  the  appearance  of  another  modification  in  the  characters  of 
this  peculiar  type  of  leaves.    In  examining  the  first  specimens  of  the 
species  represented,  PL  II,  fig..l,.I  could  but  consider  them  as  repre- 
senting either  Sassafras  (Araliopsis)  obtttsumy  or  8.  miraMle^  for,  the 
specimens  being  fragmentary,  had  only  the  lobes  or  part  of  them. 
As  long  as  the  auricled  and  peltate  base  was  unknown,  the  reference 
of  the  specimen  could  not  be  dlffeient.    The  nervation,  the  form  of  the 
lobes,  their  size,  all  is  of  the  same  character  as  in  8.  mirabile.    But 
in  the  peltate  base  of  the  leaves,  which  is  figured  Irom  a  leaf  pre- 
served entire,  PI.  II,  fig.  1,  and  from  fragment  of  much  larger  ones, 


330       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TEBRITORIES. 

fi^.  2,  we  have  another  character  which  presents  the  union  of  leaves 
of  this  kind  either  with  the  Lautinece  or  with  the  Araliacea^  and  thus  it 
is  necessary  to  admit  a  third  generic  division  for  the  classification  of  Ibe 
vegetable  remains  of  this  new  and  remarkable  type,  which  adds  to  itB 
affinity  to  Sassafras  and  Aralia  a  character  which  relates  it  to  Platanos 
and  Oredneria,  by  the  basilar  appendage  of  the  leaves  and  its  nerva- 
tion. We  have  thus  already  in  those  leaves  Sassafras,  represented  by 
iS.  Mudgei^  and  less  positively  hyS.  acutilohum,  8.  cretaceumy  and  8, 
cretaceum  var.  obtusunij  which,  as  seen  by  the  description,  baa  to  be 
considered  as  a  specific  form.  To  Araliopsis  are  referable  S.  mirabik^ 
with  the  dentate  8,  cretaceum  and  Platanus  rectirvata;  and  to  the 
new  generic  division,  under  the  name  of  Aspidiophyllumj  those  leaves 
which,  either  Arulia  or  Sassafras  by  their  upper  trilobate  part^  are 
forcibly  separated  from  these  genera  by  their  auricled  peltate  ap|)eud- 
age.  Still,  the  subdivisions  in  the  classification  of  these  peculiar  and 
so-called  Sassafras  leaves,  have  to  be  pursued  farther,  for  by  degree  and 
by  the  gradual  obliteration  of  their  lobes,  they  become  round  or  truncate, 
or  broadly  pointed  at  the  top,  preserving  more  or  less  the  narrowed  base, 
tapering  to  a  long  petiole,  and  the  trifid  craspedodrome  nervation  from 
a  distance  above  the  borders,  and  thus  they  become  more  evidently 
related  to  other  vegetable  orders.  One  species  is  a  true  Hedem, 
another  goes  to  the  HamamelidecBj  and  a  number  have  their  affinity 
witb  the  Ampelidece, 

The  characters  of  the  leaves  of  this  order,  especially  those  of  Cisr 
sns,  are  somewhat  obscurely  represented  in  Sassafras  HarJcerianum^ 
Cret.  Flor.,  PI.  XT,  figs.  3  and  4;  PI.  XXVII,  fig.  2,  and  in  & 
obtuHum,  PI.  XIII,  figs.  1^  to  4;  more  distinctly  in  Cissites  acuminatus^ 
PI.  VIII,  fig.  1 ;  and  C.  Heeriiy  PI.  VI,  fig.  3,  two  new  species  de- 
scribed in  this  memoir.  They  appear  to  constitute  an  indivisible 
group  with  the  two  former  ones.  Some  of  the  leaves  formerly  de- 
scribed as  PopuUtes  are  also  referable  to  this  section,  or  to  another 
less  exactly  defined ;  Ampelophyllum^  allied  by  some  of  its  characters 
to  Hedera^  by  others  to  Credneria;  thus  intermediate  to  the  Ampetidm 
or  the  Tiliacew;  by  the  areolation  to  OreviopsiSj  and  also  more  distantly 
to  Chondrophyllum  of  Beer,  as  remarked  in  the  description.  From  tbis 
it  is  perceivable  that  this  Sassafnis  type,  which  at  the  beginning 
was  regarded  as  simple,  well  defined,  and  limited  in  its  character,  is,  oo 
the  contrary,  multiple  and  representing  forms  which,  as  far  as  the  re- 
searches increase  the  discoveries,  indicate  affinity  to  a  number  of  differ- 
ent genera  or  orders  of  the  vegetable  reign.  Considering  for  example 
Sassafras  acutifolium  of  Cret.  Flor.,  PI.  XIV,  which,  from  specitneus 
representing  intermediate  forms  between  fig.  3  and  fig.  4,1  was  disposed 
to  consider  as  a  mere  variety  of  8.  Mndgei^  and  passing  to  fig.  7  of  PI* 
XXX,  evidently  of  the  same  generic  type,  and  then  to  fig.  1  of  PL  VlII 
of  this  memoir,  where  is  the  difference  or  the  point  of  separation  to  be 
marked  f  Tbe  type  of  AmpeUdce  is  quite  as  distinct  as  that  of  tbe 
AraliacecB  in  this  peculiar  group ;  but  both  are  recognized  it  seems 
merely  in  the  extreme  and  opposed  limits  of  their  modifications. 

The  same  remark  is  applicable  ju^t  as  well  to  the  leaves  which  have 
been  described  in  the  Cret.  Flora  under  the  generic  name  of  Frotophtflr 
lum.  The  disagreement  in  the  affinities  of  its  species  has  been  exposed 
in  the  remarks  following  the  description  of  the  genus.  I  have  now  to 
add  still  to  this  division  two  leaves  recently  communicated  from  £ao- 
sas,  represented,  PI.  Ill,  fig.  1,  and  PI.  VIII,  fig.  4.  They  fully  confirm 
the  former  observations.  By  the  outline  of  the  leaves,  their  craspedo- 
drome nervation,  and  the  presence  of  two  pairs  of  secondary  veins 


1JWQUBMUX.J  KEVIEW   OP   CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  331 

under  tbe  primary  ones  aad  ia  right  angle  to  the  midrib,  they  represent  a 
81>ecie8  of  Protophyllum;  but  the  border  base  of  the  leaves  is  trancate, 
not  sabpeltate,  and  by  this  difference  the  leaves  are  rather  referable  to 
Gredneriay  from  which,  however,  they  differ  by  the  veins  all  craspedo- 
drome  as  well  as  their  divisions,  and  by  the  truncate,  not  cordate,  base 
of  the  leaves.  I  have  formerly  published  a  short  description  of  these 
leaves  nnder  the  name  of  Credneria  t  mierophylla.  It  now  seems  that 
by  their  evident  relation  to  Frotophyllum  quadratum^  they  have  to  be 
admitted  in  the  generic  division,  an  opinion  which  may  be  put  at  naught 
by  the  discovery  of  specimens  pointing  to  another  reference  for  these 
leaves. 

We  have,  also,  an  addition  of  three  new  species  to  the  group  of  Cre- 
taceous plants  described  under  the  genericuame  of  Menispermites.  In  this 
case,  however,  there  is  no  difficulty  whatever  in  conformably  uniting  into 
a  definite  group  the  characters  of  the  leaves  which,  round,  ovate,  or  oval, 
with  borders  entire  or  undulate,  have  a  common  generic  affinity,  indi- 
cated  by  their  nervation.  In  order  to  more  clearly  bring  into  view 
tbe  relation  of  the  undulate-lobed  forms  of  leaves  descril^d  in  Gret. 
Flora,  PI.  XX,  figs.  1-4,  and  PI.  XXV,  flg.  1,  I  have  represented,  PI. 
YII,  fig.  3,  of  this  paper,  a  finely  and  wholly  preserved  leaf  of  Mentsper- 
mites  (^tusiloba^  which,  though  small,  is  easily  identified  with  the  large 
one  of  PI.  XXY,  fig.  1.  Now,  comparing  it  to  figs.  3  and  4  of  the 
present  PI.  V,  the  identity  of  nervation  is  defined  by  the  five  basilar 
veins,  with  a  thin  pair  of  marginal  veinlets  underneath ;  and  by  the  up- 
ward direction  of  the  internal  lateral  veins,  which,  in  fig.  3  of  PI.  YII, 
ascend  to  above  the  middle,  pass  still  higher  in  the  short  oval  leaf, 
PL  Y,  fig.  3,  and  reach  nearly  to  the  obtuse  point  in  fig.  4.  The  subdi- 
vision of  the  tertiary  veins  is  in  all  the  leaves  of  the  same  type,  and  the 
shape  of  the  leaves  or  their  outlines  are  mere  modifications,  depending 
upon  the  direction  of  the  veins.  The  leaf,  PI.  YI^  fig.  4,  is  peltate 
from  the  point  of  attachment  of  the  petiole  near  the  middle.  The  char- 
acter of  the  nervation  remains,  however,  the  same.  It  is  somewhat  ob- 
scured in  the  figure,  from  indistinctness  of  the  specimen.  But  a  larger, 
finer  leaf  of  the  same  species,  has  been  more  recently  procured  by  Mr. 
H.  G.  Towner,  of  Clay  Center,  Kansas,  another  of  those  proficient  ex- 
plorers whose  researches  have  greatly  increased  the  materials  for  the 
elucidation  of  the  Cretaceous  fiora.  This  leaf,  preserved  in  its  whole 
is  nearly  round,  with  slightly  undulate  borders,  and  the  nervation 
is  marked  by  three  pairs  of  primary  veins,  on  each  side  of  the  mid 
rib,  and  nnder  them  by  one  pair  of  true  marginal  veinlets  curving  on 
each  side  toward  the  borders.  Comparing,  therefore,  this  peltate  leaf 
with  that  of  PI.  Y,  fig.  3,  the  position  of  the  petiole  is  the  only  notable 
difference.  The  peltate  form  of  these  round  leaves  might  perhaps  sug- 
gest the  fitness  of  some  slight  modification  in  the  characters  assign^ 
to  the  genus  Pterospermites^  in  tbe  Cret.  Flora,  p.  94,  the  leaves  l^ing 
here  rounded  or  subcordate  at  base.  The  difference  is  immaterial,  and 
is  remarked  even  upon  leaves  of  the  same  species  of  MewMpermum  of  our 
epoch.  These  round  peltate  leaves,  for  example,  are  so  much  like  those 
of  living  species  of  Ciasampelosj  that  they  rather  prove  the  adaptation 
of  this  generic  division  to  all  the  Cretaceous  leaves  which  I  have  referred 
to  it. 

The  Magnoliacece,  aa  order  of  the  same  class,  are  equally  numerously 
and  definitely  represented  in  the  North  American  Cretaceous  flora  in 
about  the  same  proportion  as  they  are  in  that  of  Europe.  Magnolia  al- 
temans  and  if.  Gapellini  have  been  described  by  Heer  in  his  Phillites 
du  Nebraska  3  and  since,  these  two  species  have  been  recognized  over 


332       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

the  whole  explored  area  of  the  Dakota  group,  as  also  in  the  lower  stage 
of  the  Cretaceous  of  New  Jersey,  and  in  the  Upper  Cretaceous  of  Green- 
land. Two  other  species  have  been  described  from  the  Dakote  group: 
one,  M.  obovata,  by  Dr.  Newberry,  in  his  Ancient  Floras ;  another,  If. 
tenulfolia^  in  Cret.  l^lora.  in  Europe  the  leaves  referable  to  this 
genus  are  of  adififerent  type  than  ours,  larger  and  more  beautiful.  Two 
species — M.  ampl\folia  and  M.  speciosa — are  described  by  Heer  in  the 
Flora  of  Moletiu,  there  represented  by  leaves  and  fruits.  Coaut  Sa- 
porta  considers  also  as  a  Magnolia  Phyllites  plagiavs^  Ung.,  of  the  flora  of 
Gosau. 

To  the  same  order  belong  Liriodendronj  so  easily  recognized  in  the 
peculiar  form  of  its  leaves.  Its  Cretaceous  origin,  or  rather  existence,  is 
marked  in  the  Dakota  group  by  a  number  of  specific  representatives 
locally  and  distantly  distributed.  At  least,  though  the  first  lot  of  Cre- 
taceous specimens  sent  from  Nebraska  and  Kansas  for  examination  had 
many  fragments  of  the  species  described  in  Cretaceous  Flora,  I  have 
since  received  only  a  small  leaf  found  in  Kansas  by  Dr.  Mudge,  refera- 
ble to  L.  MeeJcii.  This  genus  is  not  as  yet  represented  in  the  Cretaceous 
floras  of  Europe,  nor  in  that  of  Greenland. 

To  the  class  of  the  Columniferew,  taking  altogether  the  three  orders, 
SterculuBj  ButtnertacecBj  and  Pterotipermm^  are  apparently  refei-able  the 
forms  described  under  the  generic  name  of  Protophyllum^  as  well  as  the 
true  Oredneria.  The  Sterculiacece  are  more  distinctly  represented  by  a 
leaf  described  in  this  memoir  as  Sterculia  cretacea.  Though  the  nerva- 
tion is  obsolete,  the  mode  of  division  of  the  leaf  in  equal  linear  diverg- 
ing lobes  is  like  that  of  species  of  this  genus,  which  has  also  a  well-de- 
fined species  in  both  stages  of  the  Cretaceous  of  New  Jersey.  To  the 
Tiliacece^  the  leaves  described  as  Greviapsis  Haydenii  have  an  evident 
affinity  of  characters. 

The  relation  of  Cretaceous  species  to  the  following  and  last  classes  of 
the  vegetable  reign  is  not  very  clearly  defined.    To  the  Acerea:  is  refera- 
ble Negundoide%  aeutif alius  of  the  Cretaceous  Flora.  The  leaf,  however,  as 
seen  from  the  figure  and  description,  is  too  fragmentary  for  a  satisfactoiy 
determination  of  its  characters.    Acer  antiquum  is  described  by  Etting- 
hausen  in  his  Cretaceous  Flora  of  Kiedershoena.    But  even  from  the 
opinion  of  the  author  the  reference  is  uncertain.    The  leaf  rather  resem- 
bles a  deformed  form  of  Quercus  or  of  Idriodendron.    Heer  has  from 
the  Upper  Cretaceous  of  Greenland  a  Sapindus  prodromus,  represented 
by  one  leaf  only,  which,  however,  has  evidently  the  character  of  the 
genus.     To   the  Rhamnin  the  leaf  described   as  Rhamnus  tenax^  in 
Cretaceous  Flora,  is  probably  related,  and  this  relation  seems  con- 
firmed   by  the  presence  of   Celastrophyllum  and  Hex  species  in  the 
same  formation.    Count  Saporta,  however,  considers  this  leaf  as  show- 
ing more  affinity  of  form  and  nervation  to  Salix.    To  the  Anacardia^ 
we  have  probably  to  refer  as  Rhus  debeyafia,  that  species  described  as 
Populus  and  as  Juglans^  as  seen  in  Cretaceous  Flora,  p.  110.    I  have  not 
obtained  from  the  Dakota  group  any  new  materials  comparable  to  this 
form,  especially  common  in  Nebraska.    But  I  have  seen  a  veiy  fine 
specimen  got  out  of  a  deep  tunnel  in  Oregon,  presenting  upon  its  sur- 
iace,  with  the  details  of  nervation  and  areolation,  some  punctifbrm  small 
protuberances,  apparently  oily  glands,  like  those  remarked  upon  leaves 
of  the   living  Rhu^  aromatica  and  other  species  of  this  genns.    A 
species  of  Rhus  is  described  from   the  Cretaceous  of  Greenland  by 
Heer,  while  considering  historical  authority,  we  have  the  same  evidence 
in  favor  of  Juglans^  by  a  species  of  this  genus  in  the  Cretaceous  floni  of 
Moletin.    Of  the  RosiflorecBy  we  have  from  the  Dakota  group  one  lent  and 


I.KSQ17EBKUX.]  ENUMERATION   OP   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  333 

one  frait  described  as  Prunus,  I  have  recently'  received  from  M.  Towner 
a  Iruit  of  the  same  character  upoo  a  specimen  bearing  leaves  of  Aralia 
Totoneru  The  MyrtiflorcBy  as  well  as  the  Legumino^ce  present  by  a  num- 
l>er  of  species  in  the  Greenland  Cretaceous,  have  not  been  till  now  posi- 
tively recognized  from  Kansas  and  Nebraska  specimens.  The  few 
groups  not  considered  in  this  review  have  been  remarked  upon  already 
in  the  Cretaceous  Flora,  and  the  former  views,  in  regard  to  the  leaves 
referred  to  them,  have  not  been  modified  either  by  the  remarks  of  Eu- 
Topeau  authors  or  by  the  discovery  of  new  materials. 

§  2.  Description  and  enusieration  of  Generic  and  Specific 

Divisions. 

With  the  descriptions  of  the  new  forms  illustrated  by  the  plates, 
this  part  of  the  memoir  contains  an  enumeration  of  all  the  species 
established  till  now  from  the  vegetable  remains  of  the  Dakota  group, 
viith  remarks  suggested  b^  the  examination  of  the  materials  discovered 
aiuce  the  publication  of  the  Cret.  Flora*.  In  order  to  give  to  this 
euumeration  the  value  of  a  synopsis  of  this  flora,  I  have  added  to  the 
Bpeeific  names  short  descriptions,  either  copied  in  full  or  somewhat 
moditied  from  those  of  the  same  volume. 

For  the  discovery  and  the  communication  of  the  new  materials,  all 
collected  in  Kansas,  the  thanks  of  paleontologists  are  due  especially  to 
Messrs.  Ch.  Sternberg,  of  Fort  Barker,  H.  C.  Towner,  of  Clay  Center, 
and  also  to  Prof.  B.  F.  Mudge,  of  Manhattan. 

CRYPTOGAMOUS. 

THALLOPHYTES. 

ZONABITES  DiGiTATUS,  Brgt.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  44,  PI.  I,  fig.  1. 

Frond  Jlat,  memhranaeefyus^  dichoUmumSy  branching  in  an  acute  angle  of 
divergence;  divisions  as  broad  or  broader  than  the  mainaxis^  linear^  entire^ 
obtuse^  slightly  enlarging  upward. 

The  reference  of  this  species  to  that  described  by  Brongiart  from  the 
Oolithe  is  contested  especially  by  reason  ol  difference  in  the  geological 
station. 

PILICES. 

Lyoodium  tbichomanoides,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  45,  PI.  I,  fig.  2. 

Pinna  linear^  from  the  truncate  base  to  the  middle^  enlarged  and  lobed 
Hpward  by  the  forking  of  tlie  middle  nerve;  veins  broadly  oblique^  distinct^ 
simple  or  forking  from  the  base. 

Hymenophyllum  cretaceum,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  45,  PI.  I,  figs.  3, 4. 

Frond  subcoriaceous^  pinnae  linear  oblongj  pinnately  divided  into  oblan- 
ceolate  or  cuneiform  oblique  pinnules,  decurring  to  the  convex,  slightly 
winged  radiis^  more  or  less  deeply  bi-trilobate;  lobes  obtuse,  simple-nerved. 

This,  like  the  former  species  and  Sphenopteris  corrugata,  Newby.,  are 
contestable  on  account  of  the  deficiency  of  the  specimens. 

Pecoptebis  Nebbaskana,  Heer.    Cret.  Flor.,  p.  46,  PI.  XXIX,  fig  5. 

Pinnce  coriaceous,  linear-lanceolate  obtuse,  alternately  equally  lobed; 
lobes  more  or  less  disjointed,  turned  outside,  obtuse;  middle  vein  thin,  un- 
dulating; divisions  alternate,  ascending  to  the  borders. 

*  Seport  of  the  United  States  Geological  Sanrey  of  the  Territories,  by  Dr.  F.  Y.  Hay- 
den,  vol.  Yi,  CretaceoQS  Flora  (1874). 


334  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   TOE   TERRITORIES. 

Gleighenia  Kurriana,  Heer.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  47,  PI.  I,  Figs  5-5^ 

Frond  pinnate  ;  pinnce  long^  liiiear^  pinnately  equally  lobed  ;  lobes  nearljf 
at  right  an^le  to  t^ie  rachis  separated  to  near  the  base  ;  '}nedial  nerve  ^Aicfc, 
pinnately  brafichiugj  veins  forking  at  the  middle. 

Gleichenia  Nordenskioldi,  Heer,  Flor.  Foss.  A  ret.,  p.  50,  Tab.  IX, 

figs.  6-12.— PI.  II,  fig.  5. 

Frond  slender  dichotomous^  bi-polypinnate ;  ultimate  pinnw  aUematet 
rigidj  open,  linear ^  parallel;  leaflets  free^  oblong  obtuse^  rounded  at  their 
base^  inclined  upward^  coriaceous;  secondary  veins  few  ^  three  or  four  pairs, 
il^e  lower  forking^  tJie  upper  simple. 

This  species  is  very  distinct  from  the  former,  and  the  differences  in 
ttie  characters  easily  seen  even  in  onr  fragmentary  specimens.  In  the 
one  figured  here,  the  pinnules  are  separattnl  to  their  base,  and  not  mere 
lobes  as  in  the  former ;  they  are  turned  upward,  and  by  the  upper  baailar 
border  they  compress  the  rachis,  which  becomes  evidently  fleznous,  in 
onr  specimen,  at  least ;  the  veins,  also,  are  more  distant,  or  less  divided. 
Th$>  fructifications  of  this  fine  fern  are  marked  upon  the  specimens  of 
Greenland  by  two  large  round  sori  on  each  side  of  the  middle  nerve, 
near  the  base  of  the  leaflets.  There  is  no  difference  whatever  in  any 
of  the  characters  of  the  Kansas  specimen  with  those  of  the  Greenland 
form.  Even  the  undulation  of  the  primary  rachis  distinctly  remarked 
in  Tab.  IX,  fig.  7,  of  Heer's  flora,  is  equally  distinct  in  the  primary 
rachis  of  the  fragment  figured  here.  This  species  has  been  observed  on 
specimens  from  the  Lower  Cretaceous  of  Greenland  only,  wherefrom 
Professor  Heer  has  described  thirteen  species  of  Gleiclienia^  while  only 
two  were  found  in  the  specimens  of  the  Upper  Cretaceous  of  the  same 
country. 

Habitat, — Near  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

PH^NOGAMODS. 

CYCADE^. 

Pterophyllum  (!)  Haydbnii,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  49,  PL  I,  fig.  6.6«. 

Frond  linear ^  simply  pinnate  ;  raehis  rugose^  half  an  inch  broad  or  more, 
marked  by  circular  dots  in  vertical  rows^  and  regularly  placed  about  half  a 
centimeter  distant,  apparently  scars  of  the  points  of  attachment  of  the 
pinnce;  pinnce  (or  leaves)  entire,  oblong,  oval  obtuse,  slightly  arched  o% 
the  lower  side,  flat,  attenuated  at  the  round  point  of  connection  to  the 
rachis,  regularly  and  narrowly  striated  lengthwise. 

Of  this  peculiar  organism,  no  other  part  has  been  discovered  excef)t 
the  fragment  figured.  Professor  Heer  regards  it  as  unreferable  to  tbe 
Gycadece,  on  account  of  extraordinary  broad  stem,  and  supposes  that  it 
should  rather  be  considered  as  a  Conifer,  of  the  section  of  tbe 
Araucarites.  This  opinion  seems  confirmed  by  the  presence  xx\Hm  the 
same  specimens  of  the  cone  described  here  below  as  Abietites  Ernestine, 
both  cone  and  branch  being  originally  described  as  representing  a 
same  species  related  to  Pterophyllum  Ernestines  of  Stiehler,  described 
from  similar  fragments  in  the  Paleontographica. 

conifers. 

Abietites  Ernestinjb,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  PI.  I,  fig.  7. 

Cone  oblong,  abruptly  narrotced  to  a  short  pedicely  scales  broad,  truneate, 
appressed  and  imbricated.  * 


UESQUERKUx-l  ENUMERATION   OF   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  335 

Sequoia  Formosa,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flor.,  p.  50,  PI.  I,  figs.  9  and  9*. 

Cone  spindle-shaped^  tapering  upward  from  above  the  base  and  more 
rapidly  narrowed  to  a  short  petiole  /  scaies  closely  oppressed  and  imbri- 
cated^ rhomboidalj  margined. 

Sequoia  Reichenbachi  !,  Heer,  Cret.  Plor.,  p.  61,  PI.  I,  figs.  10, 10^ 

Conesniall^  oblong,  oval;  receptacles  ovalj  pointed  at  both  ends;  foliaceous 
scales  crumpled,  deeply  embedded  into  the  stone;  seeds  small,  oval-oblong. 

In  comparing  this  cone  to  the  figures  given  of  the  species  by  Professor 
Heer  in  bis  Moletin  fiiora,  the  reference  was  made  especially  to  fig.  3  of 
PL  I.  Professor  Heer  remarks  rightly  that  there  is  no  relation  between 
these  cones  of  Moletin  and  the  one  of  Nebraska,  the  former  being  much 
larger  and  the  scales  therefoie  longer,  and  that  thoagh  representing  ap- 
parently a  species  of  Seqnoia,  the  specific  name  sboald  be  left  undeter- 
mined until  better  specimens  have  been  discovered. 

Sequoia  fastigiata  !  Sternb.,  Heer,  Mol.  Flor.  p.  11,  PI.  I,  figs.  10, 

13.— PL  111,  figs.  2  and  8. 

Branches  erect,  slender  ;  branchlets  filiform,  fastigiate,  crowded  ;  leaves 
loosely  imbricated,  short,  decurrent  at  the  base,  broadly  lanceolate,  acumi- 
nate, subfalcate,  or  more  or  less  curveS  upward  ;  nerved. 

We  know  of  this  species  only  what  is  seen  in  the  small  branch  figured 
8  and  8®,  for  the  cones  of  the  same  plate,  fig.  2,  though  observed  upon 
specimens  of  the  same  locality,  have  not  been  found  in  connection  with 
the  branches  bearing  leaves.  The  leaves  appear  of  the  same  form  and 
characters  as  those  represented  by  Heer  in  his  Moletin  Flora,  loc.  cit,  and 
as  those  from  the  Greenland  Upper  Cretaceous  flora  by  the  same 
author,  p.  102,  PL  XXVII,  figs.  5  and  6,  merely  dififering  by  the  presence 
of  a  middle  nerve  recognizable  upon  the  specimens  of  Kansas,  and  which 
is  not  seen  upon  the  leaves  of  Greenland  and  Europe.  This  mode  of 
division  of  the  branches  is  the.same,  and  in  comparing  the  cones  of  our 
^g,  2  with  those  figured  by  Heer  from  both  Greenland  and  Moletin 
specimens,  the  likeness  appears  very  great  indeed.  As  the  leaves  of 
this  species  are  very  variable  in  size  and  the  middle  nerve  generally 
perceivable  with  great  difficulty,  I  am  not  disposed  to  separate  it  from 
the  only  difference  of  the  more  distinct  middle  nerve  of  the  leaves,  and 
I  consider  it  as  very  probably  the  same  as  that  of  Moletin.  Heer  re- 
marks a  character  also  recognizable  upon  the  fragment  from  Kansas, 
viz,  the  difference  of  the  size  of  the  leaves  upon  different  parts  of  the 
branches. 

Habitat. — Kansas,  Clay  Center,  jET.  C  Towner. 

Sequoia  condita,  sp.  nov.,  PL  IV,  figs.  5-7. 

Brandies  rigid,  pinnately  divided  ;  branchlets  slender,  filiform,  open  or 
oblique;  leaves  either  short,  oblong  pointed  narrowed  to  tJiedecuf  ring  base, 
appressed  to  the  stem,  or  longer,  subulate  acuminate,  open  and  slightly  fal- 
cate, nerveless ;  cone  small,  oval-oblong,  scales  rhomboidal,  acutely  mam- 
millate. 

After  briefly  describing  this  species  for  the  Bulletin  Xo.  5,  second 
series  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories,  I  received  from  Clay 
Center  a  number  of  fragmentary  specimens  satisfactorily  showing  its 
various  characters.  They  prove  that  the  fragment,  PL  IV,  fig.  7, 
which  I  had  considered  as  representing  a  different  species,  and  described 
83  doubtfully  referable  to  Sequoia  subulata,  Heer,  of  the  Greenland 
Cretaceous  flora,  belongs  to  the  same  species  as  the  fragment,  fig.  5« 


336       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

lu  this  one,  the  leaves  closely  appressed  to  the  stem,  either  imbricated 
or  distant,  two  millimeters  long,  one  millimeter  broad  in  the  broadest 
part  above  the  middle,  have  an  oblong,  elongated  rhomboida!  form,  with 
a  short,  acute  point,  and  gradually  taper  from  above  the  middle  to  the 
decnrrent  base.  In  other  specimens  they  are,  as  in  fig.  7,  linear,  aco- 
minate,  or  subulate,  four  to  five  millimeters  long,  less  than  one  millimeter 
broad,  decurring  at  the  base,  more  generally  halt'  open  and  straight, 
sometimes,  however,  slightly  falcate.  Passing  downward  uiK>n  the 
same  branches,  these  leaves  become  shorter,  more  closely  appressed  to 
the  stem,  the  point  only  being  turned  outside,  and  they  then  are  similar 
to  those  of  the  enlarged  fig.  5,  differing  merely  by  the  size.  A  num- 
ber of  fragments  of  cones,  also,  one  ot  them  preserved  nearly  whole, 
and  still  attached  to  a  branch,  prove  that  fig.  6  represents  rather  au 
unopened  young  fruiting  catkin  of  the  same  species  than  a  male  one, 
as  I  supposed  at  first.  The  ripe  cone  is  fourteen  millimeters  long,  five 
millimeters  broad,  cylindrical-oval,  with  scales  deeply  impressed  into 
the  stone,  and  the  apophyses  three  to  four  millimeters  broad  and  nearly 
as  long,  rhomboidal  in  outline,  acutely  narrowed  on  both  sides,  bearing 
in  the  middle  or  a  little  above  a  pointe<l  ^t)  mammilla,  marked  by  a  small 
hole  in  the  stone.  Another  cone,  cut  in  its  length  exposes  the  thick, 
smooth  (not  crumpled)  foliaceous«appendages,  and  the  receptacles  of 
the  seeds,  which  are  large  and  similar  to  those  of  the  cone  described  in 
Cret.  Flora,  Tab.  I,  Fig.  10  and  10^,  as  Sequoia  reichenbachu  Indeed, 
the  form  of  the  opened  cone  is  the  same ;  this  last  one  appears  only  some- 
what longer.  All  the  fragments  representing  this  species  are,  like  the 
cones,  deeply  impressed  or  molded  into  the  stone,  even  the  leaves, 
which  often  penetrate  it  by  their  points.  They  appear  thus  of  a  thick 
coriaceous  consistence.  Their  outside  surface  is,  of  course,  the  only 
part  whose  impression  is  represented.  It  is  half-round  or  slightly  chan- 
neled; the  inside  surface,  if  exposed,  could  perhaps  show  a  middle  nerve. 
This  species  is  distantly  related  to  Sequoiafastigiaia^  Sternb.,  described 
above,  dififering  by  the  pinnate  mode  of  division  of  the  branches,  the 
form  of  the  leaves,  etc.  The  fragment,  tig.  7,  has  a  likeness  to  the  one 
represented  by  Heer  in  his  Flor.  Foss.  Arct.  Ill,  PI.  XXVII,  fig.  9«,  as 
Sequoia  rigida,  a  species,  however,  far  different  by  the  visible  nerve  of 
its  leaves  and  by  the  large  size  of  its  cones. 

Habitat. — Fort  Barker  and  Clay  Center,  Chs.  Sternberg,  E.  C. 
Towner, 

PiNUS  QUENSTEDTI,  Heer,  Moletin  Flora,  p.  13,  PI.  II,  figs,  5-9,  and 

Tab.  HI.— PI.  Ill,  figs.  6,  7. 

Leaves  by^  five^  very  long  and  slender y  linear^  deeply  nerved^  the  base  in- 
closed in  a  long  cylindrical  sheath;  cones  cylindrical,  very  long,  scales  tcitk  a 
broadly  rhomboidal  shield  {apophyse)  acute  on  ilie  sides^  mammillate  in  the 
center. 

The  specimens  representing  this  species  are  numerous,  bat  all 
more  or  less  fragmentary.  The  attachment  of  the  base  of  the  leaves  by 
five  is  more  or  less  distinctly  marked  by  the  long  sheaths  forming  deep 
holes  into  the  stone,  the  orifice  of  which  has  remains  of  leaves ;  these 
are  very  numerous,  always  seen  by  their  deep  impressions,  half  cylin- 
drical on  the  back,  channeled  and  deeply  nerved  on  the  inside,  as 
marked  in  the  enlarged  figure  7^  The  length  of  these  leaves  is  not  rec- 
ognizable from  our  specimens,  which  have  mere  fragments,  five  to  eight 
centimeters  long;  but  Prof.  Heer,  who  had  complete  splendid  speci- 
mens for  his  description,  gives  the  measure  at  twenty  centimeters; 
their  width  being  scarcely  one  millimeter.    The  cylindrical  cone  is 


lb:qukiikux.]  ENUMERATION   OF   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  337 

twetity-two  millimeters  broad,  gradually  tapering  to  the  base,  and  from 
what  is  seen  from  large  stones  perforated  by  its  impressions,  its  length 
was  at  least  fifteen  centimeters.  Most  of  the  specimens  whereupon  it 
is  represented  show  it  curved  or  paltate.  It  is  the  only  difference 
remarked  in  comparing  it  to  the  cones,  represented  by  Heer,  from  the 
Moletin  flora,  and  which  are  straight.  In  the  flora  of  Gelindon,  by 
Saporta  and  Marion,  the  authors  remark,  p.  19,  that  this  species  does 
not  differ  in  any  character  from  the  living  Mexican  species,  with  qni- 
uute  leaves,  which  now  compose  the  section  of  the  Pseudo-strohus. 

Habitat. — Mostly  and  more  generally  found  near  Fort  Barker,  by 
Chs.  Sternberg;  some  leaves  are  mixed  with  the  specimen  of  the  former 
species  sent  by  H.  C,  Towner  from  near  Clay  Center. 

Glyptostrobus  graoillimus,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.  p.  52,  PI.  I,  figs.  8, 

lJ-11'. 

Branches  fastigiatej  very  slender ^  threadlike^  much  divided;  leaves 
imbricate^  appressed,  embracing  the  base^  linear-lanceolate^  more  or  less 
abruptly  pointed;  cone  narrow,  cylindrical. 

No  new  specimens  of  this  remarkably  fine  species  of  Conifers  has  been 
found ;  its  reference  is  therefore  still  uncertain.  I  consider  it,  from  the 
affinity  of  its  characters  to  tho^  of  Frenelites  reichii  of  Ettinghausen,  as 
identical  with  this  species.  But  its  true  relation,  even  if  identity  wa€ 
positive,  is  not  the  better  ascertained  for  that.  Schimper  admits*  this 
Frenelites  as  a  synonym  of  Sequoia  fastigiata,  Stemb.  The  presence  of 
both  these  species  in  the  Cretaceous  of  Kansas  would  perhaps  give  to 
this  opinion  a  kind  of  authority.  But  it  seems  contradicted  by  the  great 
diflerence  in  the  appreciable  characters  of  these  remains  as  far  as  they 
are  known.  We  can,  however,  say  nothing  in  regard  to  the  afiinity  oi 
this  Olyptostrobus  or  Frenelites,  as  long  as  its  cones  are  unknown.  If 
the  scales  found  in  connection  with  the  branchlets  and  figured  in  Cret. 
Flor.  PI.  I,  fig.  8  (enlarged),  belong  to  it,  they  rather  resemble  those  of 
the  cones  of  Sequoia  condita,  which,  however,  are  longer,  narrower,  and 
of  a  different  type  than  those  of  S.  fastigiatu. 

Inolepis  !  species.    PI.  IV,  fig.  8. 

CoTie  or  fruit  globular,  five-costate,  attaclied  to  a  branch  mixed  with  un* 
determinable  remains  of  conifers. 

The  specimen  is  distinctly  represented  in  the  figure ;  it  shows  the 
deep  semi-globular  impression  of  an  apparently  unopened  fruit,  marked 
in  the  length  by  five  obtuse  costo)  or  narrow  ribs  coming  together,  and 
disapi)eariug  below  the  top.  The  other  fragments  attached  to  the  stem 
above  this  impression  appear  like  the  scales  of  an  opened  cone  or  fruit 
of  the  same  species.  I  find  nothing  to  which  this  can  be  compared  but 
the  cross-section  of  a  cone  of  Inolepis  imbricata,  Hej»r.,  Flor.  Fosa.  Arct., 
PI.  YXl,  fig.  16,  supposing  that  the  impression  of  our  specimen  repre- 
sents the  outside  surface  of  a  cone  of  this  kind  deprived  of  its  scales.  This 
affinity  is  indeed  a  distant  one,  and  the  comparison  is  acceptable  merely 
on  account  of  the  connection  of  this  vegetable  organism  with  a  mass  of 
decayed  and  broken  remains  of  Conifers. 

Phyllooladus  subintegripolius,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  54,  PI.  I,  fig. 

12.— Tab.  II,  tig.  4. 

Leaf  coriaceous,  oval-oblong,  tapering  from  below  the  middle  to  a  sliort 
thick  petiole  ;  undulate  toward  tlie  top  and  abruptly  rounded;  middle  nerve 

*  Puleontolugie  Vegetable,  vol.  ii.  p.  316. 

99  TT 


338       GEOLOGICAL  SUKy£Y  OF  THE  TERBITORIES. 

narrow  mid  scarcely  distinct  except  near  the  hose  where  it  bccomett  inftatei; 
lateral  veins  close  and  thin^  a  few  of  them  more  prominent  and  thicker^  aU 
rvnnin{i  to  the  borders  in  an  acute  angle  of  divergence  and  nearly  straight. 

The  fragment  figured  here  is  the  second  specimen  of  a  leaf  of  this 
kind  observed  in  the  Cretaceous.    Its  relation  seems  authorized. 

MONOCOTYLEDON  US. 

Glumace^. 

Phragmites  CRETACEOUS,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  FI.,  p.  55,  PI.  I,  figs.  13  and 

14 ;  PL  XXIX,  tig.  7. 

Leaves  and  culms  of  various  size,  tlie  leaves  gradually  narrowed  to  an 
obtuse  pointy  doubly  veined  ;  primary  veins  thickish  or  inflated  by  tA«  epi- 
dermis,  under  which  only  the  intermediate  secondary  veins,  three  or/our^ 
may  be  discernable. 

The  reference  of  the  fragment  of  stem  and  the  knot,  PI.  I,  figs.  13  and 
14,  and  of  the  leaf;  PI.  XXIX,  fig.  7,  of  the  Cret.  Flor.,  has  been  contested 
as  very  uncertain.  The  exactness  of  the  determination,  however,  is 
rendered  probable,  at  least,  by  the  presence  of  fragments  of  the  same 
kind  in  the  Upper  Cretaceous  of  Greenland,  and  described  by  Heer,  Io(. 
city  p.  104,  PI.  XXVIII,  figs.  8, 11,  as  Arundo  grosnlandica^  The  leaf,  fig. 
11,  and  its  point,  fig.  IP,  have  the  same  form  as  that  of  our  fig.  7.  I  have 
more  recently  still  received  a  number  of  fragments  of  small  culms,  one  to 
one  and  a  half  centimeters,  representing  still  more  clearly  the  chars&cters 
of  the  species.    The  distance  between  the  primary  veins  is  variable. 

DlOSCOREiB. 

DioscoREAf  CRETACEA,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  50,  PL  XXVIII,  fig.  lOl 

Leaf  coriaceous,  entire,  nearly  lound,  slightly  emarginate  ai  the  poiM, 
broader  than  long,  rounded  or  truncate  at  the  base;  veins  apparently  aU 
from  near  the  base,  the  outside  ones  curving  parallel  to  the  borders  atid 
sparingly  branching  ;  tlie  other  parallel  to  each  others,  simple^  curving  in 
the  same  way  in  ascending,  connected  in  the  upper  part  by  arched  nervilks, 
the  inner  ones  aerodrome. 

PALMiE. 

Flabellaeia!  minima,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  50,  PL  XXX,  fig.  12. 

Rays  narrow,  splitting  in  laciniw;  veins  promineiit,  parallel;  intermediaii 
space  concave,  marked  by  uidistinct  veinlets  parallel  to  tlie  primary  reins. 

The  reference  of  these  small  fragments  to  the  Palm  family  is  gen- 
erally contested. 

DICOTYLEDONOUS.    APETALEiE. 

ITEOIDE^. 

Liquid AMBAR  integrifolium,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  50,  PL  II,  flg* 

1-3;  PL  XXIV,  fig.  2. 

Leaves  coriaceous,  variable  in  size,  deeply  five palmately  lobed;  ditisiosi 
orate  lanceolate,  obtusely  pointed,  entire,  separated  by  obtuse  sinuses ;  in/^ 
rior  lateral  lobes  in  right  angle  to  the  midrib  ;  nervation  eamptodrome. 


\ 


LESQUEBEux]  ENUMERATION   OP   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  339 

PopuLiTES  LANCASTRraNSTS,  LesqK.,  Cret.  Plor.,  p.  68,  PI.  Ill,  fig.  1. 

Iieaf  large,  coria4:eouSj  broadly  cordate,  apparently  pointed,  entire  or  with 
slightly  undulate  borders;  nervation  pinnate^  subcamptodrome. 

According  to  Schioiper,  this  species  is  a  true  Populus. 

PopuiiiTBS  ELEGANS,  Lesqx.,  Oret.  Flor.,  p.  60,  PI.  Ill,  fig.  3. 

Iteavea  broadly  oval  or  nearly  round,  narrowed  by  an  abrupt  curve  to  a 
long,  slender  petiole  ;  borders  entire,  undulate  ;  nervation  pinnate,  subcamp- 
todrome, the  lower  primary  veins  joining  the  middle  nerve  a  little  aAove  the 
border-base  of  the  leaf. 

Saxix  protkepolia,  Lesqx.,  Oret.  Flor.  p.  60,  PL  V,  figs.  1-4. 

liCaves  lanceolate,  gradually  tapering  to  an  obtuse  point,  largest  at  or 
more  generally  below  the  middlCj  narrowed  to  a  short  petiole  ;  coriaceous, 
surface  polished, 

AMENTACE^. 

Betuia  beatriciana,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  61,  PI.  V,  fig.  5  j  PL  XXX, 

fig.  4. 

Itcaves  small,  rhomboidal-obovatein  outline,  cuneiform  from  the  middle  to 
the  petiole,  rapidly  tapering  from  above  the  middle  to  a  point,  simply  dentate 
in  the  upper  part,  entire  to  the  base  ;  nervation  pinnate,  craspedodrome. 

Id  bis  critical  notes,  Oonnt  Saporta  says  that  these  leaves  might  he, 
perhaps,  detached  leaflets  of  some  species  of  Cissus  or  Araliopsis,  the 
presence  of  Betala  leaves  being  improbable  in  the  Cretaceous. 

Myriga  obtusa,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  G3,  PL  XXIX,  fig.  10. 

Leaf  thick,  coriaceous j  shining,  linear,  obtuse,  entire;  medial  nerve  thick; 
secondary  veins  thin,  nearly  at  a  right  angle  to  the  middle  nerve,  curving 
near  and  along  the  border  in  marginal  festoons,  anastomosing,  from  the  mid- 
dle or  above,  with  the  branches  of  intermediate  short  veinlets. 

Myrica  cretacea,  sp.  nov.    PL  III,  fig.  4. 

Leaf  linear  lanceolate  long  f point  broken  J,  gradually  narrowed  to  a  thick 
petiole;  minutely  denticulate  on  the  borders,  secondary  veins  parallel,  dis- 
tant, at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence  from  the  flat  broad  middle  nerve,  camp- 
todrome;  tertiary  veiiis  short,  anastomosing  with  branches  of  the  second- 
ary ones. 

The  figare  shows  the  only  fragment  known  of  this  species.  The  snb* 
stance  ot  the  leaves  is  sabcoriaceous,  rather  thick,  the  surface  smooth 
or  polished;  the  borders,  slightly  reflexed,  minutely  denticulate, 
evidently  so,  but  not  quite  as  deeply  as  marked  upon  the  figure; 
from  the  broad  middle  nerve,  the  secondary  veins,  irregular  in  distance 
and  branching,  ascend,  in  an  acute  angle  of  divergence,  about  30<^  to  near 
the  borders,  which  they  closely  follow  by  ramifications.  Tbe  areolation 
IB  not  distinguishable. 

The  leaf  is  comparable  to  Myrica  (Dryandroides)  Zenkeri,  Ett.,  Ereide 
Flora  vonNeidersboena,  p.  23,  PL  III,  figs.  1, 3, 11,  which  is  also  publish- 
ed by  Heer  from  Greenland,  in  the  Arct.  Flora.  Though  our  leaf  18 
larger  and  the  denticulation  of  the  borders  of  a  diiferent  character, 
in  right  angle  to  the  borders  not  as  pointed  and  turned  upward  as  in 
the  European  species,  these  differences  might  be  merely  local  and  the 
species  identical.  A  close  comparison  is  not  possible,  from  the  absence 
of  the  characters  of  the  secondary  nervation,  on  the  specimens  of 
Europe  and  of  Oreenlandi  Ettinghausen,  however,  remarks  that  the 
teeth  of  tbe  borders  are  minute  and  acute,  or  slightly  obtuse  and  close^  as 


340  GEOLOGICAL   SUfiVEY   OF   THE   TEBRIT0BIE8. 

in  our  leaf,  but  adds  that  the  secondary  veins  are  very  slender  (lenu- 
issimi)^  while  in  ours  they  are  thick  and  distinct. 

Habitat. — Near  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 
M YRio^  SEMINA,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  63,  PI.  XXVII,  figs.  4  &  4*. 
Seeds  obovaie^  a  Utile  more  tluin  two  millimeters  in  the  upper  party  painted 
at  the  other  sidej  bordered  by  a  narrow  margin. 

CUPULIVIEEJE. 

Dryophyllum  (quercus)  latifolium,  spec.  nov.    PL  VI,  fig.  1. 

Leaf  large^  oval,  obtuse  at  the  top  and  base,  sinuate  or  obtusdy  deuiaie ; 
lateral  veins  on  an  acute  angle  of  divergence,  straight  to  the  borders,  branrk- 
ing  once  or  twice. 

This  fine  leaf  is  coriaceous,  twelve  centimeters  long,  nine  centimeters 
wide  below  the  middle,  its  broadest  part,  obtuse  at  the  point  and  base, 
deeply  undulate,  or,  rather,  obtusely  dentate  at  least  in  its  upper  part 
The  nervation  is  thick,  the  secondary  veins  pass  up  at  an  angle  of  diver- 
gence of  50^  to  the  borders,  and  enter  the  teeth,  while  the  upper  division 
or  veinlets  pass  under  the  (Minuses  and  follow  the  borders,  a  marked 
character  of  the  species  of  this  section ;  the  nervilles  are  distinct  thon^ 
thin,  in  right  angle  to  the  secondary  veins,  distant  and  disconnected ;  tbe 
ultimate  areolation  is  obsolete.  The  leaf  resembles  somewhat  by  its 
Ibrm  Querctis  Olafseni,  Heer,  of  the  Flora  Arctica. 

Habitat.— Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

Dryophyllxjm  (quercus)  PRiaroRDiALE,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  64, 

PL  V,  fig.  7. 

Leaf  subcoriaceous,  narrowly  ovate-lanceolate,  equally  gradually  tapering 
from  the  middle  upward  to  a  point  and  downward  to  a  sJiort petiole,  sharply 
equally  dentate;  nervation  pinnate,  simple,  craspedodrome. 

Dryophyllum  (quercus)  salioifolium,  sp.  nov.,  PI.  VIII,  fig.  2. 

Leaf  linear  lanceolate,  rounded  to  tlie  base;  borders  acutely  denticulate^ 
with  small  teeth  turned  outward  in  the  lower  part,  upward  in  the  upper  part, 
lateral  veins  numerous,  parallel,  subcamptodrome. 

The  fragment  represents  a  slightly  falcate  leaf,  rather  membranaceous 
than  coriaceous,  with  a  narrow  middle  nerve  and  close  parallel  second- 
aiy  veins,  most  of  them  ascending  to  the  teeth  and  passing  under  the 
sinuses  by  an  upper  branch,  or  some  of  them  curving  along  the  border 
and  reaching  the  teeth  by  a  small  division.  The  areolation  is  not  dis- 
tinct; only  in  the  upper  part  of  the  leaf  the  nervilles,  in  right  angle  to 
the  veins,  appear  ramified  in  the  same  way,  ending  in  square  or  polygo- 
nal areolae. 

This  species  is  comparable,  and,  indeed,  closely  related  to  Dryophyllum 
lineare,  Sap.,  Sezane  flora,  p.  350,  PI.  IV,  hg.  6. 

Habitat. — Near  the  San  Juan  Biver,  at  a  higher  Cretaceous  station 
than  the  Dakota  group.  Southwest  Colorado,  W.  H.  Holmes. 

Quercus  hexagona,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flor.,  p.  61,  PI.  V,  fig.  8. 

Leaf  rhomboidal  ovate,  tapering  from  above  the  middle  to  an  acute  pointy 
varrowed,wedgeform  to  the  petiole,  irregularly  broadly  dentate  in  ike  upper 
part  only,  nervation  pinnate,  simple  croAspedodrome. 

Quercus  ?  ellsworthiana.  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flor.,  p.  65,  PL  VI,  fig.  7, 

Leaf  subcoriaceous,  oblong  oval,  point  brolcen,  narrowed  in  a  curve  to  the 
base;  borders  undulate;  nervation  pinnate,  camptodrome. 
The  relation  of  this  fragment  is  as  yet  uncertain. 


iJEsiiUKRKux.]  ENUMERATION   OP   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  341 

QUBBGUSt  POBANomES,  Lesqz.,  Gret  Flora,  p.  B6,  PL  XXX,  fig.  9. 

Iieaf  brooMy  oval  or  nearly  rounds  point  brolcenj  truncate  at  t-he  hase^  uth 
duiate  on  tJie  borders^  middle  nerve  thickj  lateral  veir^  ihin^  aubopposite^  at 
an  open  angle  of  divergence^  curving  to  and  along  tlie  borders^  camptodrome. 

The  reference  of  this  fragment  is  as  uncertain  as  that  of  the  former. 

Fagus  polyolada,  Lesqx.,  Oret  Plor.,  p.  67,»P1.  V,  fig.  6. 

Leaf  ovate^  oblong^  cuneate  to  the  base^  short  petioled;  borders  entire^ 
undulate;  middle  nerve  straight^  secondary  veins  closcy  numerous j  simple^ 
parallel  and  craspedodrome. 

PLATANEiE. 

PL.ATANUS  OBTUSi  LOBA,  Lerqx.,  Cret.  Plor.,  p.  69,  PI.  VII,  figs.  3,  4. 

Leaves  smaU^  not  thick^  palmately  irregularly  trilobate;  lobes  obtuse^  short 
toith  regularly  undulate  borders^  nervation  3  to  5  palmate  from  a  distance 
above  the  base  of  the  long  petioled  leaf 

Platanus  primjera,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.  69,  PI.  VII,  fig.  2,  and  PL 

XXVI,  fig.  2. 

Leaves  large,  coriaceous^  palmately  trilobate,  tciih  short,  scarcely  dis- 
tinct lateral  lobes,  broadly  deltoid,  deeply,  distantly  dentate  to  the  point; 
nervation  three  palmate,  coarse^  platanoidal, 

Platanus  Heerii,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  70,  PL  VIII,  fig.  4,  and  PL 

IX,  figs.  1  and  2. 

Leaves  round  or  broadly  rhomboidal  in  outline,  palmately  three  obscurely 
lobed;  lobes  shorty  obtuse  ;  borders  entire  or  undulate  broadly  wedge  form 
at  base  and  more  or  less  decurrent  to  the  short  petiole. 

We  have  of  this  fine  species  a  specimen  representing  a  small  leaf 
nearly  entire  on  the  border  and  with  the  trilobate  form  scarcely  defined. 

The  supposition  tbat  these  leaves  coald  be  referable  to  Credneria  is 
contradicted  by  the  short  petiole,  besides  the  other  dififerences  indicated 
in  the  introduction. 

Platanus  I^ewberriana,  Heer,  Cret  Flora,  p.  72,  PL  VIII,  figs.  2,  3; 

PL  IX,  fig.  3. 

Leaves  of  medium  size^  thicHsh,  palmately  three  lobed,  either  tapering 
to  a  point  from  the  lateral  lobes  uptcard,  orwitltout  lobes  and  ovate  ;  taper- 
pointed,  broadly  cuneate  to  the  base,  equally  dentate  /  nervation  trifidfrom  a 
little  above  the  base  ;  secondary  veins  close,  numerous. 

Platanus  diminutiva,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.  73,  PL  VIII,  fig.  5. 

Leaf  small,  thick,  half  round  from  the  middle  to  the  base,  narrowed  to  an 
obtuse  point ;  borders  entire^  undulate ;  nervation  trifid  from  above  the 
base;  nerves  thick  and  irregularly  inflated. 

As  remarked  already,  this  may  be  a  diseased  leaf  of  one  of  the  for- 
mer species. 

URTICINEiE.    MORE.^. 

Ficus  Halliana,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  68,  PL  XXVIII,  tigs.  3  and  9. 

Leaves  siibcoriaceous,  very  entire  petioled,  broadly  lanceolate,  gradually 
narrotced  to  a  long  acumen,  more  rapidly  narrowed  and  rounded  to  the 
petiole,  7te>'vation  pinnate;  lateral  veins  close,  straight  on  an  acute  angle 
of  divergence,  parallel,  nutnerons. 


342  GEOLOGICAL   SUUVEY    OF   THE    TEHRITOBIES. 

FiCUS  LAUROPHYLLUM,   sp.  nov.     PI.  V,  fig,  7. 

LaurophyUum  reiiculatuvif  Lci^qx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  7(),  PI.  XV,  liga.  4,5. 

Leaves  coriaceous^  entire  narrowly  lanceolate  acuminate^  gradually  taper 
ing  to  a  shorty  thick  petiole;  nervation  pinnate,  middle  nerve  thicky  grooved, 
secondary  veins  close,  open, 

A  large  uuinber  of  fipecimens  have  been  obtained  of  this  fine  s|ie- 
cies.  Though  generally  more  or  less  fragmentary,  they  indicate,  by 
comparison,  the  essential  characters  of  the  leaves.  They  vary  in  size 
from  one  and  one-half  to  four  and  one-half  centimeters  broad  in  the 
middle,  and  from  ten  to  eighteen  centimeters  long.  Their  form  is  like 
tbat  of  PI.  V,  fig,  7,  of  this  memoir,  which  is  an  exact  likeness  of  the 
only  leaf  seen  preserved  in  its  whole.  The  secondary  veins  are  always 
open,  nearly  at  a  right  angle  to  the  very  thick,  broad,  and  grooved  or 
rather  channeled  middle  nerve.  The  areolation  is  by  tibrillae  at 
right  angle  to  the  secondar}'  and  intermediate  tertiary  veins,  forming 
irregular  quadrate  or- polygonal  loose  meshes.  The  secondary*  veins 
carve  along  the  borders,  and,  connecting  with  those  above,  form  a  kind 
of  margin,  very  undistiuct,  however,  to  the  leaves.  These  characters  ot 
nervation  and  areolation  more  evidently  refer  this  species  to  the  FieuM 
than  to  any  division  of  the  Laurinece.  They  are  the  same  as  in  the 
leaves  described  as  Fious  protogcce,  Ileer,  in  Flora  Arct.  Ill,  p.  lOS,  PL 
XXX,  figs.  1-8  of  the  Upper  Cretaceous  of  Greenland.  Some  living 
species,  especijilly  of  Cuba,  have  the  same  type  of  nervation  and  areo- 
lation.   The  relation  of  these  leaves  is  also  marked  to  8i)ecies  of  Nerium, 

Ficus  DiSTOBTA,  sp.  nov.,  PI.  V,  fig.  5. 

Leaf  coriaceous,  entire,  obovate,  unequilateral,  pointed  or  acuminate, 
apparently  gradually  narrowed  to  the  base  (broJcen);  nervation  pinnate, 
secondary  veins  thick,  parallel,  equidistant  camptodrome;  nervilles  in  right 
angle  to  the  veins,  areolation  irregularly  quadrate  or  polygonal. 

This  fragment  as  figured  here  is  the  only  one  seen  of  this  species,  and  it 
is  not  sufficient  to  positively  indicate  the  relation  of  the  species  to  Ficus; 
the  unequilateral  shape  of  the  leaf,  its  nervation  and  areolation  seem  to 
authorize  its  reference  to  this  genus. 

Habitat. — Near  Fort  Harker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg, 

LAURINEJi:. 

Laurus  Kebrascensis,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  74,  PI.  X,  fig.  1,  PI.  XXVIII, 

fig.  14. 

Leaves  Hiick,  coriaceous,  elliptical  oblong  or  narrowly  lanceolate,  obtufeUf 
potnted,  tapering  doxcnward  to  a  short,  tJdcJc  petiole  ;  middle  nerve  thick, 
half  round;  secondary  veins  alternate,  at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence,  camp- 
todrome. 

IiAUBUS  macrocarpa,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  74,  Pl.X,  fig.  2. 

Fruit  round,  oval;  nut  surrounded  by  a  thick  pericarp;  pedicel divb- 
sliaped. 

The  fruit  may  belong  to  the  species  represented  by  the  leaves  of 
Laurus  Nebrascensis. 

Laubus  PROTE-asFOLiA,  sp.  nov.,  PL  V,  figs.  1  and  2. 

Leaves  subcoriaceous,  broadly  lanceolate^graduaXly  narrowed  from  btloffi 
the  middle  into  a  long  acumen,  more  rapidly  narrowed  to  the  base  ;  middle 
nerve  narrowly  groovedand  comparatively  narrow;  lateral  veins  obligue,  slen- 
der j  curving  to  and  along  the  borders,  parallel,  except  the  lower  pair,  which 
is  more  oblique  and  ascends  higher. 


iJtaQUKREUx.]         ENUMERATION   OP   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  343 

These  leaves,  of  which  we  have  a  number  of  specimens,  the  two  best 
ones  figured  here,  vary  iu  size  from  two  to  three  and  one-half  centime- 
ters broad  in  the  widest  part,  far  below  the  middle,  and  twelve  to  six- 
teen centimeters  long.  By  their  shape,  the  long  narrowly  tapering  and 
slightly  falcate  acumen,  they  closely  resemble  F-roieoides  dafhnogeiioides, 
Heer,  as  represented  in  Oret.  Flora,  Pi.  XV,  figs.  1  and  2,  differing, 
however,  by  the  brdader  middle  nerve  and  the  distinct,  equidistant  and 
jiarallel  secondary  veins.  These,  at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence  of 
ii  bout  thirty  degrees,  are  somewhat  curved  in  passing  toward  the  bor- 
tiers,  where  they  become  effaced  ;  the  lower  pair  is  at  a  more  acute  angle 
of  divergence  and  ascends  higher  in  following  the  borders;  the  areola- 
tion  is  obsolete,  the  surface  appearing  punctulate  or  closely  dotted  by 
bniall  convex  areolae,  like  the  leaves  of  some  species  Laurus  or  Persea. 

Habitat. — Near  Fort  Harker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

Persea  Leconteana,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  75,  PI.  XXVIII,  fig.  1. 

Leaf  large,  oblong-ovatej  lanceolate  pointed ;  borders  undulate,  nervation 
pinnate;  lotcer  secondary  veins  distant,  at  a  more  acute  atigle  of  divergence, 
curving  near  the  borders  and  ascending  to  the  middle  of  the  leaves  ;  upper 
reins  shorter,  parallel. 

The  character  of  the  nervation  is  the  same  as  in  the  former  species. 
The  relation  of  this  leaf  is,  however,  contested,  on  account  of  its  size 
and  shape,  which  seem  more  like  those  of  a  Magnolia. 

Persea  Sternbergii  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  76,  PL  VII,  fig.  1. 

Leaf  large,  thick,  coriaceous,  entire,  broadly  oblong,  oval,  or  obovatc, 
obtusely  pointed  f  f point  broken),  gradually  narrowed  in  a  curve  to  the  base  ; 
nervation  pi,nnate,  very  distinct,  camjptodrome. 

Daphnogene  oretacea,  sp.  nov. 

Cinnamomum  Scheuchzerij  Heer,  Crot.  Flora,  PI.  XXX,  figs.  2,  3. 

Leaves  co^Haceous,  polished  on  the  upper  surfa^^e,  elliptical  or  ovate-lanceo- 
late, pointed,  narrowed  to  a  short  petiole;  slightly  undulate  on  the  borders, 
and  triple-nerved  from  a  distance  above  the  base  ;  middle  nerve  and  lateral 
reins  thick,  the  lotcer  primary  ones  ascending  along  the  borders  as  high  as 
the  lo-wer  secondary  veins,  which  they  join  by  ramifications. 

To  Professor  Heer,  the  reference  of  these  leaves  to  Cinnamomum 
Schenchzeri  seems  very  hazarded,  for  though  the  form  of  the  leaves  is 
much  the  same,  the  middle  nerve  is  too  thick  for  that  species,  especially 
toward  the  point.  Count  Saporta  is  also  of  the  opinion  that  the  presence 
of  C.  Scheuchzeri  in  the  Cretaceous  is  very  improbable,  as  this  species  in 
Europe  is  essentially  of  the  Upper  Miocene.  I  have  accordingly  changed 
the  name  of  this  species,  which,  though  positively  referable  to  the 
LaurinecB,  is  as  yet  uncertain  in  its  relation.  The  genus  Daphnogene, 
Ung.,  less  definitely  limited^  is  appropriate  for  leaves  of  this  kind,  to 
which  the  following  species  is  also  referred.  These  two  leaves  are  dis- 
tantly related  to  Cinnamomum  Mississippiense  of  the  lignitic. 

Daphnogene  heerii. 

Cinnamomum  Heerii,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  84,  PI.  XXVIII,  fig.  11. 

Leaf  thickish,  subcoriaceous,  entire,  ovate,  taper-pointed,  rounded  at  the 
base,  three-nerved ;  lateral  veins  ascending  higher  than  the  middle  of  the 
leaf,  branching  outside. 

Obeodapdne  cretacea,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  84,  PI.  XXX,  fig.  5. 

Leaf  coriaceous,  elliptical,  gradually  curving  to  an  obtuse  point,  narrowed 
in  about  the  same  degree  to  the  base;  middle  7ierve  thick,  secondary  veins 
thick  and  opposite^  three  or  four  pairs,  inflated  at  the  axils. 


344  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TEBBrrOBIES. 

SASSAFftAS. 

The  remarks  Iq  the  introd  action  expose  the  opinions  of  paleontologists 
and  the  discussion  upon  the  species  referred  to  this  generic  diviaion 
from  the  specimens  of  the  Dakota  group.  They  prove  that,  though  the 
number  of  these  leaves  is  very  large,  their  generic  reference  is  still  very 
uncertain.  Leaving  aside  for  the  present  the  task  of  deciding  on  the 
evidence  in  regard  to  the  degree  of  their  relation  to  Sassafras  or  Aralia, 
I  shall  here  describe  them  provisionally  under  the  generic  name  of  Sas- 
safras and  Sassafras  {Aralwpsis)^  placing  this  group  altogether  at  the 
end  of  the  Laurinew  until  we  get  some  more  positive  information  oa  the 
subject. 

Sassafras  Mudgbi,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  78,  PL  XIV,  figs.  3,  4;   PL 

XXX,  fig.  7. 

Leaves  proportionally  long  ;  primary  nerves  narrow j  at  an  acute  angle  of 
divergence;  middle  lobe  tfcice  as  long  as  the  lateral  one;  all  ovcUe'laneeo- 
late  obtusely  pointed ;  base  of  the  leaves  narrowed^  acutely  cuneate  to  ^e 
petiole;  surf  ace  of  the  leaves  polished. 

Sassafras  acutilobum,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.  70,  PL  XIV,  figs.  1, 2. 

Leaves  svhcoriaceous^  of  the  same  consistence  as  the  former  species;  lat- 
eral lobes  lanceolate,  sharply  pointed,  entire^  middle  lobe  twice  as  long  as 
the  lateral  ones^  which  diverge  nearly  at  right  angle ;  base  of  the  leavat 
narrow  and  tapering. 

The  leaves  of  this  and  the  former  division  are  rare  among  the  speci- 
mens furnished  to  me.  This  so-called  species  is  perhaps  a  variety  of 
the  former.    Both  were  found  at  the  same  locality. 

Sassafbas  (Abaliopsis)  gbetageum,  Sewby.,  Oret.  Flora,  p.  80, 

PL  XII,  fig.  2. 

Leaves  comparatively  of  small  size,  icit/i  diverging^  obtusely  pointed^  short 
lobes,  enlarged  toward  the  broad  sinuses ;  broadly  cuneiform^  and  decur- 
ring  to  tlie  raohiSj  longpetioled;  border  entire. 

Vab.  dentatum,  Cret.  Flora,  PI.  Xi,  figs.  1, 2. 

Differs  by  the  lobes  more  or  less  dentate  on  the  borders^  and  the  secondary 
veins  subcamptodrome  or  mixed. 

Sassafbas  (Abaliopsis)  cbetageum  obtusum,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora, 

p.  SO,  PL  XII,  fig.  3,  PI.  XIII,  fig.  1. 

Leaves  of  various  size,  some  of  them  very  large,  with  short  obtuse  entire 
lobes,  the  lateral  diverging  in  an  obtuse  angle  and  the  nervation  coarse  and 
very  deep. 

From  a  number  of  specimens  examined,  this  form  appears  truly  dis- 
tinct by  its  peculiarly  broad  nervation.  Even  in  the  smallest  leaves  tbe 
primary  nerves  are  twice  as  thick  as  in  the  leaves  described  as  Sassafras 
cretaceum.  This  character  is  well  marked  upon  fig.  3  of  PL  XII  espe- 
cially. It  cannot  be  considered  as  a  modificatiou  resulting  from  tbe 
different  face  of  the  leaves  preserved  by  the  specimens,  as  some  of  these 
in  the  collection  are  double  specimens,  representing  both  faces,  where 
the  same  difference  is  distinctly  remarked.  I  have  also  not  seen  any 
leaves  of  this  coarse  nervation  with  denUil  borders ;  the  lobes  are  always 
entire.  To  this  division  are  referable  some  leaves  evidently  of  the  same 
type,  but  entire,  or  not  lobed.  One  of  them  has  been  described  in  Ore- 
tiiceons  Flora  as  Sassafras?  subinteyrifolium,  p.  82,  PI.  Ill,  fig.  5,  which 
is  apparently  abnormal  or  distorted  by  compression.  A  number  of  better 
s|)ecimens  represent  leaves  of  this  kind  nearly  entire  or  broadly  oval,  with 
one  obscure  lobe  on  one  side,  or  none,  and  the  deep,  coarse,  broad  nerva- 


J 


ussQUEMux.]  ENUMERATION   OP   CBETACEOUS   PLANTS.  345 

Hon  which  is  a  character  of  this  so-called  variety.  I  will  further  remark 
that  specimens  of  both  the  entire  and  trilobate  leaves  were  found  at 
the  same  locality. 

Sassafras  ( Abaltopsis)  hirabile,  Lesqx.,  p.  80,  PI.  XII,  fig.  1. 

Ijeaves  thickj  coriaceotts,  large  ;  lobes  broad  and  shorty  the  lateral  ones  on 
a  broad  angle  of  divergence,  with  borders  dentate  or  deeply,  undulately  lobed  ; 
neoondary  veins  mostly  craspedodrome. 

A  remarkable  modification  of  the  character  of  this  species  is  observed 
TipoD  a  fine  leaf  still  much  larger  than  the  one  figured  in  the  Cretaceous 
Flora.  It  is  twenty  centimeters  broad  between  the  points  of  the  lower 
lateral  lobes ;  about  fifteen  centimeters  long  from  the  top  of  the  petiole 
(lower  part  of  the  leaf  destroyed),  divided  by  the  forking  of  the  lateral 
primary  veins  in  five  equal  ahd  equally  sinuate  dentate  lobes,  with  the 
same  character  of  nervation  as  in  the  normal  form.  The  lobes  also  are 
of  equal  length  and  width ;  the  middle  one  fifty-seven  millimeters  broad 
and  scarcely  sixty  millimeters  long,  with  the  lower  secondary  veins 
camptodrome  and  the  upper  ones/craspedodrome,  and  entering  the  teeth. 
As  1  have  remarked  it  already,  this  subdivision  in  four  lobes  tends  to 
show  the  reference  of  those  large  leaves  to  Aralia  rather  than  to 
Sassafras.  But  it  may  be  also  an  exposition  of  that  disposition  to  poly- 
morphy  so  remarkably  evident  in  the  leaves  of  our  living  Sassafras  offi- 
cinale. As  these  generally  tripalmate  leaves  pass  to  an  entire  oval  shape 
sometimes,  they  subdivide  more  or  less  in  the  same  way.  One  of  the 
largest  specimens  of  S.  mirabile,  lately  received  from  Mr.  Towner,  of 
Clay  Center,  Kansas,  has  one  of  the  lateral  primary  nerves  twice  as 
thick  as  the  other,  and  its  base  is  higher.  One  of  its  lobes  is,  therefore, 
much  longer,  fifteen  and  one-half  centimeters,  while  the  other  is  only  ten. 

Sassafras,  (Araliopsis,)  reourvata. 

Platanus  reourvata,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  71,  PI.  X,  figs.  ^-5. 
Leaves  three  to  five  palmately  lobed;  hbes  nearly  equal  in  length,  the  mid- 
dle one  broader^  lateral  nerves  curving  downward,  simple  or  forking  above 
the  base;  borders  of  the  lobes  entire  or  sparingly  coarsely  dentate. 

This  form  is  still  more  uncertain,  and,  so  to  say,  transient  in  its  char- 
acters. By  the  decurrent  base  of  the  leaves  descending  to  the  petiole, 
lower  than  the  point  of  union  of  the  primary  veins  and  also  by  the  trilo- 
bate division,  it  is  a  Sassafras.  The  irregularity,  however,  of  the  lobes, 
the  nervation  and  the  double  divisions  in  lobes  or  teeth  refer  it  to  Plar 
tanus;  the  tendency  to  become  five-lobate  by  the  forking  of  the  lateral 
iierve)»  is  a  character  of  the  AraliacecB.  This  disposition  to  a  subdivis- 
ion or  multiplication  of  lobes  is  seen  in  fig.  3,  where  the  lower  branches, 
though  thick,  do  not  diverge  widely  enough  tor  modifying  the  borders 
of  the  leaf,  but  are  curved  inward  and  join  the  secondary  veins  at  the 
base  of  the  lobes ;  but  in  fig.  4,  which  represents  a  fragment  only,  the 
subdivision  in  five  lobes  is  evident.  It  is  still  more  marked  upon  a  leaf 
recently  found  and  figured  by  Mr.  H.  C.  Towner.  lu  this  one  the  cnneate 
base  of  the  leaf  descends  far  down,  two  and  one-half  centimeters  lower 
than  the  poiut  of  union  of  the  primary  nerve ;  the  lateral  ones  divide 
in  two  branches  from  below  the  middle,  and  curving  backward  they  form 
well  defined  ovate  pointed  short  lobes,  and  thus  a  palmately  five-lobed 
leaf  of  the  Aralia  type.  This  leaf,  without  the  petiole,  which  is  broken, 
is  twelve  centimeters  long,  and  as  wide  between  the  points  of  the  lowest 
lateral  lobes,  which  are  only  one  and  one-half  centimeters  long ;  the  oth- 
ers, as  also  the  middle  one,  are  three  centimeters  long  and  about  as 
wide,  being  half  round,  cuspidate,  and  separated  by  narrow  obtuse  si- 
nuses. 


346  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TEBBITORIES. 

PROTEAOE^. 

LOMATLLt  SAPOBTANEA. 

TodeaY  Sapobtakea,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.489  PL  XXLX,  figs.  1-4; 

PL  VI,  fig.  2  (enlarged). 

Leaves  coriaceous^  pinnately  laciniate;  divisions  entire^  narrowly  lan- 
ceolate^ pointed^  connected  by  the  decurring  basCy  tchick  forms  a  more  or  le^ 
broad  and  nerved  tcing  to  the  rachis;  primary  veins  thicJc^  ascending  to  the 
point ;  secondary  veins  distinct,  at  an  acute  angle  of  divej'gence,  close^  par- 
allel^ curving  up  in  passing  to  the  borders  and  following  them  in  simple  fes- 
toons; areolation  mixed  by  tertiary  veinlets  and  their  branches  in  various 
angles  of  divergence. 

The  fine  specimens  figured  in  the  Cret.  Flora,  as  quoted  above,  repre- 
sent the  essential  characters  of  the  leaves;  the  branches  parallel  and 
distichous?  along  the  primary  stems,  a  disposition  similar  to  that  of 
the  fronds  of  a  number  of  species  of  large  ferns  by  parallel  open  pinns. 
The  point  or  upper  part  of  three  of  these  dissected  parall^  leaves  is 
represented  in  fig.  1;  this  division  is  by  more  or  less  distant  segments, 
which,  opposite  or  nlteruate,  are  of  various  size,  narrowly  lanceolate 
pointed,  decurrent  at  the  base,  and  thus  connected  by  a  wing  along  the 
rachis.  As  seen  at  the  base  of  the  segments  of  the  middle  leaflet  of 
fig.  1,  the  wing  along  the  borders  is  nerved  like  the  divisions  or  leafietn. 
The  middle  vein  of  these  segments  is  thick ;  the  secondary  veins  close, 
parallel,  turned  up  in  passing  to  the  borders,  simple,  but  joined  in  vari- 
ous directions  by  oblique  nervilles,  forming  a  mixed,  angular,  square, 
or  polygonal  areolation.  The  nervation  and  areqlation  were  exactly 
copied  for  fig.  2  of  PL  YI  of  this  memoir,  but  the  wood-cut  does  not 
expose  it  in  its  details.  Some  of  the  specimens  show  the  upper  part  of 
three  parallel  leaves  whose  tops  are  on  a  right  line  and  more  exactly 
like  the  upper  pinnte  of  a  fern  than  the  specimen  figured  in  the  Cret. 
Flora. 

My  first  opinion  in  regard  to  the  relation  of  these  remarkably  fine 
vegetable  remains  was  that  they  represented  some  kind  of  an  old  ex- 
tinct type  of  Filices.    I  even  supposed  that,  considering  the  peculiar 
disposition  of  the  leaflets  and  their  nervation,  we  had  here  something 
like  a  transient  form  between  the  ferns  and  plants  of  a  higher  order.  The 
sections  of  the  leaves  are  similar  to  those  of  some  species  of  fossil  ferns, 
Stenopteris  desmomera^  Sap.,*  for  example,  which,  from  the  remarks  of  the 
author,  is  without  relation  to  any  living  fern ;  also  like  the  fragment 
described  by  Debey  and  Ettiughausent  under  the  generic  name  of  Jfon- 
Jieimiay  which  not  only  have  a  similar  division  of  leaves  or  pinnae,  but, 
as  seen  in  fig.  6,  a  nervation  of  an  analogous  character,  the  numerous 
parallel  secondary  veins  curving  up  along  the  borders,  some  of  tbein 
united  by  oblique  veinlets.    A  mere  sketch  of  one  of  my  specimens  sent 
to  Count  Saporta  gave  him  the  same  impression  in  regard  to  its  refer- 
ence to  ferns.    But  the  areolation  was  not  represented  upon  it,  and  the 
characters  of  the  areolation  especially  remove  the  species  to  another 
order  of  vegetables,  the  Froteacece,    indeed  species  of  Lomatia  have  the 
leaves  pinnately  laciniate,  with  the  divisions^lternate,  decurring  along 
the  middle  nerve  or  rachis,  and  a  nervation  and  areolation  somewhat  com- 
parable to  those  of  the  fossil  species.    I  have  therefore  abandoned  the 
first  reference,  and,  following  the  opinion  of  the  celebrated  author  from 

*  Plantes  fosstles  des  Itts  de  poissons  de  CeriD,  by  CoaDt  Saporta^  p.  82^  PI.  XIV. 
tUrweltlicben  Acrobryen,  p.  33,  PI.  IV,  figs.  1-10. 


ij»QLiJSF.ux  1  ENUMERATION   OF   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  347 

wbieli  this  species  is  named,  T  have  placed  it  with  the  Proteacece.  I  am, 
however,  still  iincertaia  in  regard  to  the  trae  relation  of  these  remarka- 
ble remains.  There  is,  as  said  above,  in  the  position  and  the  subdivis- 
10D8  of  the  leaflets  a  remarkakle  afiinit.y  with  those  of  some  species  of 
ferns,  and  at  the  same  time  a  discrepancy  with  what  is  remarked  in  the 
segments  of  the  leaves  of  Lomatia  and  other  species  of  laciniate  Pro- 
teacecD,  In  the  fossil  plant  the  decurrent  base  forming  a  wing  of  the 
rachis,  has  the  same  character  of  nervation  as  the  leaflets,  while  in  the 
basilar  segments  of  the  Proteacece  the  winged  part  is  generally  without 
visible  veins,  or  rather  veined  lengthwise.  Moreover,  there  seems  to  be 
a  kind  of  anomaly  in  the  presence  of  plants  of  the  so  called  Australian 
types  in  a  vegetable  group  where  the  characters  of  the  present  American 
flora  are  so  predominant,  or  in  connection  with  species  of  Fagus,  Lyrio- 
dendrofiy  Plaianus^  etc.  The  leaves  described  ander  the  name  of  Prote- 
oides  are  as  yet  not  positively  referable  to  the  ProtecLcece^  their  nervation 
being  still  unknown ;  and  thus  we  should  have  to  admit  this  Lomatia  t 
as  the  only  representative  of  an  Australian  type  among  a  large  number 
of  forms  of  different  afiinities. 

This  species  has  been  found  originally  in  very  fine  specimens  by  Prof. 
B.  F.  Mndge,  in  Southern  Kansas.  I  have  lately  received  a  small  frag- 
ment only  from  Mr.  H.  0.  Towner,  found  near  Clay  Center,  ELansas. 

Proteoides   daphnogenoides,   Heer,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  85,  PI.  XV, 

figs.  1,  2. 

Leaves  ovate-lanceolate  toward  the  base,  gradually  tapering  upward  to  a 
long  scythe-shaped  acumen^  entire^  smooth  and  coriaceous;  middle  nerve 
narrow  ;  secondary  veins  obsolete,  feWj  ascending  at  a  very  acute  angle  from 
the  middle  nerve  and  following  the  borders. 

Proteoides   acuta,    Heer,    Oret.    Flora,    p.  86,    PI.    XV,    fig.  3: 

PL  XXVIII,  fig.  13. 

Leaves  ooriaceousy  linear  lanceolate^  narrowed  to  the  base  and  gradually 
so  to  a  scytheslwped  point ;  borders  undulate ;  middle  nerve  strong^  sec- 
ondary veins  obsolete, 

Proteoides  greville^formis,  Heer,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  86,  PI.  XXVlir, 

tig.  12. 

Leaf  coriaceous^  small^  enlarged  above  tlie  base,  litiear-lanceolatefflexuous; 
borders  entire  ;  middle  np^e  thick  ;  secondary  veifis  alternate^  thin,  aero- 
drome, ascending  nearly  parallel  to  tJie  borders  and  slightly  curving 
inward. 

EMBOTHRiTESf  DAPHUiBOiDES,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  87,  PI.  XXX, 

fig.  10. 

Leaf  coriaceous,  polished,  oblong,  narrow,  gradually  narrowed  downward 
and  decurrent  to  the  enlarged  middle  nerve;  borders  slightly  reflexed  ;  nerva- 
tion pinnate;  lateral  veins  opposite,  close^  at  a  very  acute  angle  of  dicer- 
gence. 

This  fragment  of  leaf  is  of  an  uncertain  attribution. 

AS^VRINE^. 

Aristolochites  dentata,  Heer,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  87,  PI.  XXX,  fig.  6. 

Leaf  nearly  round,  thickish,  split  from  the  base  of  the  petiole  to  the 
borders,  undulate-crenate,  three-nerved;  secondary  veins  curving  and  anas- 
tomosing in  large,  oval^  angular  mesJics. 


318  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITOKIES. 

GAMOPETALE^. 

BI00BI7ES. 

Ai9DB03iEDA  PABLATOBii,  Heer,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  88,  PI.  XXIII,  figs.  C-7; 

PI.  XXVIII,  fig.  15. 

Leaves  lanceolate,  narrowed  to  the  base  and  decurring  dUmg  the  petiole  ly  a 
narrow  border^  entire;  middle  nerve  thick;  secondary  veins  at  an  acute 
an-gle  of  divergence^  parallel^  camptodrow£, 

Andbomeda  affinis,  sp.  Dor.    PI.  Ill,  fig.  5. 

Leaf  thickish,  narrowly  lanceolate^  narrowed  to  a  long  acumen^  gradually 
decreasing  toward  tlie  base  /  borders  entire ;  middle  nerve  comparative 
thick;  lateral  veins  close,  parallel^  subequidistant,  in  an  acute  angle  of 
divergence  ;  areolation  minute. 

The  leaf  fire  and  one-balf  centirr.elers  long,  eleven  millimeters  broad 
in  its  widest  part,  the  middle,  is  gradually  equally  narrowed  down  to 
the  petiole  and  up  to  a  long  narrow  acumen,  and  entire ;  the  secondary 
veins  are  numerous,  simple,  at  an  angle  of  divergence  of  30^,  parallel, 
rather  obsolete,  though  thickish,  scarcely  curving  in  ascending  close  to 
the  borders,  camptodrome;  the  areolation  is  in  round  or  quadrate- polyg- 
onal minute  areolae.  It  is  closely  allied  to  the  former  species,  if  not  a 
variety  of  it. 

Habitat. — Spring  Cafion,  where  it  is  mixed  with  fragmentary  leaves 
of  Andromeda  parlatorii;  the  horizon  of  this  locality  is  not  geologically 
determined,  Dr.  F.  V.  May  den, 

DiosPYBOS  AMBiGUA,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  89,  PL  VI,  fig.  6. 

Leaf  coriaceous,  narrowly  oval,  narrowed  mear  tJie  point  into  a  short 
slightly  obtuse  oAyiimev. ;  borders  entire ;  nervation  pinnate^  camptodrome. 

DiosPYBOS  BOTUNDIFOLIA,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  89,  PI.  XXX,  fig-  1. 

Leaf  subcoriaceous  entire^  nearly  round,  pinnately  nerved;  secondary 
veins  parallel,  camptodrome;  surface  undulate,  polished. 

POLYPETALBiB. 

Uhbelliflob^. 

Abalia  tbipabtita,  spec,  nov,    PI.  I,  fig.  1. 

Leaf  small,  three  palmatcly  divided  to  two-thirde  of  its  length ;  lobes 
equal,  linear  obtuse,  entire;  secondary  nervation  obsolete. 

The  leaf  is  seven  centimeters  long,  six  centimeters  wide  between  the 
points  of  the  lobes,  which  diverge  in  an  angle  of  25^;  cnneate  to  the 
base,  which  apparently  descends  a  little  lower  than  the  |)oint  of  union 
of  the  primary  veins,  where  it  is  broken ;  lobes  four  and  one-half  centi- 
meters long,  one  centimeter  broad,  nearly  exactly  linear,  abruptlj' 
rounded  at  the  point,  with  perfectly  entire  borders  and  obtuse  sinuses; 
primary  nerves  thin  but  distinct,  secondary  veins  totally  obsolete.  The 
surface  is  smooth  and  the  consistence  of  the  leaf  coriaceous. 

This  small  leaf  appears  like  an  original  simple  representative  of  a  type 
of  Aralia  predominant  in  numerous  diversified  forms  in  the  Dakota 
group. 

Babitat. — Near  Fort  Harker,  Kansas,  Clis.  Sternberg, 


ufflQUEKEuxl  ENUMERATION   OF   CBETACEOUS   PLANTS.  349 

^BALIA  CONCBETA,  spec.  Dov.    PI.  IV,  figs.  2,  3,  4.    Cret.  Flora,  PI. 

XXIX,  figs.  8,  9. 

Leaves  small^  very  thick j  coriaceonsy  palmately  five-loted  to  below  the 
middle^  cuneate  and  curving  to  the  petiole;  very  entire;  primary  veins 
threej  from  the  top  of  the  petiole  or  from  a  little  above  the  border  ba^se  of 
the  leaves^  the  lateral  ones  forking  ;  all  thick j  flat j  and  deep,  preserving  ilic 
Matne  size  to  the  top  of  the  pointed  lobes* 

These  leaves  vary  in  diameter  from  five  and  one-half  centimeters 
to  eight,  across  the  point  of  the  lobes,  not  as  long  as  broad ;  coneate 
to  the  thick  petiole,  which  they  reach  by  a  more  or  less  abrupt  carve ; 
divided  to  below  the  middle  in  three  to  five  eqnal  oblong  lanceo- 
late-pointed or  obtnsely-pointed  lobes,  separated  by  narrow  sinnses 
and  very  entire.  The  primary  veins  are  very  thick  and  flat,  the  lateral 
<Hie8  forking  above  the  point  of  union,  as  it  is  the  case  in  all  the  forms 
of  this  type;  the  secondary  nervation  is  totally  obsolete,  as  in  the 
former  species.  This,  however,  differs  from  it,  not  only  by  the  subdi- 
vision in  five  lobes,  but  also  by  the  remarkably  broad  middle  nerve. 

I  had  originally  separated  as  a  different  species,  the  leaf,  fig.  4,  under 
the  name  of  Aralia  semiorbiculata^  on  account  of  its  remarkable  half- 
round  base ;  of  the  difference  of  size  of  some  of  the  lobes  and  of  the 
acute  sinuses.  As  the  primary  nervation  is  the  same  and  the  secondary 
one  as  obsolete  as  in  the  other  leaves,  the  coriaceous  consistence  being 
also  a  common  character,  I  regard  it  as  probably  a  mere  variety.  This 
appears  the  more  rational,  as  all  these  leaves  come  from  the  same  locality. 

Habitat.— Clay  Center,  H.  C.  Towner. 

Abalia  Townbbi,  spec.  nov.    PI.  IV,  fig.  1. 

Leaves  large,  coriaceous  with  polished  surf  ace,  five-Ubed  to  below  the  mid- 
dle; lobes  oblong,  obtuse,  or  obtusely  pointed^  entire;  primary  nerves  three 
from  the  top  of  the  petiole,  the  lateral  ones  forking  above  the  Imse;  second- 
ary veins  on  an  open  angle  of  divergence,  camptodrome. 

This  fine  leaf  of  which  a  part  only  is  figured,  is,  as  seen  from  another 
specimen,  fifteen  centimeters  long,  from  the  top  of  the  petiole,  and 
twenty  to  twenty-four  centimeters  broad  between  the  point  of  the  lobes 
which,  descending  much  lower  than  the  middle,  are  seven  to  ten  centi- 
meters long  and  three  to  three  and  one-half  centimeters  broad.  The 
primary  nerves  are  comparatively  narrow,  not  l\^lf  as  thick  as  in  the 
former  species  and  gradually  narrowing  to  the  point ;  the  form  of  the 
lobe  is  oblong,  the  point  slightly  obtuse,  the  sinuses  also  obtuse.  The 
secondary  veins,  distant  and  on  an  open  angle  of  divergence  pass  toward 
the  borders  in  curves  and  follow  them  in  festoons,  anastomosing  by  nerv- 
illes  with  those  above;  they  are  generally  separated  by  tertiary  shorter 
veins,  forming  by  their  ramifications  in  more  or  less  oblique  directions 
square  or  polygonal  angular  large  meshes.  Though  the  general  out- 
line and  the  division  of  tbese  leaves  are  similar  to  those  of  the  former 
species,  they  evidently  differ,  by  narrow,  primary  veins,  less  coriaceous 
substan<^  polished  surface,  and  distinct  areolation.  The  type  is,  how- 
ever, the  same. 

Habitat. — Same  as  the  former,  JT.  C  Towner. 

Abalia  quinquepabtita,  Lesqx.,  Cret,  Flora,  p.  90,  PL  XV,  fig.  6. 

Leaves  membranaceous,  three-nerved  from  a  distance  above  the  base;  five- 
lobed  by  fAe  forking  of  the  lateral  primary  nerves;  lobes  oblong  or  oblance- 
olate^  somewhat  narrowed  downward,  distantly  dentate  toward  the  point; 
base  of  the  leaves  deltoid  cuneiform* 

We  have  now  of  this  species,  described  in  the  Cret.  Flora  from  a  mere 
fragment,  a  far  better  specimen.    It  represents  a  leaf  sixteen  centime- 


350       GEOLOGICAL  SUEVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

ters  long  from  the  point  where  the  base  joins  the  petiole  to  the  top  of  a 
large  lateral  Idbe  preserved  in  lull ;  its  base  narrowed  in  a  carve,  and 
deenrrent.  It  is  deeply  divided  in  six  narrow  oblanceolate  lobes  nar- 
rowed toward  tho  sinuses,  dentate  from  the  middle  upward,  the  lower 
lateral  ones  nearly  entire ;  the  middle  ones  twelve  centimeters  Iod^, 
two  centimeters  broad  in  the  middle,  and  only  one  centimeter  near  the 
sinuses.  The  distance  between  the  points  of  the  external  lobes  is  nine 
to  ten  centimeters.  The  primary  lateral  nerve  on  one  side  forks  twice 
and  .therefore  forms  three  divisions  or  lobes,  while  on  the  other  side  it 
forks  once  only,  and  therefore  has  two  divisions,  and  thas  the  leaf  is 
six-lobed,  though  the  normal  division  of  the  leaves  is  by  five.  Thoa|^ 
thickish,  they  are  of  a  rather  membranaceous  consistence  and  smooth. 
The  lateral  veins,  though  obsolete,  appear  very  thin,  diatribated  aboat 
as  in  the  following  species,  but  on  a  broader  angle  of  divergence  aod 
more  curved  in  passing  up  to  the  borders.  From  the  base  of  the  lobes 
downward  no  trace  of  nervation  is  observed. 
Habitat. — Near  Fort  Harker,  Kansas,  C/«.  Sternberg, 

Aralia  saportanea,  sp.  nov.    PI.  I,  figs.  2  and  2». 

Leaves  palmately  Jivelobed  to  above  the  middle^  narrowed  in  a  curve  or 
broadly  cuneate  to  a  long^  slender  petiole^  fan  shaped  in  outline;  lobes  of 
different  size^  lanceolate^  obtusely  pointed^  distantly  dentate;  nervation 
craspedodrome. 

The  leaves  are  variable  in  size,  from  nine  to  eighteen  centimeters  loog 
without  the  petiole,  and  from  nine  to  twenty  centimeters  broad  between 
the  points  of  the  external  lobes ;  lobes  lanceolate,  gradually  taperiug  to 
an  obtuse  point,  distantly  obtusely  dentate;  the  lateral  ones  grada^Iy 
shorter  than  the  middle  one,  which,  in  the  largest  of  our  specimens,  is 
twelve  centimeters  long  from  the  point  to  the  obtuse  sinuses;  leaves 
three-nerved  from  the  base;  lateral  nerves  forking  once,  and  lateral 
lobes  oblique  at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence.  The  nervation  and  areo- 
lation  are  perfectly  distinct  in  all  the  specimens,  and  its  characters 
identical ;  the  secondary  veins,  at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence  of  thirty 
degrees,  curve  in  passing  up  to.  the  borders,  where  they  enter  the  teeth, 
and  are  then  craspedodrome,  while  the  lower  ones  more  generally  follow 
the  entire  border  base  of  the  lobes ;  the  nervilles  are  strong,  nearly 
continuous,  branching  at  right  angle,  and  forming  by  this  kind  of  divi- 
sion small  square  or  equilateral  areolse. 

The  leaves  which  represent  this  species  are  of  a  beautifal  and  elegant 
pattern ;  the  small  ones  still  more  finely  shaped  by  the  distribution  of 
the  lobes,  which  are  acutely  i)ointed,  and  at  a  more  open  angle  of  dis- 
tribution toward  each  other.  They  represent,'* perhaps,  a  diflFerent 
species;  but  I  could  not  find  a  persistent  and  distinct  character,  neither 
in  the  form  nor  in  the  nervation,  to  separate  them.  By  the  texture, 
which  though  thickish  is  not  membranaceous,  by  the  form  of  the 
broader  lobes  not  narrowed  toward  the  sinuses,  by  the  distinct  nerva- 
tion, the  point  of  union  of  the  primary  nerves  at  the  non-decurrent  base 
of  the  leaves,  the  species  is  evidently  different  from  the  former,  though 
found  at  the  same  locality.  The  relation  of  these  Aralia  leaves  to  the 
Sassafras  {Araliopsis\  especially  to  S,  mirahUSy  is  easily  remarked; 
there  is,  however,  a  great  difference  in  the  characters  of  nervation  and 
areolation,  clearly  perceivable  in  comparing  our  fig.  2^  with  the  leaves 
in  Cret  Flora,  PI.  XI,  fig.  1,  and  PI.  XII,  fig.  1.  The  habitat  of  these 
Aralia  species  shows  once  more  the  peculiar  grouping  of  leaves  of 
same  or  analogous  characters  in  a  same  locality.  Aralia  quinquq^tita 
and  A.  Saportanea  are  from  the  south  of  Fort  Harker,  Kansas,  while  the 


ijaiQURRKLx.l  ENUMERATION    OF   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  361 

two  species  with  entire  loaves,  A.  Toicneri  and  A.  concrcta^  were  fonnd 
near  Claj*  Center,  except  A.  tripartita^  which  al«o  is  troin  Fort  Barker. 
These  tive  new  types  of  (Jretaceoas  plants  proves  the  richness  of  this 
remarkable  flora,  and  their  local  distribution  assures  for  future  explora- 
tions a  rich  field  for  new  discciveries. 
Habitat. — South  of  Fort  Harker,  C/w.  Sternberg. 

Hedkra  ovalis,  Lesqx,,  Oret.  Flora,  p,  91.  PI.  XXV,  fig.  3,  and  PL 

XXVI,  fig.  4. 

Leaves  coriaceovs^  entire^  oval^  rounded  at  the  pointy  narrowed  to 
the  base^  pinnateJy  nerved;  middle  nerve  thicic;  secondary  veins  alternate^ 
irregular  in  distance^  more  or  less  numerous  ;  areolation  in  large  irregular 
meshes. 

These  leaves  have  an  evident  relation  to  those  published  by  Professor 
Heer  under  the  name  of  Chondrophyllum  NordensJcioldi  and  C.orhicufatum^ 
from  the  upper  Cretaceous  of  Greenland  Foss.  in  his  Flor.,  Arct.,  Ill,  pp. 
114  and  115,  PI.  XXXII,  figs.  12  and  13,  reconstructed  from  fragments. 
When  the  specimens  are  compared,  they  may  prove  to  be  the  same  spe- 
cies, for,  though  I  have  formerly  considered  the  leaves  as  representing 
one  species  only,  for  the  fragments  show  a  great  divermty  in  the  charac- 
ters of  the  nervation,  there  is,  however,  too  great  a  difference  between 
the  multiple  much-divided  secondary  veins  on  a  broader  angle  of  diverg- 
ence of  PI.  XXV,  fig.  3,  and  the  more  simple  nervation  of  PI.  XXVI, 
fig.  4,  to  permit  considering  them  as  representing  the  same  species. 

Hedera  Schimperi  sp.  nov.    PI.  VII,  fig.  5. 

Leaf  subreni/orm^  broader  than  long,  rounded  at  the  top^  abruptly  nar- 
rowed or  nearly  truncate  to  a  short  petiole,  three-nerved  from  above  the 
base;  lateral  veins  curving  in  various  directions  toward  the  borders, 
anastomosing  by  thicic  branches  and  nervilles  with  the  divisions  of  the  short, 
distant  secondary  veins,  curving  along  the  borders  and  entering  by  short 
veinlets  the  distant^  slightly  marked  denticulations  of  the  borders. 

A  fine  leaf  of  coriaceous  substance,  six  centimeters  long  without  the 
petiole  (which  is  only  seven  millimeters  long  and  enlarged  at  its  base), 
six  and  one-half  centimeters  broad,  with  borders  minutely  denticu- 
late, the  teeth  at  different  distances  and  of  various  size,  and  a  trifid 
nervation  from  a  short  distance  above  the  border  base  of  the  leaf;  the 
lateral  veins  curve,  the  one  inside  toward  the  middle  nerve,  the  other 
outside  toward  the  border  and  branching  nearly  at  right  angle,  they  anas- 
tomose with  nervilles  or  divisions  of  the  secondary  veins  and  form  an 
areolation  irregular  and  mixed  with  angular,  square,  or  polygonal 
meshes.  This  areolation  partakes  of  the  characters  of  that  of  the  former 
species.  It  is  somewhat  analogous  to  that  of  Oreviopsis  tremulafolia, 
and  of  Cissus  ampelopsidea  Sap.,  and  recognizable  also  in  the  following. 

Habitat. — South  of  Fort  IJarker,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

Hedera  platanoibea,  sp.  now    PL  III,  fig.  3. 

Leaf  small,  broadly  ovate,  truncate  at  the  base,  round  at  the  topy  short 
petioledj  entire;  nervation  trifid  from  a  short  distance  above  the  base;  pri' 
mary  veins  craspedodrome. 

This  leaf  five  centimeters  broad,  four  and  oncbalf  centimeters  long 
without  the  short  enlarged  petiole,  has  its  borders  entire,  though 
the  primary  and  secondary  veins  reach  to  the  borders  and  enter  them ; 
the  two  lateral  primary  nerves  force  the  border  slightly  outside,  and  the 
leaf  appears  thus  sublobate  or  enlarged  in  the  middle;  the  lower  branches 


352       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEREITOEIES. 

of  the  lateral  nerve  follow  the  borders  in  festoons  along  the  base  of  the 
leaf,  and,  as  in  the  former  species,  there  is  a  pair  of  marginal  veinleta 
under  the  primary  nerves,  and  at  right  angle  to  the  midrib.  The  areola- 
tion  is  mostly  in  square  or  angular  large  meshes,  less  irregular  than  in  the 
former  species.  From  the  form  of  the  leaf,  the  short  inflated  petiole,  and 
the  character  of  the  areolation,  the  leaf  appears  referable  to  the  same 
generic  division  as  the  former.  It  differs,  however,  by  the  primary  and 
secondary  veins  joining  the  borders,  and  not  curving  inside  of  them. 
These  two  leaves  appear  to  be  transitional  in  their  characters  between 
the  Araliacew  and  the  Ampelidece. 
Habitat. — South  of  Fort  Harker,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

AMPELlDEiE. 

GissiTES,  Heer. 

Under  this  generic  name.  Professor  Heer  has  described  in  the  PkyU 
lites  du  Nebraska^  p.  20,  PI.  II,  figs.  3  and  4,  fragment  of  a  leaf  which 
seem  to  have  a  cloise  affinity  to  those  which  I  describe  nuder  this  same 
division.  These  leaves,  enlarged  on  the  sides  and  above  the  middle 
by  the  extension  of  primary  lateral  veins,  are  either  deltoid,  pointed, 
or  round,  or  lobate  at  the  top,  and  broadly  rounded  and  attenuated  to 
the  base.  Their  primary  nervation,  trifid  from  above  the  base- 
border  of  the  leaves,  is  of  the  same  type  as  that  of  the  Sas^afroM 
(Ara{u;|>m),  and  the  secondary  veins,  all  camptodrome,  curving  along 
the  borders  in  successive  bows,  have  also  an  undeniable  affinity  with 
the  same  group.  But  they  evidently  differ  by  the  less  distinct  trilobate 
division  of  the  leaves,  the  broader  base,  the  smaller  size,  and  the  general 
facies.  It  is  evident,  however,  in  comparing  the  leaves  described  under 
this  generic  name,  that  closely  related  as  they  are  between  themselves, 
they  are  altogether  allied  by  some  of  their  characters  to  the  Aralioea. 

CissiTES  Habkeeianus.    PI.  VII,  figs.  1  and  2. 

Sassafras  (Araliapsis)  Sarkerianumf  Lesqx.,  Grot.  Flora,  p.  81,  PI.  XI,  Ag,  4. 

Leaves  caria^eous^  round  in  outline,  suhtrilobate,  broadly  cuneate  to  the 
ba'Se'j  nervation  trifid  from  above  the  border  base;  lateral  primary  reins 
branching  outside;  secondary  nerve  simple^  distant,  mostly  opposite  campto- 
drome or  craspedodrome. 

The  two  leaves  figured  here  are  smaller  than  that  of  Plate  XI,  fig. 
4,  of  the  Cretaceous  Flora ;  but  there  is  not  any  marked  difference  in  the 
outline  and  the  nervation;  we  have,  moreover,  specimens  showing 
leaves  of  intermediate  size.  The  nervation  is  more  or  less  pronounced, 
according  to  the  face  exposed  by  the  specimens.  This  and  the  following 
form  might  be  indifferently  referred  to  Sassafras  {Araliapsis)  or  Cissus, 

CiSSITES  AFFINIS. 

Platanus  affinis,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.  71,  PI.  IV,  iig.  4,  PI.  XI,  fig.  3. 

Leaves  coriaceous  or  subcoriaceous,  round,  polygonal  in  ouUine,  SMhtri' 
lobed,  rounded  and  nai^oiced  to  the  petiole,  broadly  deltoid  to  the  point; 
borders  undulate;  distantly  short  dentate;  nervation  trifid  from  Ae  base 
or  from  a  little  above  the  borders. 

From  the  comparison  of  a  number  of  specimens,  and  especially  from 
the  discovery  of  one  representing,  by  the  splitting  of  the  stone,  both 
sides  of  the  leaf,  I  have  ascertained  that  the  one  represented,  Plate  IV, 
fig.  4,  whose  veins  are  thin,  and  the  surface  scarcely  furrowed  by  the 


US8QUBBSUX.]         ENUMERATION  OP   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  353 

nervation,  is  of  the  same  species  as  tbnt  of  Plate  XI,  tig,  3,  whose  sur- 
face is  deeply  out  by  broad  nerves  and  secondary  veins.  In  ibis  form, 
the  secondary  veins  are  sometimes  all  craspedodrome,  sometimes  mixed. 

CiSSITES  ACUMINATUS,  Sp.  nov.,  PI.  VIII,  fig.  1. 

Xeaf  deltoid  from  tJie  middle  to  the  acuminate  pointy  rounded  and  SMb- 
truncate  to  tiie  petiole^  subtrilobate^  entire  coriaceous;  nervation  trifid/rom 
tlie  base. 

This  fine  leaf,  though  of  the  same  type  as  those  described  under  the 
two  former  specific  divisions,  differs  evidently  by  its  form,  its  entire 
borders,  and  its  secondary  veins  parallel,  close  to  each  other,  all  campto- 
drome.  It  is  about  eight  centimeters  long  without  the  petiole,  which 
was  apparently  long  and  slender;  seven  centimeters  broad  between  the 
two  points  of  the  primary  lateral  nerves,  where  it  is  enlarged  into  a 
slightly  marked  acute  lobe,  and  wherefrom  it  is  broadly  deltoid  to  the 
acuminate  point.  Comparing  it  to  the  fine  small  leaf  of  Sassafras 
Mudgei  in  Cret.  Flora,  PL  XXX,  fig.  7,  we  easily  recognize  a  likeness 
of  characters  in  the  form  and  the  nervation,  which  proves  also  the  rela- 
tton  of  this  Cissiies  to  the  Sassafras  or  the  Araliaceas. 

Habitat.— Near  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

CiSSITES  Bbeeii,  sp.  nov.    PL  VI,  fig.  3. 

Leaf  fan-shaped  in  outline^  rounded  and  ctmeate  to  the  base^  enlarged 
above  Hie  middle^  divided  in  the  upper  part  into  five  a^cute  nearly  equal  lobes; 
nervation  trifid  from  ahove  tlie  base  ;  lotcer  secondary  veins  ascending  to 
the  point  of  the  intermediate  lobesj  the  others  all  camptodrome  like  their 
divisions. 

The  base  of  this  leaf  is  destroyed;  but  its  outline  is  clearly  defined 
by  the  border  of  the  preserved  part,  and  the  direction  of  the  lateral 
primary  vein.  The  leaf  broadly  cuneate  toward  the  base,  is  slightly 
contracted  a  little  above,  and  hence  is  rounding  to  join  the  petiole  ;  the 
two  lateral  primary  nerves  ascend  to  the  point  of  a  lower  acute  lobe, 
as  also  the  lower  secondary  veins,  appearing,  with  the  middle  nerve,  like 
five  branches  of  a  fi  ve-lobed  fan-Jike  leaf.  The  lobes  are  equal,  separated 
by  half-rounded  sinuses,  and  acutely  pointed.  Except  that  the  two 
lower  secondary  veins  ascend  to  the  points  of  two  lobes,  the  nervation 
18  of  the  same  type  exactly  as  in  the  former  species.  The  afiinity  of 
these  two  leaves  is  therefore  evident.  It  is,  however,  certain  that  this 
one  cannot  be  now  compared  to  Sassafras  {Araliopsis)^  nor  to  Aralia^ 
and  it  therefore  authorizes  the  separation  of  this  group,  which  by  its 
characters,  seen  in  this  last  species,  is  allied  to  the  AmpelideWy  espe- 
cially  to  Cisstis. 

Habitat. — Near  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

CiSSITES  CYCLOPHVLLA,  Lcsqx. 

Poputiies  eydophyllafy  Heer,— Cret.  Flora,  p. 59,  PI,  IV,  fig.  5,  aod  PI.  XXIV,  fig.  4. 

Leaves  round,  entire^  subcoriaceous^  witJi  slightly  undulafe  borders,  round 
or  truncate  to  the  long  slender  petiolej  nervation  subtrifid  or  pinnate  from 
the  base;  lateral  veins  straight  to  the  borders,  craspedodrome,  the  lowest 
branching. 

I  am  not  positive  in  regnrd  to  the  specific  identity  of  the  two  leaves, 
referred  to  this  species.  Fig.  5  of  PI.  IV  has  the  veins  on  a  more  acute 
angle  of  divergence,  it  being  less  enlarged  on  the  sides ;  fig.  4  of  PI. 
XXIV,  has  under  the  lower  pair  of  lateral  nerves  a  thick  marginal  vein 
in  right  angle  to  the  mid-rib;  in  both,  however,  the  veins  and  their  divis- 
ions enter  the  borders,  and   the  nervilles,  which  join  them   in  right 

23  H 


854       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBRITORIES. 

angle,  are  thick,  nndalate,  at  eqaal  distance,  and  generally  simple.  It 
has  been  remarked  already,  that  the  characters  of  the  veins,  all  craspe- 
dodrome,  favor  a  separation  of  these  leaves  from  the  genas  PapuhUj 
though  the  round  form  and  long  slender  petiole  give  them  the  appear- 
ance of  poplar  leaves. 

OlSSITES  OBTU6UH. 

Sassafraa  o&tttffum,  Leaqz.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  81,  PI.  XIII,  figs.  2-4. 

Leaver  thin^  long  petioled^  fldbelliformy  three^btusely  lobedy  entire  er 
undulate  an  the  borders^  broadly  ouneate  or  narrov)ed  to  the  petiole^  three- 
nerved  from  a  little  above  the  border  base;  secondary  veins  paraUel,  camp- 
todrome. 

If  the  relation  of  these  leaves  to  the  Araliacea  is  marked  by  the  thiee- 
lobate  form  and  the  nervation,  their  affinity  to  the  Ampelideceis  indicated 
also  by  the  thinner  substance  of  the  leaves,  and  the  long,  slender  peti- 
ole. Like  many  other  Cretaceous  leaves,  they  are  of  a  mixed  character, 
and  their  reference  uncertain.  Except  by  their  thin  substance  and  long 
petiole,  they  are  indeed  very  similar  to  fig.  4,  of  PI.  XI,  of  the  Cret 
Flora,  representing  Cissites  Harkerianus.  By  the  other  characters  they 
relate  to  the  following  generic  division. 

Ampelophtllum,  Lesqx. 

Leaves  ovate  or  obovate  obtuse  entire,  narrowed  to  a  long  petiole  or  ««fr- 
eordate;  palmately  three-nerved  from  above  the  base;  nervation  craspedo* 
drome. 

Ampelophylltjm  attenuatum,  sp.  nov.  PI.  II,  fig.  3. 

Leaf  broadly  obovate,  enlarged  upward  from  the  cuneate  base,  rounded 
at  the  top,  entire,  subcoriaceous ;  lateral  primary  nerve  from  a  distance 
above  the  base  flexuous,  branchifig  outside  and  inside,  ascending  to  the  bor- 
ders. 

This  fine  leaf  is  six  and  one-half  centimeters  long  without  the  petiole, 
nearly  six  centimeters  wide  above  the.  middle,  rounded  at  the  top,  un- 
dulate by  the  slight  protuberance  of  the  veins,  three-nerved  from  a 
distance  (one  centimeter)  above  the  narrowed  base,  with  two  pairs  of 
distant  alternate  secondary  veins,  reaching  the  bonlers  like  the  pri- 
mary nerves,  either  directly  or  by  their  branches.  Connected  by  ner- 
villes  at  right  angles,  and  also  divided  in  very  oblique  veinlets,  they 
form  irregular  quadrate  large  meshes,  and  pass  up  in  right  angle  to 
the  borders.  There  is  under  the  base  of  the  primary  nerves  one  or  two 
pairs  of  marginal  veiulets  in  the  same  degree  of  divergence  as  the  other 
veins,  40°  to  60o. 

The  form  of  this  fine  leaf  and  its  nervation  also  are  peculiar,  and  of 
a  character  analogous  to  that  of  some  leaves  described  under  the  ge- 
neric name  of  Oreviopsis  in  the  Sezane  Flora  by  Saporta ;  there  is, 
however,  a  marked  difiTerence  in  the  primary  nervation  and  in  the 
entire  borders  of  the  leaves.  The  two  lower  pairs  of  veiulets  give  also 
to  this  leaf  an  affinity  with  Credneria^  and  especially  with  the  small  en- 
tire leaves  of  Platanus  Heerii  as  figured  in  this  memoir,  PI.  YIII,  fig. 
5 )  The  secondary  and  tertiary  nervation  are,  however,  of  a  different 
character. 

HABiTAT.^South  of  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 


UBSQOEEEuxl         ENUMERATION   OP  CRETACEOUS  PLANTS.  355 

Ampelophyllum  OVATUM. 

CellU  r  W€Ua  Lesqx.,  Oret  Flora,  p.  66,  PL  lY,  flgA.  2,  3. 

Leaves  thickish^  membramaceaus,  obtuse  or  truncate  at  the  point,  gradually 
enlarged  toward  the  trancate  or  subcordate  base,  abruptly  curving  to  a  long 
petiole^  borders  entire,  undulate  three-nerved  from  the  base,  secondary  veins 
two  or  three  pccirsy  at  a  distance  from  ike  primary  oneSj  all  craspedodrome. 

These  two  leaves  evidently  represent  the  same  species,  bat  their  refer- 
ence to  this  division  is  not  positive.  As  in  the  former  species,  the  lower 
veins  are  irregularly  divided,  the  fibrillse  distinct,  at  least  in  fig.  3,  which 
has  also  one  pair  of  marginal  vcinlets;  the  sabdi  vision  of  the  veins  along 
tbe  borders  is,  however,  obsolete,  though  the  vetnlets  appear  to  pass  up 
into  them. 

Hahamelites  Eansaseana.    PL  VII,  fig.  4. 

Alnua  Kanaoieanaf  L^sqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  62,  PL  XXX.  fig.  S. 

Leaves  membranaceous,  oval  or  obovate  rounded  or  subcordate  to  the  ba^e^ 
obtuse^  undulatCy  pinnatety  nerved;  veins  parallel,  ascending  to  the  borders 
in  an  acute  angle  of  divergence,  branching  outside,  craspedodrome  except  the 
iatoest,  which  is  more  open  and  curving  along  the  borders. 

The  specimen  figured  here  is  more  complete  than  the  one  described 
in  the  Cret  flora.  "No  traces  of  denticalation  are  observable  along 
the  borders,  but  regular  deep  undulations,  which  near  the  point  pass  to 
obtuse  teeth.  Except  the  two  lower  pairs  of  veins,  all  the  others  and 
their  divisions  reach  the  borders ;  they  are  parallel,  under  an  angle  of 
di\'ergence  of  4(P,  equidistant  and  deeply  marked.  In  this  specimen 
the  njiddle  nerve  passes  under  the  border-base  of  the  leaf,  which  is 
rounded;  while  in  the  other  fragment  figured  in  Cret.  Flora,  the  border 
base  is  cordate,  and  curves  on  both  sides  to  the  middle  nerve. 

From  the  opinion  of  Saporta,  the  author  of  the  genns  in  the  Sezane 
flora,  the  reference  of  these  leaves  to  the  Hamamelites  appears  legiti- 
mate. 

Habitat. — Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

Hamamelites  quadrangulabis. 

AInitea  quadrantfularie,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  62,  PI.  IV,  fig.  t. 

Leaf  subcoria4seous,  small,  broadly  rhomboidal  in  outlinCj  with  obtuse 
angles  ;  borders  enUrCy  undulate^  rounded  to  a  short  petiole  (broken);  nerva- 
tion pinnate;  veins  parallel,  cra^pedjodrome,exoeptthe  lower  pair  mere  mar- 
ginal veinlets. 

The  leaf,  whose  areolation  is  not  distinct,  has  apparently  the  same 
characters  of  nervation  as  in  the  former  species,  differing  merely  by  its 
shape  and  its  size.  Though  the  veins  are  thicker  it  may  represent  the 
6ame  species. 

POLTOABPIC-aS. 

Magnolia  tenuifolia,  Leaqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  92,  PI.  XXI,  fig.  1. 

Lea/  large,  obUmg,  rounded  upward  to  an  obtuse  point  t  {Jbroken),  nar- 
rowed in  a  curve  to  a  short  slender  petiole  ;  middle  nerve  straight^  narrotv; 
lateral  veins  altematej  on  a  broad  angle  of  divergeneCj  slendery  undulate^ 
dtfieaeed  near  the  point  of  insertion  to  the  mtddle  nerve. 

Magnolia  alternans,  Heer,  Cret  Flora,  p.  92,  PI.  XVIII,  fig.  4. 
Leaves  mticoriaceons  ovate-lanceolate  orelUpUcalj  obtusely  poitUedy  entire 


356  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY   OF   THE   TEBRITOBIfiS. 

tapering  to  the  petiole;  secondary  veins  numerous^  parallel^  altematdf 
shorter  and  longer^  camptodrome. 

The  specimen  figured  in  the  Gretaceons  Flora  is  poor.  Until  recently 
I  bad  not  seen  any  better,  neitber  of  this  nor  of  the  following  ^peeies 
Both  have  been  more  commonly  found  iu  Nebraska  than  in  Kansas. 

Magnolia  capellini,  Heer,  Pbyllites,  p.  21,  PI.  Ill,  figs.  5  and  6. 

Leaves  coriaceous^  broadly  otal^  very  entire;  secondary  veins  at  an  acirfc 
angle  of  divergence,  curving  to  the  borders,  camptodrome. 

Specimens  referable  to  this  species  were  received  with  others  of 
M.alternans  from  Mr.  Sternberg;  they  are  all  more  or  less  undistioct 
and  fragmentary.  The  two  forms  seem  to  pass  from  one  to  the  other  by 
intermediate  degrees,  especially  in  the  width  of  the  leaves,  so  that  it  is 
difficult  to  find  the  point  of  separation  between  them.  The  State  cabi- 
net of  New  Jersey  has  a  large  unmber  of  specimens  representing  both 
species,  some  of  them  appearing  indifferently  referable  to  the  one  or  to 
the  other.  But  here,  also,  all  the  specimens  are  moro  or  less  fragmentary 
and  indistinct. 

LiRiODENDBON  MEEKii,  Heer,  Pbyllites,  p.  21,  PI.  IV,  figs.  3  and  4. 

Leaves  panduriform  [violin-shaped),  emarginate  at  the  top,  bilobate,  laha 
obtuse,  secondary  veins  branching. 

This  species  is  rare  in  the  Cretaceous,  at  least  iu  Kansas.  This  year 
I  have  received,  for  the  first  time,  a  small  specimen  discovered  in  that 
State  by  Professor  Mudge.  The  leaf  is  of  a  thin  texture,  oblong  in  out- 
line, short  petioled,  deeply  emargined,  the  upper  part  of  the  leaf  being 
thus  bilobate;  lobes  oblong  obtuse,  one  centimeter  broad,  separated  from 
the  lower  lobes  by  an  obtuse  narrow  sinus  scarcely  four  millimeters  broad; 
lower  lobes  eighteen  millimeters  long  from  the  border  of  the  sinus,  ob- 
long obtuse,  diverging  nearly  at  right  angle;  base  of  the  leaf  rounded 
to  the  petiole.  Considering  that  in  the  leaves  of  the  present  Liriodendnm 
fulipifera  the  emarginatiou  of  the  leaves  and  the  lateral  lobes  are  very 
variable  in  size,  it  is  proper  to  refer  this  leaf  to  the  species  described  by 
Heer,  for,  except  the  length  of  the  lobes,  it  has  the  same  char- 
acters. The  small  leaf  is  without  the  petiole,  thirty-eight  millimeters 
long,  and  just  the  same  width  between  the  top  of  the  lateral  lobes. 

LiBiODENDBON  INTERMEDIUM,  Lcsqx.,  Crct.  Flora,  p.  93,  PI.  XX,  fig.  5. 

Leaf  large,  trilobate;  upper  lobe  deeply  emarginate-lobed,  secondary  veins 
thin,  simple,  parallel. 

Since  the  description  of  this  and  the  following  species,  published  in 
18G8, 1  have  not  found  and  not  received  any  specimens  referable  to 
them.  They  would  be  very  acceptable,  for  we  know  these  fine  species 
merely  from  fragments. 

LiBiODENDBON  GIGANTEUM,  LesQX.,  Cret.  Plora,  p.  93,  PI.  XXIII,  fig.  2. 

Leaf  very  large,  bilobcd;  upper  lobe  deeply  emarginate,  segments  oblong  ob- 
tuse^ with  four  parallel  secondary  veins. 

This  mere  lol>e  of  a  leaf  is  about  twelve  centimeters  long,  and,  there- 
fore, would  indicate  a  leaf  at  least  twenty-four  centimeters  broad  be- 
tween the  points  of  the  upper  divisions,  or  nearly  one  foot  broad,  and  as 
long.  Liriodendron  tulipifera  has  in  favorable  localities  leaves  as  largo 
as  those  indicated  by  this  fragment. 

Menispebmites  obtusilobus,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  94,  PL  XXV|fi€& 

1,  2  5  PL  XXVI,  fig.  3.— PI.  VII,  tig.  3. 

Leaves  coriaceous,  large^  broadly  deitoidj  either  shorter ^  nearly  round  It 


f^ 


LESQUBMux.!         ENUMERATION  OF  CEETACEOUS  PLANTS.  357 

outline^  or  longer^  narrowed  to  an  obtuse  pointy  peltate  from  near  the  base^ 
subtrilobate^  fivepalmately  nerved^  deeply  ungulate. 

The  fig.  3  of  PL  VII  of  this  memoir  has  been  given  here  on  account 
of  the  good  preservation  of  the  leaf  clearly  exposing  the  characters  of 
tbe  genus.  Comparing  it  with  the  figures  of  the  same  species  in  the 
Cret.  Flora,  its  characters  appear  evidently  identical.  From  tbe  large 
leaf,  fig.  1,  PI.  XXII,  it  differs  in  no  manner  whatever  except  by  its  size, 
sbowing,  therefore,  that  this  fine  leaf  is,  as  remarked,  a  mere  variety  of 
the  normal  form.  But  more  than  this,  by  comparison  of  the  distribution 
of  the  veins  and  of  the  essential  characters  of  the  nervation  in  the  fol- 
lowing species,  it  proves  their  relation  to  this  generic  division,  which 
has  two  definite  sections,'  represented  one  by  lobate,  the  other  by  en- 
tire leaves. 

Habitat.— Clay  County,  H.  C.  Toumer. 

Mbnispebmites  Salinensis,  Lesqx.,Cret.  Flora,  p.  95,  PI.  XX,  figs.  1, 4. 

JLeaves  tkwkiah,  membranojceous  or  aubcoriaceons,  triangttl^xr  in  ontline^ 
deeply  undulatelobed^  or  palmately  five-lobed  from  the  border  base^  which  is 
enlarged  and  truncate, 

Menispebmites  agebifolius,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  9G,  PI.  XX,  figs. 

2  and  3. 

I/eaves  smaUj  triangular  in  outline^  palmately  obtusely  threelobedj  wedge 
fonn^  or  abruptly  narrowed  to  the  base  /  nervation  three-palmate. 

Menispebmites  populepolius,  sp.  nov.    PL  V,  fig.  3. 

Leaf  broadly  ovatCj  obtuse^  subcordate  at  the  base^  five-palmately  nerved 
from  tlie  border  base^  primary  nerves  in  an  open  angle  of  divergence^  dividing 
an  the  lower  side^  like  the  secondary  veins^  all  camptodrome. 

The  leaf  is  broadly  ovate,  perfectly  entire,  coriaceous,  five  and  one- 
half  centimeters  long,  and  as  broad  below  the  middle,  where  it  is  some- 
what enlarged;  five  palmately  nerved  from  the  base,  the  lateral  veins 
diverging  about  equally  in  an  augle  of  Z(P  from  each  other,  so  that  the 
inner  one  ascends  to  the  two  thirds  of  the  leaf,  the  second  to  below  tbe 
middle,  and  the  basilar  veiulets  are  in  right  angle  to  the  midrib.  The 
primary  veins  branch  on  tbe  outside,  anastomose  with  nervilles,  and 
tbe  exteiior  ones  curve  along  and  follow  the  borders;  the  secondary 
veins  are  at  an  open  angle  of  divergence  of  GO^,  separated  by  strong 
uervilles  at  right  angle  to  the  middle  nerve.    The  areolation  is  obsolete. 

Habitat. — South  of  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  C/w.  Sternberg, 

Menispebmites  ovalis,  sp.  nov.    PI.  Y,  fig.  4. 

Leaf  narroicly  oval  oblong,  obtuse  rounded  at  the  base;  fivepalmately^ 
nerved  ;  lateral  veins  on  an  acute  angle  of  divergence,  the  inner  ones  as- 
cending to  near  the  top,  branching  outside  ;  brandies  numerous,  parallel, 
curving  along  the  border  in  multiple  festoons. 

This  fine  leaf,  preserved  nearly  entire,  is  subcoriaceous,  seven  and  one- 
half  centimeters  long,  three  and  one-half  centimeters  broad,  nearly  exactly 
oval-oblong,  perfectly  entire  and  rounded  to  the  base.  The  palmately 
five  nervation  is  less  definite  than  in  the  former  leaf;  the  two  internal 
lateral  veins  are  as  strong  as  the  middle  nerve,  curve  gradually  in  the 
same  direction  as  the  borders,  and,  near  the  top,  join  the  branches  of  the 
midrib,  with  which  they  anastomose  in  curves ;  tbe  outside  lateral  veius 
are  thinner  and  shorter ;  they  ascend  nearly  parallel  to  the  borders,  but 
disapi)ear  in  the  middle  of  the  leaf  in  anastomosing  with  branches  of  tbe 
inside  primary  veins.    In  comparing  this  nervation  with  that  of  the 


358       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

former  species  and  also  with  that  of  the  other  leaves  referred  to  this 
division,  its  identical  type  will  be  easily  recognized  and  its  relerenoe  to 
this  genus  found  appropriate. 

Under  the  name  of  Daphnogene  Kaniiy  Professor  Heer  has  published  in 
the  Arctic  Flora,  1,  p.  112,  PI.  XIY,  from  the  Miocene  of  Greenland,  leaves 
which  by  form  and  nervation  are  closely  related  to  this  Cretaceoas 
species.  In  the  flora  of  Gelinden  by  Saporta  and  Marion,  fragments  of 
leaves  of  the  same  character  are  referred  to  the  Menispcrmacece  and 
described  nnder  the  generic  name  of  Cocculus.  The  Cietaceous  form 
here  described  is  intermediate  between  the  Tertiary  species  and  those 
described  here  from  the  Dakota  group. 

Habitat. — Near  Clay  Center,  Kans,,  H.  d  Towner. 

Menispermites  cyclophyllus,  sp.  nov.    PL  VI,  fig.  4. 

Leaf  suhcoriaceou8^  entire^  nearly  rotmdj  peltate  fnyin  near  the  middle^ 
deeply  concave^  palmately  five  nerved;  inner  lateral  veins  curving  inside 
toward  the  point;  the  outer  ones  open  nearly  at  right  angle  to  the  middle 
nerve^  all  dividing  by  open  straight  branches;  basilar  veinlets  three^ passing 
down  and  curving  along  tJie  borders. 

The  first  of  these  leaves  figured  here  is  not  quite  as  well  preserved  as 
a  larger  specimen  obtained  lately.  The  essential  characters  are«  how- 
ever, distinctly  marked.  Excepting  the  modification  in  relation  to  the 
form  of  these  leaves,  and  the  point  of  attachment  of  the  petiole,  the 
nervation  is  of  the  same  type  as  in  the  former  species  As  observed 
upon  the  larger  specimens,  three  or  four  veinlets  pass  downward  from 
the  lower  part  of  the  point  of  attachment  of  the  i>etiole,  curving  on 
ea<ch  side  and  following  the  borders  in  festoons,  like  marginal  veinlets.. 
The  tertiary  nervation,  which  is  distinct  and  as  marked  upon  the  upper 
part  of  the  figure,  is  exactly  of  the  same  type  as  in  the  former  species, 
the  veinlets  nearly  at  right  angle  or  slightly  oblique  to  the  secondary 
veins,  forming  a  double  series  of  outside  curves  like  superposed  arches, 
the  last  row  following  the  borders  in  festoons.  The  leaf  figured  as 
marked  above  is  concave  to  the  round  point  of  attachment  of  the  peti- 
ole, which  passes  down  into  the  stone,  leaving  an  opening  like  the  pipe 
of  a  funnel.  In  the  larger  leaf,  which  is  ten  centimeters  broad  and 
eight  long,  the  depression  is  not  as  marked  and  the  surface  is  nearly 
flat.  On  this  specimen  the  primary  veins  and  their  branches  pass  up  to 
near  the  borders  before  dividing,  and  thus  have  a  nervation  remarkubly 
similar  to  that  of  Menispermites  Salinensis,  as  represented  in  Cret.  Flora, 
PI.  XX,  fig.  1. 

Habitat. — Kansas,  near  Fort  Barker,  the  first  leaf,  Chs,  Sternberg, 
Near  Clay  Center,  the  largest  specimen,  H,  C.  Towner. 

MALYACE^. 

Sterculia  lineariloba,  sp.  nova. 

Leaf  truncate  to  a  short  thick  petiole^  largcy  divided  to  near  ihe  base  in 
five  linear-entire^  nan'oWy  obtusely-pointed  lobes  about  equally  diverginffy 
from  acute  sinuses, 

I  know  this  fine  leaf  only  from  a  sketch  communicated  by  the  owner 
of  the  specimen.  It  is  seventeen  centimeters  broad  between  the  points  I 
of  the  lower  lobes,  which  are  in  right  angle  to  the  middle  one,  eleven 
centimeters  long  from  the  top  of  the  petiole  to  the  point  of  the  middle 
lobe,  which  is  eleven  centimeters  long  from  the  sinuses;  flve-palroately 
nerved  from  the  base ;  lobes  nearly  linear,  narrowed  into  a  short  poin^ 


J 


LMQUEBEux.]  ENUMERATION    OF   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  359 

entire;  nerves  very  thick,  secondary  veitia  and  areolation  obsolete. 
This  leaf  may  be  referable  to  Aralia^  bot  it  appears  more  evidently 
related  to  Sterculia  by  its  truncate  base  and  its  narrow  linear  lobes^ 
Habitat.— Near  Clay  Center,  Jff.  C.  Towner. 

TILIACE^. 

OBBVIOP8IS  Haydenh,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  97,  PI.  Ill,  figs.  2, 4;  PL 

XXIV,  fig.  3. 

Leaves  large^  broadly  ovate^  tapering  up  to  a  point,  more  or  less  abruptly 
narrowed  to  the  base;  borders  equally  denticulate  from  below  the  middle; 
nervation  irregularly  pinnate  or  abnormally  five-palmate,  cra^edodrome. 

In  regard  to  these  leaves,  whose  attribution  is  not  positively  known, 
Count  Saporta  remarks  that  by  their  facies  they  resemble  leaves  of 
Corylopsis,  a  generic  division  of  the  HamameKdce^  especially  represented 
iu  the  Japan  flora ;  the  attribution  would  be  therefore  a  natural  one. 
These  leaves,  however,  appear  equally  related  by  some  of  their  charac- 
ters and  by  their  facies  to  the  Tiliacece. 

AOERACE^. 

NifiGtJNDOiDES  ACUTiFOLius,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.  97,  PI.  XXI,  fig.  5. 

Leaves  irregularly  cut;  leaflets  thin,  lanceolate-pointed  or  enlarged  lobate, 
with  acuminate  lobes,  pinnately  veined  ;  veins  camptodrome. 

No  other  fragments  referable  to  this  have  been  discovered.  The  true 
character  of  the  leaves  represented  by  the  fragments  is  uncertain. 

CELASTBACE^. 

Celasteophyllum  ensipolium,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  108,  PL  XXI, 

figs.  2,  3. 

Leaves  very  thick  and  coria^ieous,  linear,  abruptly  contracted  to  the  base 
by  a  round  curve,  broadly  deltoid-pointed,  borders  undulately  crenaie  or 
merely  undulate;  nervation  pinnate^  secondary  veins  close,  parallel  camp- 
todrome, diverging  in  acute  angle  from  the  thick  middle  nerve. 

aquifoliaoeje. 

Ilex  stranoulata,  sp.  nov.    PI.  VIII,  fig.  3. 

Leaf  coriaceous,  narrow,  panduriform  or  strangled  in  the  middle  to  a 
small  angular  lobe;  rounded  and  narrowed  to  the  petiole,  entire  toward  the 
base;,  upper  part  enlarged  oval  f point  broken  J,  oorders  irregularly,  dis- 
tantly, obtusely  dentate,  secondary  veins  close,  nearly  at  right  angle  to  the 
middle  nerve,  irregularly  camptodrome. 

This  leaf  is  about  five  and  one-half  centimeters  long  without  the 
petiole,  which  measures  one  and  one-half  centimeters;  its  broadest  part 
above  the  petiole,  as  below  the  point,  is  not  more  than  twelve  milli- 
meters, and  in  the  middle,  where  it  is  contracted,  two  millimeters  only. 
Its  texture  is  thick;  the  surface  rugose;  the  secondary  veins  generally 
very  open,  though  variable  in  their  direction ;  curve  near,  and  along 
the  borders,  forming  a  more  or  less  distinct  narrow  margin.  The 
areolation  distinct  only  at  one  place,  where  tbe  epidermis  is  destroyed, 
is  in  small  angular  generally  square  areoIsB.  The  deformed  shape  of 
this  leaf,  its  border,  its  thick  texture,  and  nervation,  indicate  its  relation 
to  this  genus. 


360  GEOIiOOICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

Habitat. — Same  as  Dryophpllum  salioifoliumy  in  connection  with  coal 
strata  of  Southwest  Colorado,  at  a  higher  stage  of  the  Cretaceoofi^ 
H,  Holmes, 

These  two  last-named  species  have  no  relation  known  as  jet  with 
any  of  the  Dakota  group,  and  none  also  with  species  of  the  Lower 
Lignitic  or  Eocene.  Their  affinity  appears  to  be  with  a  group  of  plants 
known  from  specimens  of  the  upper  stage  of  the  Cretaceous  of  New 
Jersey.  Indeed,  the  two  horizons  where  fossil  leaves  have  been  foand 
in  this  State,  i*epresent,  by  the  lithological  composition  of  the  strata, 
their  relative  distance,  and  the  characters  of  their  fossil  leaves,  a  striking 
affinity  with  what  is  seen  in  the  stratification,  the  composition,  and  the 
plants  of  the  formation  referred  above  and  reported  by  Mr.  Holmea 
The  Lower  Cretaceous  of  New  Jersey  is  composed,  as  far  as  I  could 
judge  from  the  specimens  which  lezamiued,  of  sandy,  white,  or  reddisk 
coarse  shale,  wherein  the  plants  are  imbedded  in  profusion,  but  in  a 
poor  state  of  preservation.  These  represent  many  species  identical 
with  those  of  the  Dakota  group,  or  at  least  evidently  related  forms. 
Both  Magnolia  Capellini  and  especially  Magnolia  alteman^j  are  among 
them.  The  upper  group,  on  the  contrary,  has  scarcely  any  identical 
species  with  those  of  the  lower,  though  the  intervening  space  is  not 
more  than  one  hundred  feet;  its  types  appear  generally  different,  and 
as  the  vegetable  remains  are  found  in  a  soft  clay,  the  leaves  are  far 
better  preserved.  Among  the  species  of  this  Upper  Cretaceous  group, 
one  is  apparently  closely  related  to  the  Dryophyllum  described  from 
Mr.  Holmes's  specimens.* 

FRANGULACEiE. 

Paliurus  membranacbus,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  108,  PI.  XX,  fig.  6. 

Leaf  sniallj  memhrana^ieoiis^  ovalj  obtuse^  entire^  palmately  three-nerred 
from  the  base ;  lateral  veins  thin  ;  nervilles  distinct,  in  right  angle  to  the 
veins  and  joining  them. 

Bhamnus  tenax,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  109,  PI.  XXI,  fig.  4. 

Leaf  entire,  lanceolate-pointed  or  acuminxitej  narrowed  by  a  curve. to  a 
short  petiole  ;  lateral  veins  close^  numerous j  thin,  parallelj  c-amptodrame, 

TEREBIMTHAO&iB. 

JuGLANs!  Debeyana,  Hcer,  Cret  Flora,  p.  110,  PI.  XXIII,  figs.  1-5. 

Leaves  coriaceous,  entire,  broadly  ovate,  obtuse,  or  unth  a  short  obtuse 
point,  rounded-subcordate  at  the  base,  or  narrowed  by  a  curve  and  slightly 
decurring  to  the  petiole ;  middU  nerve  thick  ;  secondary  veins  numerous, 
open,  camptodrome. 

It  has  been  remarked,  in  the  introduction,  that  these  leaves  may  be 
referable  to  Rhtis.  Count  Saporta  remarks  that  if  there  is  among  these 
leaves  a  proportionate  number  of  them  with  unequilateral  base,  Iikefig8« 
4  and  5,  they  may  indeed  represent  a  Juglans  or  a  Juglandites. 

*  Theae  specimens  were  received  after  my  return  from  New  Jersey,  where,  by  the 
kindness  of  Dr.  G.  H.  Cook,  the  director  of  the  f^eological  survey  of  that  State,  I  had 
the  privilege  of  examining  the  numerous  materials  of  the  State  coUectioD.  I  have  not 
had  yet  opportunity  of  comparing  the  specimens  of  Colorado  with  those  of  Kev 
Jersey,  and  speak  therefore  from  memory. 


LMQUKBEUx.]  ENUMERATION   OP   CBBTACEOUS   PLANTS,  361 

Phyulites  EHOiFOLius,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Fior.,  p.  Ill,  PI.  XXII,  figs 

5  aud  6. 

Leaves  coriaceous^  lanceolate  penninervey  irregularly  obtusely  dentate; 
middle  nerve  thick;  secondary  veins  parallel^  comptodrome^  deeply  marked. 

PetjnusI  ceetaceus,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  Ill,  PL  XXUI,  figs. 

8  and  9  5— PI.  IV,  fig.  9. 

Drupe  ovate,  obtusely  pointed^  grooved  on  one  side  to  the  middle^  notolied 
at  the  enlarged  obtuse  base. 

Nothing  new  has  been  elicited  in  regard  to  the  relation  of  this  fruit, 
though  another  specimen  has  been  found  apparently  representing  the 
same  species.  As  seen  in  fig.  9  of  PL  IV,  it  is  exactly  of  the  same  size 
and  form  as  the  one  in  PL  XXIII,  fig.  8,  of  the  Oret.  Flora.  It  is 
upon  the  surface  of  a  large  flat  fragment  of  sandstone,  where  it  is  im- 
bedded to  the  middle  of  its  thickness,  the  part  figured  being  very  dis- 
tinct. From  the  remnants  of  a  thin  coat  of  matter  sioiilar  to  a  shelly 
envelope,  it  seems  to  have  been  surrounded  by  a  coriaceous  pericarp. 
The  same  specimen  represent  a  leaf  of  Aralia  towneri. 

Habitat.— South  of  Clay  Center,  Kansas,  H.  C.  Towner. 

INCEBTJB  SBDIS. 

ASPIDIOPHYLLUM,  Lesqx. 

Leaves  large,  triangular  in  outline,  palmately  trilobed,  truncate  and 
auricled  at  base ;  nervation  coarse,  prirnary  nerves  three  from  above  the 
peltate  top  of  the  petiole;  secondary  veins  close, parallel,  camptodrome  or 
craspedodrome. 

The  essential  diflerence  separating  the  leaves  of  this  new  division 
from  those  of  Sassafras  {Araliopsis)  is  the  broadly  peltate  and  auricled 
base.  As  seen  from  Plate  II,  fig.  1,  the  lateral  veins  are  very  open, 
nearly  at  a  right  angle  with  the  middle  one,  and  therefore  the  lobes 
have  the  same  direction,  and  the  leaf  has  nearly  the  appearance  of  a 
cross;  these  short  broad  lobes,  either  obtusely  dentate  by  the  extension 
of  the  point  of  the  secondary  veins  entering  them,  or  entire  whenever 
these  veins  curve  along  them,  are  remarkably  similar  to  those  of  8. 
Harkerianum.  The  secondary  nervation,  however,  is  of  a  somewhat 
different  character,  the  veins  being  more  curved  in  passing  up  to  the 
borders,  and  also  at  a  more  obtuse  angle  of  divergence.  The  rounded, 
more  or  less  elongated  auricle  is  nerved  by  the  downward  continuity  of 
the  secondary  veins,  or,  as  seen  in  fig.  2,  by  two  pairs  of  secondary 
veins  in  right  angle  to  the  middle  nerve,  and  two  pairs  of  marginal 
veinlets  from  the  top  of  the  petiole.  This  disposition  has  analogy  to 
the  basilar  nervation  of  Credneria  leaves;  with  the  diflference,  however, 
that  in  Credneria  all  the  lower  secondary  veins  are  at  a  right  angle  to 
the  midrib.  The  same  kind  of  afiSnity  is  still  more  marked  with  species 
of  Profx>phyllum,  as  for  example  P.  multinerve,  Cret.  Flor.,  PL  XVIII, 
fig.  1,  whose  leaves,  however,  are  not  lobed,  and  whose  upper  nerva- 
tion is  of  an  entirely  different  type.  We  have  therefore  still  in  these 
leaves  a  union  of  different  characters  separately  and  distinctly  recog- 
nized in  other  groups  of  this  remarkable  flora. 

ASPIDIOPHYLLUM  TBILOBATUM,  Sp.  UOV.     PL  II,  tigS.  1,  2. 

Leaves  large,  coriaceous,  triangular  or  rhomboidal  in  outline,  more  or 
less  deeply  trilobate,  broadly  cuneate  to  tJie  base,  enlarged  into  an  half -round 
auricle,  threenerv&Afrom  above  the  peltate  base  of  the  thick  middle  nerve* 

These  leaves  vary  in  size  from  ten  to  twenty-four  centimeters  long  and 


362       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRTTOBIES. 

from  twelve  to  thirty  ceutimeters  broad  between  the  points  of  the  lateral 
lobes ;  these  are  tnrned  upward  in  the  normal  form,  the  angle  of  diver- 
gence of  the  lateral  veins  being  4(P  to  50^,  with  a  very  deep  coarse 
nervation.  The  borders  of  the  lobes  are  more  generally  dentate,  and  the 
veins,  therefore,  mostly  craspedodrome. 

I  was  disposed  to  consider  as  a  separate  species  the  leaf  represented, 
fig.  1,  greatly  differing  by  its  diminutive  size,  the  direction  of  the  lobes, 
and  the  still  broader  nervation.  These  leaves,  of  which  we  have  two 
specimens,  have  the  surface  rnncinate,  or  appearing  as  if  they  were  not 
fully  unfolded ;  they  represent  probably  a  peculiar  form  or  variety  of  the 
same  species,  for,  except  this  difference,  the  characters  are  the  same. 

Habitat. — South  of  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Chs.  Sternberg. 

Pbotophyllum  Stebmbergii,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  101,  PI.  XVI; 

PL  XVJII,  fig.  2. 

Leaves  large^  coriaceops^  peltate  entire^  rounded  or  cordate  at  ba^te^  grad- 
ually narrowed  up  into  a  slightly  obtuse  point ;  basilar  reins  one  or  tus)  pairs, 

Pbotophyllum  Lboonteanum,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.  103,  Pi.  XVII, 

fig.  4  J  PI.  XVI,  fig.  1. 

Leaves  coriaceous^  rounds  mare  enlarged  in  the  middle^  entire;  middle 
nerve  thicJcj  lowest  secondary  veins  much  divided^  basilar  veins  in  right 
angle  to  the  middle  nerve  proportionally  thicJc. 

Pbotophyllum  !  Kebbasgense,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  103,  PL  XXVII, 

fig.  3. 

Leaf  smalls  subcoriaceous^  oval-oblong^  abruptly  narrowed  to  the  petiole  ; 
borders  entire^  middle  nerve  thin^  secondary  veins  eloscy  parallel^  all  under 
the  same  angle  of  divergence. 

This  leaf  is  by  its  character  referable  to  the  generic  division  of  the 
Hamamelit^j  and  clearly  related  to  the  leaf  of  our  PL  VII,  fig.  i. 

Pbotophyllum  QUADEATUM,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  104,  PL  XIX,  fig.  1. 

Leaves  thickish^  subcoriaceous^  round-square  in  outline  ;  truncate  at  the 
base  and  subpeltate^  deeply  undulate^  obtuse;  nervation  thick^  secondary 
veins  straight  to  the  borders. 

Peotophyllxtm  MINUS,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  104,  PL  XIX,  fig.  2 ; 

PL  XXVIl,  fig.  1 ;—  PL  V,  hg.  «. 

Leaves  small,  coriaceous j  broadly  ovate,  truncate  orsubcordate  at  the  ba^  ; 
entire  or  slightly  undulate,  subpeltate. 

These  different  forms  of  Protophyllum  are  clearly  defined  and  preserve 
their  characters  in  the  numerous  specimens  which  I  have  had  for  exam- 
ination. PL  IV,  fig.  6,  shows  a  very  small  leaf  of  this  species,  repre- 
senting in  miniature  the  large  forms  described  in  the  Cret  Flora. 

Pbotophyllum  multinebve,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  105,  PL  XVIII, 

fig.  1. 

Leaves  of  medium  size,  coriaceous,  oval-oblong,  round-truncate  at  the  base, 
peltate,  middle  nerve  thick,  secondary  veins  close,  numerous,  in  an  open 
angle  of  divergeme,  the  lower  ones  in  right  angle  and  deflecting  downwardj 
borders  entire  or  undulate. 

Pbotophyllum  buqosum,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  105,  PL  XVII,  figs.  1 

and  2 ;  PL  XIX,  fig.  3. 
Leaves  deltoid-ovate,  rounded  and  subpeltate  at  the  base,  borders  eiUire; 
nervation  coarse^  surface  rugose^  secondary  veins  irregular  in  distance  a»d 
direction. 


LESQURREux]  ENUMEBATION   OP   CRETACEOUS   PLANTS.  363 

Pbotophyllxjm  Hatdbnii,  Lesqx.,  Cret  Flora,  p.  106,  PL  XVII,  fig.  3. 

Leaves  small^  coriaceouSj  smoothj  obUmg-ovate^  pointed^  deeply  irregularly 
nndulate-lobed,  abruptly  rounded  to  the  ha^e^  subpalmately  three-nerved; 
secondary  veins  parallel,  straight  to  the  borders^  basilar  veins  two  or  three 
pairs  at  right  angles  to  the  middle  nerve. 

The  basilar  nervation  of  this  species,  as  also  of  the  following,  is  of  the 
Credneria  type. 

Peotophyllum  gbednebioides,  8p.  nova.    PL  III,  fig.  1;  PL  VIII, 

fig.  4. 

Leaves  small,  nearly  round,  truncate  at  tlie  hase^  long  pctioled  ;  borders 
entire,  undulate  ;  nervation  obscurely  trifid ;  secondary  veins  on  various 
angles  of  divergence. 

These  leaves,  of  which  we  have  many  specimens,  vary  in  size  from  six 
to  eight  centimeters,  and  are  as  broad  as  long ;  they  are  more  or  less 
deeply  uudalate,  bat  the  borders  are  entire,  though  all  the  veins  and 
their  divisions  pass  to  the  borders;  the  petiole  is  comparatively  long 
and  slender  and  the  secondary  veins  more  or  less  open,  according  to 
their  position,  being  at  a  right  angle  to  the  middle  nerve  near  the  base 
and  at  an  acute  angle  of  divergence  near  the  top.  As  in  the  former 
species,  the  leaves  are  obscurely  tripalmately-nerved,  the  lower  lateral 
primary  veins  above  the  borders  being  underlaid  as  in  Credneria  by  two 
pairs  of  thinner  veins  in  right  angle.  In  this  case,  however,  as  these 
lower  veins  branch,  and  have  the  same  direction  as  those  above,  they  are 
rather  secondary  veins,  like  the  others,  and  the  nervation  should  be 
considered  as  pinnate. 

Habitat.— Mostly  found  near  Fort  Barker,  Kansas,  Cits.  Sternberg. 

Pbotophyllum!  Mudgei,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p,  106,  PL  XVIII,  fig.  3. 

Leaf  thicJ:,  coriaceous,  ovate-obtuse,  enlarged  and  truncate  at  base,  equally 
denticulate  ;  middle  nerve  very  thick  ;  secondary  veins  alternate^  mere  or  less 
branching,  craspedodrome. 

The  leaf,  the  only  fragment  of  >  which  is  figured,  is  of  uncertain  refer- 
ence. 

Anisophylltjm  semi-alatum,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  98,  Pi.  VI,  figs. 

1-5. 

Leaves  thicJc,  coarsely  veined,  ovate  or  obovate  in  outline^  eitlier  abruptly 
narrowed  J  subtruncate  and  subcordate  to  tJie  petiole,  or  rounded  wedge  form 
to  the  base,  irregularly  lobate  on  one  sidCy  deeply  undulate  on  the  borders  ; 
nervation  irregularly  three  to  five  palmate  from  above  the  base  of  the  leaves  ; 
primary  veins  much  divided. 

Bbbmophyllum  fimbbiatum,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  107,  PL  VIII, 

fig.  1. 
Leaf  peltate,  Jcidney-shaped^  with  an  entire  broadly  truncate  base  ;  bor- 
ders dentate  by  equal  hastate  or  auricled,  and  pointed  teeth;  nervation 
seven  palmate. 

VEGETABLE  ORGAinSMS  OP  UNCERTAItf  AFFINITY.      . 

Phtllites  BETULiEFOLixJS,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  112,  PL  XXVIII, 

figs.  4,  7. 

Leaves  smally  mostly  in  fragments^  round-ovate^  truncate  at  the  top,  nar- 
rowed to  the  base  by  a  round  curve;  borders  dentate;  nervation  pinnate^ 
irregular^  craspedodrome. 


364  GEOLOGICAL   SUBYET   OF  THE   TERRITORIES. 

Phyllitbs  bhomboideus,  Lesqx.,  Oret.  Flora,  p.  112,  PL  VI,  fig.  8. 

Leaf  rhomboidal^  hrondly  cuneate  to  the  bdscj  more  obtusely  narrowed  and 
undulate  from  the  middle  to  an  obtuse  short  point ;  nervation  five-palmate 
from  Hie  base^  the  two  inner  lateral  veins  curving  up  at  a  very  acute  angle 
of  divergence  and  aerodrome  or  nearly  reaching  the  point  of  the  leaf  branching 
outside,  tJie  external  veins  following  the  borders  up  to  the  middle  of  the  leef^ 
where  they  anastomose  with  branches  of  the  first  pair. 

Phyllites  cotinus,  Lesqjc 

BuMELiA  MARCOUANA,  Hcer  (Le«qx.)»  Cret.  Flora,  p.  90,  PI.  XXVIII,  fig.  2. 

Leaf  membranaceo^iSy  broadly  ovaly  entire^  emarginatCy  rounded  downward 
to  a  long  slender  petiole,  penninerve. 

From  information  received  of  Professor  Heer,  this  leaf  positively 
differs  from  the  one  which  he  examined  and  which  is  figured  in 
Dana's  Manual  of  Geology.  Though  the  likeness  of  this  leaf  to  those 
of  Bhus  cotinus  is  marked,  its  relation  is  not  definite. 

Phyllites  Vanon^,  Heer,— Cret.  Flora,  p.  113,  PI.  XX,  fig.  7 :  PL 

XXVIII,  fig.  8. 

Leaves  small,  ovate-lanceolate,  pointed,  cuneiform  to  the  base;  borders  en- 
tire, middle  nerve  thin,  secondary  veins  jfew^  scattered^  camptodrome. 

Phyllites  itmbonatus,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  113,  PL  XIX,  fig.  4. 

Leaf  quadrate  in  outline,  truncate  at  the  base,  deeply  notched  at  the  top  by 
the  splitting  of  the  thick  middle  nerve,  irregularly  broadly  undulate  on  the 
borders;  secondary  veins  few,  at  irregular  distances,  nearly  at  right  angle  to 
tlie  middle  nerve,  camptodrome. 

m 

Phyllites  amobphus,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  113,  PL  XXI 1,  figs.  3,  4. 

Two  fragments  of  coriaceous,  obovate,  entire  leaves,  narrowed  to  the  base 
(broken) ;  middle  nerve  deep  and  narrow ;  secondary  veins  either  in  right 
angle  to  tlie  middle  nerve  or  curved  downward,  or  passing  up  in  an  acute  angle 
of  divergence,  branching  and  anastomosing  in  varions  abnormal  icays. 

Ptenosteobus  nebbascensis,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  lli,  PL  XXIV, 

fig.  1. 
Cone  oblong,  cut  in  its  length  ;  seeds  oblong-oval,  lenticular,  obtuse  at  one 
end,  pointed  at  tfie  otlier,  winged,  wings  oval  oblong,  striated. 

Caulinites  spinosa,  Lesqx.,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  115. 

Stems  or  branches  cylindrical,  tcith  rough  surface  marked  by  irregular, 
close  dots,  or  small  cavities  resembling  the  impressions  of  scale  ;  bearing  long 
spines  at  right  angles. 

Cabpolithes  ?,  Cret.  Flora,  p.  114,  PL  XXVI,  fig.  5,  PL  XXX,  fig.  IL 

Fruit  t  large,  oval-pointed  at  both  ends,  costate,  marked  at  the  lo^cer  end 
by  a  small  hollow  surrounded  by  small  semi-globular  bolsters  corresponding 
with  the  end  of  the  costas. 

The  bodies  represented  by  the  figures  are  doubtfully  referred  to  some 
vegetable  organism. 

It  would,  perhaps,  seem  advisable  to  close  this  review  by  a  table  of 
comparison,  exposing  the  relation  of  the  species  of  the  Dakota  group 
with  those  of  the  Cretaceous  floras  of  other  countries.  A  table  of  this 
kind,  however,  would  not  offer  any  valuable  information,  and  could  be 
of  little  interest,  on  account  of  the  scantiness  of  the  materials  available 
for  comparison.    The  few  points  of  afiSnity  between  our  American  Cre- 


utaQURBEUx.]  REVIEW   OP   CRETACEOUS    FLORA.  365 

taceous  plants  and  those  of  Earopehave  beeu  remarked  in  the  Cretaceoas 
Flora,  and,  since  its  publication,  no  other  work  has  appeared  on  the  same 
sabject  but  the  third  volume  ot  the  Arctic  Flora,  where,  as  remarked  be- 
fore, Professor  Heer  describes  the  species  of  fossil  plants  from  two  stages 
of  the  Cretaceous  of  Greenland ;  a  lower  one,  that  of  Gome ;  an  upper  one, 
that  of  Atane,  and  an  intermediate  small  group  from  Spitzberg.  With 
the  species  of  the  first  division,  the  Dakota  group  flora  has  Gleichenia 
nordemkioldi,  identical  and  none  related ;  with  those  of  the  second,  it 
has  two  Conifers — Sequoia  fastigiata  and  Finns  Quenstedii.  This  last  has 
been  described  also  b.v  the  author,  from  Spitzberg,  and  formerly  from 
Moletin.  In  the  monocotyledonous.  our  Phragmites  cretaceous  seems 
identical  with  Arundo  greenlandica,  Beer,  of  the  same  upper  stage,  and 
in  the  dicotyledonous,  Myrica  cretacea^  Lesqx.,  is  comparable  to  M. 
zenleri^  Heer,  which  is  represented  by  a  fragment  only.  There  is  still 
an  evident  relation  of  the  leaves  described  by  Heer  as  Chondrophyllum 
arbiculatum  and  (7.  nordenskioldi  with  those  of  Hedera  ovalis^  of  the 
Dakota  group.  We  have  also  Andromeda  Partatorii^  Magnolia  Capellinij 
and  AL  altemans  present  in  both  floras.  These  three  species  are  appa- 
rently extensively  distributed  in  the  Cretaceous. 

Without  taking  into  account  the  more  or  less  acceptable  modifications 
of  generic  and  specific  forms  proposed  in  this  review,  we  have  here  an 
addition  to  the  North  American  Cretaceous  flora  of  twenty-four  species, 
mostly  clearly  defined  from  very  tine  specimens.  This  contribution,  the 
result  of  the  discoveries  made  during  one  year  only,  by  two  zealous 
young  naturalists  who  have  explored  merely  an  area  of  small  extent  in 
the  counties  where  they  live,  shows  what  abundant  materials  are  still 
left  in  the  strata  of  the  Dakota  group  to  reward  future  researches.  It 
exposes,  also,  with  more  evidence  the  riches  and  the  diversity  of  the 
vegetation  of  the  Cretaceous  [>eriod,  manifested  as  it  is  by  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  dicotyledonous  leaves  in  the  three  great  divisions  of  this 
class  of  plants;  by  the  numerous,  clearly -limited,  generic  groups  which 
they  represent,  as  well  as  by  the  multiplicity  of  specific  forms  referable 
to  some  of  the  genera.  The  species  of  Menispermites  and  of  ProtophyU 
lum^  for  example,  are  as  distinctly  separated  by  the  characters  of  their 
leaves,  though  prest^rving  the  unity  of  their  generic  type,  as  we  see 
them  at  the  present  time  under  analogous  climatic  circumstances. 

These  facts  tend  to  confirm  the  general  conclusions  briefly  exposed  in 
the  Cretaceous  Flora  concerning  the  origin  and  the  distribution  of  the 
dicotyledonous  species,  a  question  to  which  the  history  of  our  present 
North  American  flora  is  interested  in  the  highest  degree. 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  L 


Fig.  1.  Akaua  tripartita,  sp.  nov.,  page  348. 
Fig  2,  2*,  A R ALIA  Saportanra,  sp.  nav.y  page  350. 


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EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  IL 

Figs.  1, 2.  A8PIDIOPHYLLUM  TRiLOBATUM,  «p.  110V.,  page  361. 
Fig.  3.  Ampblophyllum  attenuatcm,  sp.  nor.,  page  354. 
Fig.  4.  Phtixogladus  subintegrifolius,  Leaqx.,  page  337. 
Figs.  5, 5^.  Gleichbnla  nordenskiOldi,  Hear,,  page  334. 


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EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  IH. 

Fig.  1.  PHOTOPHYLLUM  CKEDNRRIOIDES,  Sp,  ttOt*.,  page  963. 

Figs.  *2,  8,  8*.  Sequoia  fastigiata,  Sfemb.,  page  335. 
Fig.  3.  Hedrka  platanoidea,  sp.  nov.^  page  35L 
Fig.  4.  MvRiCA  CRETAOEA,  sp.  ftor.,  page  339. 
Fig.  5.  Androbaeda  akfinis,  sp.  nop.,  page  348. 
Pigs.  6,  6»,  7,  ?•.  PiNUS  QUENSTEDTi,  Heer,^  page  336. 


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EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  IV. 

Fig.  1.  AJtAUA  ToWNKBi,  sp,  nov,f  page  349. 
Figs.  2-4.  Abalia  concrkta,  sp,  nov.^  page  349. 
Figs.  5-7.  Skquoia  condita,  sp.  nov.^  page  335. 
Fig.  8.  iNOLEPis  f  y  tfpectes.,  page  337. 
Fig.  9.  PRUNUS  r  CRKTACEA,  LeBqx.,  page  361. 


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EXPLANATION  OP  PLATE  V. 


Figs.  1  and  2.  Laurus  prote^folia,  sp,  nov.,  page  342. 
Fig.  3.  Mkmispermitrs  populifouus.  ep.  nov.,  page  357. 
Fig.  4.  Mekispermites  ovALiSy  «p.  HOP.,  page  357. 
Fig.  5.  Ficns  DI8TORTA,  «p.  nor.,  page  342. 
Fig.  6.  PROTOPHYLLUM  MINUS,  Lesqx.,  page  362. 
Fig.  7.  Ficus  LAUROPHTLLUH,  Xm^k.,  page  342. 


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EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  VI. 

Fig.  1.  Drtophyllum  (qubrcus)  latifolium,  irp.  not.,  page  340. 
Fig.  2.  LoMATiA  8APORTANBA.  Lesqx.    An  enlarged  leaflet,  page  346. 
Fig.  3.  CissiTKS  HEERii,  sp.  ncw.,  page  353. 
Fig.  4.  Menispermites  cyclophyllus,  flp.  nov,f  page  358. 


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EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  VIL 

Figs.  1  and  2.  Cissites  Harkkrianus,  Z>«9Jr.,page  352. 
Fig.  3.  Mbnirpermitks  obtusiuoba,  Lesqx.,  page  356. 
Fig.  4.  Habiamelites  Kansasbana,  Lesqx.,  page  355. 
Fig.  5.  Hedera  Schimpeki,  sp,  nov.,  page  351. 


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EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  VIII. 

Fig  1.  CissiTES  ACUMiNATUS,  «p.  HOT.,  page  353. 

Fig.  2.  DRYOPHTLI.UM  (QuKRCUs)  8ALICIF0LIUM,  «p.  nof .,  page  340. 

Fig.  3.  Ilex  straxoulata,  sp.  nov.,  page  359. 

Fig.  4.  Protophyllum  ckkdnbrioidbs,  sp.  nov.,  page  363. 

Fig.  5.  Platanus  Hbrrii,  Lesqx,,  page  341. 


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EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  VIII. 

Fig  1.  C188ITES  ACUMINATU8,  «p.  nor.,  page  353. 

Fig.  2.  Dryophtllum  (Qukrgus)  salicifolium,  9p,  nor.,  page  340. 

Fig.  3.  Ilex  stranoui^ta,  tp.  nor.,  page  359. 

Fig.  4.  Protophyllum  crkdnbrioidbs,  «p.  nor.,  page  363. 

Fig.  5.  Platanus  Herrii,  Le9^,  page  341. 


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ANCIENT  RUINS  IN  SOUTHWESTERN  COLORADO. 


Br  W.  H.  Jackson. 


In  the  extreme  sonthwestem  corner  of  Colorado  Territory,  west  of  the 
one  hundred  and  eighth  degree  of  longitude,  are  groaps  of  old  rained 
houses  and  towns,  displaying  a  civilization  and  intelligence  far  beyond 
that  of  any  of  the  present  inhabitants  of  this  or  adjacent  Territory. 

We  will  endeavor,  in  the  few  pages  following,  to  describe  these  with 
as  mnch  minoteness  and  circnmspection  as  a  very  hasty  trip  enabled 
as  to  observe;  depending  more  upon  the  pictorial  illustrations  accom- 
panying this  article  for  clear  exposition  of  the  subject  than  npon  any 
choice  of  words. 

Although  ruins  in  considerable  number  and  importance  were  said  to 
exist  along  the  Bio  Las  Animas  and  Ban  Juan,  we  did  not  think  it  l>est 
to  spare  any  of  the  little  time  at  our  disposal  for  their  investigation. 
Oar  object  being  to  find  those  in  which  the  picturesque  predominated 
and  were  the  least  known,  we  directed  our  course  to  the  westward,  hav- 
ing obtained  reliable  information  of  the  existence  of  some  which  would 
come  up  to  our  anticipations.  The  Kio  Mancos,  one  of  the  western  trib- 
utaries of  the  San  Juan,  rises  in  two  principal  forks  among  the  western 
foot-hills  of  the  Sierra  La  Plata,  flows  southwesterly  through  fertile  and 
beautiful  valleys  to  a  great  table-land,  known  asi  the  ^^  Mesa  Verde," 
and  entering,  flows  directly  south  through  it  to  the  valley  of  the  San 
Jnan,  and  then  turning  west  again  joins  that  stream  near  the  crossing 
of  the  boundary-lines  of  the  four  Territories. 

Commencing  our  observations  in  the  park-like  valley  of  the  Mancos 
between  the  mesa  and  the  mountains,  we  find  that  the  low  benches  which 
border  the  stream  upon  either  side  bear  faint  vestiges  of  having,  at  some 
&r-away  time,  been  covered  with  dwellings,  grouped  in  communities 
apparently,  but  now  so  indistinct  as  to  present  to  the  eye  little  more 
than  unintelligible  mounds.  By  a  little  careful  investigation,  however, 
the  foundations  of  great  square  blocks,  of  single  buildings,  and  of  circu- 
lar inclosures,  can  be  made  out ;  the  latter  generally  with  a  depressed 
center,  showing  an  excavation  for  some  purpose.  The  greater  portion 
of  these  mounds  are  now  overgrown  with  artemisia,  pifion-piue,  and 
cedar,  concealing  them  almost  entirely  from  casual  observation.  We 
foond  the  surest  indication  of  their  proximity  in  the  great  quantity  of 
broken  pottery,  which  covered  the  ground  in  their  neighborhood,  the 
same  curiously  indented,  painted,  and  glazed  ware  found  throughout 
New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  It  was  all  broken  into  very  small  pieces, 
none  that  we  could  find  being  larger  than  a  silver  dollar.  We  had  no 
opportunity  to  make  any  excavations  about  these  old  mounds ;  but  such 
little  scratching  around  as  we  c^uld  do  developed  nothing  new  below 
the  surface,  all  the  pottery  which  covers  the  ground  having  been  broken 
and  scattered  since  the  demolition  of  the  homes  of  the  makers.  No- 
where among  these  open-plains  habitations  could  we  discover  any  ves- 
tiges of  stone-work,  either  in  building  material  or  implements.    It  is 

309 

24  n 


370       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TEREITOEIES. 

very  evident  that  the  houses  were  all  of  adobe,  the  mound-like  charae- 
ter  of  the  remains  jastifying  that  belief. 

The  ^^  Mesa  Verde"  extends  north  and  south  about  twenty,  and  east 
and  west  aboat  forty  miles.  It  is  of  a  grayish-yellow  Cretaceous  sand- 
'  stone,  with  a  very' nearly  horizontal  bedding,  so  that  the  escarpment  is 
about  equal  upon  all  sides,  ranging  from  600  to  1,000  feet  in  height. 
The  capping  or  upper  strata  are  generally  firmly  and  solidly  bedded, 
retaining  a  perpendicular  face  of  aboat  200  feet,  with  a  succession  of 
benches  below,  connected  by  the  steep  slopes  of  the  talus.  Side-canoos 
penetrate  the  mesaj  and  ramify  it  in  every  direction,  always  presenting 
a  perpendicular  face,  so  that  it  is  only  at  very  rare  intervals  that  the 
top  can  be  reached  ;  bat,  once  up  there,  we  find  excellent  grazing,  aod 
thick  groves  of  cedar  and  pinon-pine.  From  the  bottom  of  the  canon 
up,  the  slopes  of  the  escarpment  are  thickly  covered  with  groves  of  cedar 
and  piOon,  gnarled  and  dwarfed,  bat  sucking  ap  a  vigorous  livelihood 
from  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  the  barren  declivities.  Below,  the  Cot- 
tonwood and  willow  grow  luxuriantly  beside  the  streams,  while  dense 
growths  of  a  reed^'  grass  tower  above  our  heads  as  we  ride  through  it 
Throughout  its  entire  length,  the  canon  preserves  an  average  width  of 
about  200  yards,  sometimes  much  wider  and  again  narrower.  Hie 
stream,  meandering  from  side  to  side,  frequently  interrupted  by  beaver- 
dams,  cuts  a  deep  channel  in  the  friable  earth  which  characterizes  all 
the  valley-lands  of  this  region,  while  the  banks  upon  either  one  side  or 
the  other  are  perpendicular,  so  that  it  is  an  extremely  troublesome  mat- 
ter to  cross.  Added  to  the  difficulties  of  getting  in  and  out  of  the 
stream  is  a  thick  matted  jungle  of  undergrowth,  tall,  reedy  grass,  wil- 
lows, and  thorny  bushes,  all  interlaced  and  entwined  by  tough  and  wiiy 
grape-vines  bordering  its  banks  upon  either  one  side  or  the  other.  The 
current  is  sluggish,  and  the  water  tinged  with  a  milky  translucency, 
gathered  from  the  soil. 

Entering  the  canon  at  its  upper  end,  we  strike  into  the  old  Indian 
trail  whi3h  comes  over  from  the  head  of  the  Bio  Dolores,  and,  xiassing 
down  this  canon  a  short  distance,  turns  off  to  the  left  and  goes  over  to 
the  La  Plata.  About  a  hundred  Indians  had  just  passed  over  it  with 
their  horses  and  goats,  so  that  it  was  in  most  excellent  traveling  order, 
although  winding  in  and  out,  and  over  and  among  great  blocks  of  sand- 
stone and  other  d&ma  from  above ;  the  encroaching  stream,  too,  fire- 
queutly  forcing  the  narrow  pathway  high  up  on  the  slopes  of  the  pro- 
jecting spurs,  the  treacherous  character  of  the  banks  of  the  stream  for- 
bidding the  crossing  and  recrossing  usual  in  such  cases.  Grouped  along 
in  clusters,  and  singly,  were  indications  of  former  habitations,  veiy 
nearly  obliterated,  and  consisting  mostly,  in  the  first  four  or  five  miles, 
of  the  same  mound-like  forms  noticed  abpve,  and  accompanied  always 
by  the  scattered,  broken  pottery.  Among  them  we  found  one  building 
of  squared  and  carefully-laid  sandstone :  one  face  only  exposed,  of  three 
or  four  courses,  above  the  mass  of  ^om,  which  covered  everything. 
This  building  lay  within  a  few  yards  of  the  banks  of  the  stream }  was 
apparently  about  10  feet  by  8,  the  usual  size,  as  near  as  we  could  deter- 
mine, of  nearly  all  the  separate  rooms  or  houses  in  the  lai^^  Uocks, 
none  larger,  and  many  not  more  than  5  feet  square.  The  stones  ex- 
posed are  each  about  7  by  12  inches  square  and  4  inches  thick,  those  in 
their  original  position  retaining  correct  angles,  but,  when  thrown  down, 
worn  away,  and  rounded  by  attriticm  to  shapeless  bowlders.  Bewg  so 
exposed  to  the  elements,  the  cementing  material  which  bound  the  ma- 
sonry together  is  entirely  worn  away  upon  the  surface;  but,  upon  poll- 
ing away  a  few  courses,  it  was  found  binding  the  rocks  together  quite 


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jACKsoK.]  ANCIENT  RUINS  IN  8.   W.   COLORADO.  371 

firmly.    It  was  not,  however,  anything  more  than  an  adobe  or  clay- 
cement. 

A.S  we  progressed  down  the  caiion,  the  same  general  characteristics 
lield  good;  the  great  majority  of  the  rains  consisting  of  heaps  of 
dibrisy  a  central  mass  considerably  higher  and  more  massive  than  the 
Horrounding  lines  of  subdivided  sqnares.  Small  buildings,  not  more 
than  8  feet  square,  .were  often  found  standing  alone  apparently ;  no  trace 
of  aD  J  other  being  detected  in  their  immediate  neighborhood. 

^We  now  commenced  to  note  another  peculiar  feature.    Upon  our  right, 
the  long  slopes  of  protruding  strata  and  debris  formed  promontories, 
extending  out  into  the  ca&on.    Upon  these,  and  not  more  than  50  feet 
above  the  stream,  we  found  frequent  indications  of  their  having  been 
occupied  by  some  sort  of  works,  the  foundations  of  which  in  every  case 
were  circular,  with  a  deep  depression  in  the  center,  and  generally  occur- 
ring in  pairs,  two  side  by  side,  ranging  from  10  to  20  feet  in  diameter. 
Tbere  was  no  masonry  of  any  kind  visible,  but  thickly  strewn  all  about 
any  quantity  of  broken  pottery.    Above,  were  indications  of  habitations 
in  the  faob  of  the  clifT,  but  not  marked  enough  to  warrant  further  search. 
At  those  places  where  the  trail  ran  high  up,  near  the  more  precipitous 
portion  of  the  bluff,  we  found  remnants  of  stone  walls,  inclosing  spaces 
of  from  5  to  12  feet  in  length,  in  the  cave  like  crevices  running  along 
the  seams.    They  were  pretty  well  demolished,  the  stones  undressed 
and  imbedded  in  mud  mortar.    In  many  places,  little  niches  or  crevices  iu 
rock  had  been  walled  up  into  cupboard^ike  inclosures  of  about  the  size 
of  a  bushel-basket.    We  searched  them  eagerly,  but  they  had  all  been 
despoiled  before  us.    Nothing  of  any  greater  importance  was  found  up 
to  the  time  we  made  camp  at  nightfall.    All  that  we  had  seen  during 
the  day  was  of  exceeding  interest,  but  came  far  short  of  our  expecta- 
tions. 

Our  camp  for  the  night  was  among  the  stunted  pinons  and  cedars 
immediately  at  the  foot  of  the  escarpment  of  the  mesa;  its  steep  slopes 
and  perpendicular  faces  rising  nearly  1,000  feet  above  us.    Quantities 
of  broken  pottery  were  strewn  across  the  trail,  to  the  edge  of  the  stream, 
and  as  ruins  of  some  sort  generally  followed,  close  attention  was  paid  to 
the  surroundings ;  but,  with  the  exception  of  a  small  square  inclosure 
of  rough  slabs  of  stone,  set  in  the  earth  endwise,  and  indicating,  possi- 
"^ly*  A  grave,  nothing  was  found  to  reward  our  search.    Just  as  the  sun 
was  sinking  behind  the  western  walls  of  the  canon,  one  of  the  party  de* 
scried  far  up  the  cliff  what  appeared  to  be  a  house,  with  a  square  wall, 
and  apertures  indicating  two  stories,  but  so  far  up  that  only  the  very 
sharpest  eyes  could  define  anything  satisfactorily.    We  had  no  field- 
glass  with  the  party,  and  to  this  fact  is  probably  due  the  reason  we  had 
not  seen  others  during  the  day  in  this  same  line ;  for  there  is  no  doubt 
that  ruins  exist  throughout  the  entire  length  of  the  ca&on,  far  above 
and  oat  of  the  way  of  ordinary  observation.    Cedar  and  pines  also 
grow  thickly  along  the  ledges  upon  which  they  are~1&uilt,  hiding  com- 
pletely anything  behind 'them.    All  that  we  did  find  were  built  of  the 
same  materials  as  the  cliffs  themselves,  with  but  few,  and  then  only  the 
smallest  apertures  toward  the  cation ;  the  surface  being  dressed  very 
smooth,  and  showing  no  lines  of  masonry,  it  was  only  upon  the  very 
closest  inspection  that  the  house  could  be  separated  from  Uie  cliff. 

The  discovery  of  this  one,  so  &r  above  anythiug  heretofore  seen, 
inspired  us  immediately  with  the  ambition  to  scale  the  height  and 
explore  it,  although  night  was  drawing  on  fast,  and  darkness  would 
probably  overtake  us  among  the  precipices,  with  a  chance  of  being  de- 
tained there  all  night    All  hands  started  up,  but  only  two  persevered 


372       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

to  the  end.  The  first  500  feet  of  ascent  were  over  a  long,  steep  slope  of 
dSbriSy  overgrown  with  cedar  :  then  came  alternate  perpendiculars  and 
slopes.  Immediately  below  the  house  was  a  nearly  perpendicular 
ascent  of  100  feet,  that  puzzled  us  for  a  while,  and  which  we  were  only 
able  to  surmount  by  finding  cracks  and  crevices  into  which  fingers  and 
toes  could  be  inserted.  From  the  little  ledges  occasionally  foand,  and 
by  stepping  upon  each  other's  shoulders,  and  grasping  tnfr«  of  ynoco, 
one  would  draw  himself  up  to  another  shelf,  and  then,  by  letting  down 
a  stick  of  cedar,  or  a  hand,  would  assist  the  other.  Soon  we  reached  a 
slope,  smooth  and  steep,  in  which  there  had  been  cut  a  series  of  steps, 
now  weathered  away  into  a  series  of  undulating  hummocks,  by  which 
it  was  easy  to  ascend,  and  without  them,  almost  an  impossibility.  An- 
other short,  steep  slope,  and  we  were  under  the  ledge  upon  which  was 
our  house,  (Fig.  12,  Plate  III.)  It  was  getting  quite  dark,  so  we  delayed 
no  longer  than  to  assure  ourselves  that  it  was  all  we  hoped  for,  and  to 
prospect  a  way  up  when  we  should  return  the  next  morning  with  the 
photographic  outfit. 

Bright  and  early,  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  dispatched,  we  commenced 
the  ascent.  Mexico,  our  little  pack-mule,  with  the  apparatus  npon  hef 
back,  by  sharp  tacks  and  lively  scrambling  over  the  rocks,  was  able 
to  reach  the  foot  of  the  precipice  of  which  I  have  spoken  above.  Op 
this  we  hauled  the  boxes  containing  the  camera  and  chemicals  by  the 
long  ropes  taken  from  the  pack-saddle.  One  man  was  shoved  np  ahead, 
over  the  worst  place,  with  the  rope,  and  tying  it  to  a  tree,  the  others 
easily  ascended. 

The  bouse  stood  upon  a  narrow  ledge,  which  formed  the  floor,  and 
was  overhung  by  the  rocks  of  the  clifi'.  The  depth  of  this  ledge  was 
about  10  by  20  in  length,  and  the  vertical  space  between  ledge  and 
overhanging  rock  some  fifteen  feet.  The  house  occupied  the  left-hand 
half  as  we  face  it ;  the  rest  being  reserved  as  a  sort  of  esplanade,  a  small 
portion  of  the  wall  remaining  which  cut  it  off  from  the  narrow  ledge 
running  beyond.  The  edges  of  the  ledge  upon  which  the  house  stood 
were  rounded  off,  so  that  its  outside  wall  had  to  be  built  npon  an  inclioe 
of  about  forty-five  degrees ;  the  esplanade,  too,  had  been*  extended  by 
three  abutments,  built  out  flush  with  the  walls  of  the  house,  npoo  the 
steeply-inclined  slope,  and  giving  support  probably  to  a  balustrade. 

The  house  itself,  perched  up  in  its  little  crevice  like  a  swallow's  nest, 
consisted  of  two  stories,  with  a  total  height  of  about  12  feet,  leaving  a 
space  of  two  or  three  feet  between  the  top  of  the  walls  and  the  over- 
hanging rock.  We  could  not  determine  satisfactorily  whether  any  other 
roof  had  ever  existed  or  whether  the  walls  ran  up  higher  and  joined  the 
rock,  but  we  incline  to  the  first  supposition.  The  ground-plan  showed  a 
front  room  about  6  by  9  feet  in  dimensions,  and  back  of  it  two  smaller 
ones,  the  face  of  the  rock  forming  their  back  walls.    These  were  each 
about  5  by  7  feet  square.  The  left  hand  of  the  two  back  rooms  projected 
beyond  the  front  room  in  an  L.  The  cedar  beams,  which  had  divided  the 
house  into  two  floora,  were  gone,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  splintered 
pieces  and  ends  remaining  in  the  wall,  just  enough  to  show  what  they 
were  made  of.    We  had  some  little  doubt  ^is  to  whether  the  back  rooms 
were  divided  in  the  same  way,  nothing  remaining  to  prove  the  tact, 
excepting  holes  in  the  walls,  at  the  same  height  as  the  beams  in  the 
other  i)ortion.    In  the  lower  front  room  are  two  apertures,  one  serving 
as  a  door,  and  opening  out  upon  the  esplanade,  about  20  by  30  inches 
in  size,  the  lower  sill  24  inches  from  the  floor ;  and  the  other  a  small 
outlook,  about  12  inches  square,  up  near  the  ceiling,  and  looking  over 
the  caiion  beneath.    In  the  upper  story,  a  window  corresponding  in 


()!'!«     *   T- 


JACMON.I  ANCIENT   RUINS   IN   8.    W.   COLORADO.  373 

size,  shape,  and  position  to  tbe  door  below,  commaDds  an  extended 
view  down  the  canon.  The  upper  lintel  of  this  window  was  of  small, 
straight  sticks  of  cedar,  of  about  the  size  of  one's  finger,  laid  close 
together,  the  small  stones  of  the  masonry  resting  apon  them.  Directly 
opposite  this  window  is  a  similar  one,  opening  into  a  large  reservoir,  or 
cistern,  the  upper  walls  of  which  come  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  window. 
This  is  semicircular,  inclosing  the  angle  formed  by  the  side  wall  of  the 
house  against  the  rock,  with  an  approximate  capacity  of  about  two  and 
a  half  hogsheads.  From  the  window,  and  extending  down  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  reservoir,  are  a  series  of  cedar  pegs,  alN)ut  a  foot  apart, 
eDabling  the  occupants  to  easily  reach  the  bottom.  The  entire  con- 
struction of  this  little  human  eyrie  displays  wonderful  perseverance, 
ingenuity,  and  some  taste.  Perpendiculars  were  well  regarded,  and 
the  angles  cai-efully  squared.  The  stones  of  the  outer  rooms  or  front 
were  all  squared  and  smoothly  faced,  but  were  not  laid  in  regular 
courses,  as  they  are  not  uniform  in  size,  ranging  from  15  inches  in 
length  and  8  in  thickness  down  to  very  small  ones.  About  the  corners 
and  the  windows,  considerable  care  and  judgment  were  evident  in  the 
overlapping  of  the  joints,  so  that  all  was  held  firmly  together.  The 
only  sign  of  weakness  is  in  the  bulging  outward  of  the  front  wall,  pro- 
duced by  the  giving  way  or  removal  of  the  floor-beams.  The  back 
portion  is  built  of  rough  stone,  firmly  cemented  together.  The  mortar 
is  compact  and  hard,  a  grayish-white,  resembling  lime,  but  cracking  all 
over.  All  the  interstices  between  the  larger  stones  were  carefully 
chinked  in  with  small  chips  of  the  same  material.  The  partitions  were 
of  the  same  character  as  the  smooth  wall  outside,  both  presenting  some- 
what the  appearance  of  having  been  rubbed  down  smooth  after  they 
were  laid.  The  apertures,  from  one  room  to  another,  are  small,  corre- 
sponding in  size  and  position  to  those  outside.  Most  peculiar,  however, 
is  the  dressing  of  the  walls  of  the  upper  and  lower  front  rooms,  both 
being  plastered  with  a  thin  layer  of  firm  adobe  cement  of  about  au 
eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  colored  a  deep  maroonred,  with  a 
dingy  white  band  8  inches  in  breadth,  running  around  floor,  sides,  and 
ceiling.  In  some  places  it  has  peeled  away,  exposing  a  smoothly-dressed 
snrface,  of  rock.  No  signs  of  ornamentation,  other  than  the  band  al- 
luded to,  were  visible.  The  floor,  which  was  covered  to  a  depth  of  2  or 
3  inches  with  dust,  dirt,  and  the  excrement  of  small  animals,  had  been 
evened  up  with  a  cement  resembling  that  in  the  walls.  The  back  rooms 
were  half-filled  with  rocky  debris  from  roof  and  cliff. 

While  busied  with  my  negatives,  the  others  had  prospected  the  ledge 
in  opposite  directions,  coming  upon  ample  evidence  of  its  having  been 
quite  thickly  ]>eopled.  Ruins  of  half  a  dozen  lesser  houses  were  found 
near  by,  but  all  in  such  exposed  situations  as  to  be  quite  dilapidated. 
Some  had  been  crushed  by  the  overhanging  wall  falling  upon  them,  and 
others  had  lost  their  foot-hold  and  tumbled  down  the  precipice.  One 
little  house  in  particular,  at  the  extremity  of  this  ledge,  about  fifty  rods 
below  the  one  described  above,  was  especially  unique  in  the  daring  of 
its  site,  filling  the  mind  with  amazement  at  the  temerity  of  the  builders 
and  the  extremity  to  which  they  must  have  been  pushed.  Careful 
views  of  this  having  been  secured  so  as  to  show  as  well  as  possible  its 
almost  complete  inaccessibility,  we  felt  impelled  to  hurry  on  to  new 
developments.  Apparatus  was  carefully  lowered  to  the  patiently-wait- 
ing mule,  and  adjusted  to  the  pack-saddle,  then,  mounting  our  own 
animals,  we  pushed  on  down  the  canon,  which  now  opened  out  into 
quite  a  valley,  side  canons  opening  in  from  either  hand,  adding  much 
to  the  space.  Every  quarter-mile,  at  the  most,  we  came  upon  evidences 


374  GEOLOGICAL   SUBTET   OF   THE    TERBITOEIES. 

of  former  habitations,  similar  to  those  already  described;  toe  greater 
majority  occarring  in  the  level  bottoms  and  on  the  low  spars  of  the 
escarpment. 

Two  or  three  miles  below  the  hoase  in  Fig.  12,  we  discovered  a  wall 
standing  in  the  thick  brash  apon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  God- 
siderable  difficalty  was  experienced  in  crossing;  in  some  places  haviog 
to  cat  oar  way  throagh  the  entangling  vines  witb  oar  belt-knives,  and 
then,  when  the  bed  of  the  stream  was  reached,  bad  to  follow  it  aome 
distance  before  an  opportanity  occnrred  to  emerge. 

The  walls  before  as  were  a  portion  of  an  old  tower,  (see  Fig.  1,  Plate  ,) 
in  the  midst  of  a  groifp  of  more  dimly  marked  rains  or  fonndations, 
extending  some  distance  in  each  direction  from  it.  As  seen  in  the 
figure  referred  to,  the  tower  consists  of  two  lines  of  walls,  the  space 
between  them  divided  into  apartments,  with  a  single  circnlar  room  in 
the  center.  The  oatside  diameter  of  all  is  25  feet,  that  of  the  inner 
circle  12*  feet,  and  as  the  walls  were  respectively  18  and  12  inches  in 
thickness,  left  a  space  of  4  feet  for  the  small  rooms.  This  oater  circle 
was  evidently  divided  into  six  eqaal  apartments,  bat  only  the  divisioDB 
marked  in  the  diagram  conld  be  distingaished.  In  the  places  where 
they  shoald  have  occurred,  the  walls  are  so  broken  down  and  covered 
with  dSbris  as  to  render  all  details  indistingnishable.  Where  the  waUs 
are  standing,  they  show  small  window-like  doors  opening  into  the  inner 
circle.  The  highest  portion  of  the  inner  wall  is  now  not  more  than  8 
feet,  and  of  the  enter  aboat  15.  From  the  amount  of  dibriSj  it  coald 
not  have  been  mnch  higher — not  more  than  20  feet  at  the  most  The 
space  between  the  walls  is  filled  with  dSbris^  while  oatside  there  is  very 
little,  except  where  the  wall  is  totally  rained. 

The  stones  of  which  this  tower  was  constrncted  are  irregular  in  size 
and  shape,  but  with  the  outer  face  dressed  to  a  uniform  surface,  and  of 
the  same  average  size  as  those  already  described.  The  mortar  and 
^'chinking"  bad  been  worn  out  entirely  ^om  the  more  exposed  portions, 
giving  the  wall  the  appearance  of  having  been  dry -laid;  but  upon  pall- 
ing away  some  of  the  stones  to  a  little  depth,  they  were  foand  to  have 
been  well  cemented. 

Passing  on  down  the  caiion,  not  stopping  now  to  notice  the  more  ordi- 
nary forms  of  ruins,  we  passed  the  mouths  of  numerous  side-canons, 
down  which  come  great  freshets  during  the  rainy  season,  gouging  oat 
deep  arroyos,  and  strewing  the  surface  with  the  collected  deMs  of  pinon 
and  cedar,  sage-brnsh  and  cacti.  About  the  mouth  of  Goal  Gafion,  par- 
ticularly, the  whole  surface  of  the  "  wash  "  was  covered  with  lumps  of 
fine-looking  bituminous  (^oal,  as  though  a  thousand  coal-carts  had  trav- 
eled that  way  with  their  tail-boards  out. 

We  camped  at  sunset  at  what  our  guide  called  the  Rattlesnake  Bend, 
within  a  half  dozen  miles  of  the  outlet  of  the  caiion.  We  had  not  dis- 
covered any  more  of  the  high  cliff-bouses  during  the  day ;  bat  there  is 
no  doubt  that,  if  we  had  had  a  good  field-glass  with  us,  many  more  might 
have  been  found  along  the  crevices  near  the  summit  of  the  escarpment 
To  have  verified  our  suppositions  by  a  personal  inspecftion  would  have 
involved  a  great  deal  of  labor,  and  more  time  than  we  could  have  spared 
from  our  very  scanty  store.  In  the  vicinity  of  our  camp,  the  canon 
changed  much  in  appearance;  instead  of  the  long  slope  of  talus  capped 

*  These  dimeDsioiis  were  estimated  from  the  photograph  after  leaving  the  locality, 
not  having  the  time  or  appliances  for  accurate  measarement  while  there.  The  stiM 
rain  has  since  been  examined  by  Mr.  Holmes  and  accurately  measured,  with  the  foilow- 
in«;  results:  Diameter  over  all  43  feet;  of  the  inner  circle,  25  feet.  Mr.  Holmes  ako 
makes  out  ten  apartments  instead  of  six.    Bullotiu  No.  1,  vol.  2,  p.  11. 


Library. 


jACKfiOK.1  ANCIENT   RUINS   IN   S.   W.   COLORADO.  375 

l>y  a  perpendicalar  ledge,  we  have  here  a  perpeDdicular  ledge  first,  of 
200  or  300  feet,  and  then  a  long  receding  bench,  back  to  the  higher  mesa 
l>e.yond. 

Close  to  oar  camp  was  one  of  the  little  towers  that  occar  quite  fre- 
quently, about  10  feet  in  diameter,  and  now  some  8  feet  in  height,  with 
the  inside  half-filled  with  the  debris  from  the  walls.  Half  a  mile  below, 
ID  the  vertical  face  of  rock,  and  at  a  height  of  from  50  to  100  feet  from 
tbe  trail,  were  a  number  of  little  nest-like  habitations.  Fig.  5,  Plate  I, 
illustrates  one  of  them,  and  their  general  character.  Communication 
^ith  the  outside  world  was  from  above  to  a  small  window-like  door,  not 
showing  in  the  sketch.  Two  small  apertures  furnish  a  lookout  over  the 
valley.  The  walls  are  as  firm  and  solid  as  the  rocks  upon  which  they 
are  built.  The  stones  are  more  regular  in  size  than  any  noticed  here- 
tofore, but  smaller.  The  chinking-in  of  small  chips  of  stone  is  notice- 
ably neat  and  perfect  on  the  inside.  This  is  not  a  commodious  dwelling ; 
15  feet  would  span  its  length,  and  6  its  height,  while  in  depth  it  is  not 
more  than  5  feet.  Near  by,  upon  a  low  ledge,  and  readibly  accessible 
from  below,  is  a  string  of  five  or  six  houses,  evidently  communicating, 
mere  kennels  compared  with  some  others,  made  by  walling  up  the  deep 
cave-like  crevices  in  the  sandstone.  The  same  hands  built  them  that 
lived  in  the  better  houses;  the  masonry  being  very  similar,  especially 
the  inside  chinking,  which  was  perfect,  and  gave  the  walls  a  very  neat 
appearance.  Fig.  8  of  Plate  II  is  an  example  of  the  tenacity  of  the  mor- 
tar; the  view  being  of  one  of  the  line  of  little  houses  just  spoken  of. 
In  this  case,  a  portion  of  the  ledge  upon  which  the  house  stands  has 
become  separated  from  the  cliff,  carrying  a  portion  of  one  of  the  build- 
ings with  it;  and  altJiongh  torn  away  from  the  remaining  wall,  and 
thrown  over  at  a  considerable  angle,  yet  it  remains  perfectly  firm  and 
unshaken. 

Scratched  into  the  face  of  the  cliff  which  contains  these  houses  are 
various  inscriptions,  one  of  which  is  depicted  in  Fig.  6  of  Plate  I.  As 
they  are  not  cut  in  very  deeply,  and  in  some  places  mere  scratches,  it  is 
very  doubtful  whether  they  are  contemporaneous  with  the  houses  them- 
selves. 

Two  or  three  miles  farther,  and  the  caiion  changes  in  feature  again ; 
the  highest  level  of  the  me%a  coming  forward  and  towering  over  the  val- 
ley with  a  thousand  feet  of  altitude ;  the  bottom-lands  widening  out  to 
a  half  and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  breadth.  Cottonwood  and  willow 
fringe  the  meandering  stream  in  pleasant  groves,  while  the  dead  level 
of  the  valley  is  heavily  carpeted  with  a  dense  growth  of  artemisia  and 
cacti.  Everything  is  dry,  dusty,  and  barren ;  the  stream  itself  losing  in 
volume,  and  becoming  more  turbid.  Fig.  13  of  Plate  III  represents  in 
outline  the  characteristics  of  the  canon,  or  valley  rather,  at  this  point. 

In  the  high  bluff,  on  the  right  hand  in  the  sketch,  are  some  of  the  most 
curious  and  unique  little  habitations  yet  seen.  While  jogging  along 
under  this  bluff,  fully  1,000  feet  in  height,  and  admiring  its  bold  outlines 
and  brilliant  coloring,  one  of  our  party,  sharper-eyed  than  the  rest, 
descried,  away  up  near  the  top,  perfect  little  houses,  sandwiched  in 
among  the  crevices  of  the  horizontal  strata  of  the  rock  of  which  the 
bluff  was  composed.  While  busy  photographing,  two  of  the  party 
started  up  to  scale  the  height,  and  inspect  this  lofty  abode.  By  pene- 
trating a  side-caiion  some  little  ways,  a  gradual  slope  was  found,  that 
carried  them  to  the  summit  of  the  bluff*.  Now,  the  trouble  was  to  ge.t 
doicn  to  the  house,  and  this  was  accomplished  only  by  crawling  along 
a  ledge  of  about  20  inches  in  width,  and  not  tall  enough  for  more  then 
a  creeping  position.    In  momentary  peiil  of  life,  for  the  least  mistake 


376  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY  OF  THE   TElEtRITORIES. 

would  precipitate  him  down  the  whole  of  this  dizzy  height,  our  adven- 
turous seeker  after  knowledge  crept  along  the  ledge  until  the  broader 
platform  was  reached,  upon  which  the  most  perfect  of  the  houses  alloded 
to  stands.  The  ledge  ended  with  the  house,  which  is  built  out  flush 
with  its  outer  edge.  This  structure  resembles  in  general  features  the 
cliff-bouses  already  spoken  of.  The  masonry  is  as  firm  and  solid  as  when 
first  constructed,  the  inside  being  finished  with  exceptional  care.  In 
width  it  is  about  5  feet  in  front,  the  side-wall  running  back  in  a  semi- 
circalar  sweep ;  in  length  15,  and  in  height  7  feet.  The  only  aiiertnre 
was  both  door  and  window,  about  20  by  30  inches  in  diameter.  In  Fig. 
7  of  Plate  II,  is  a  design  of  this  aerial  habitation  as  it  appeared  ftom 
below,  its  uniqueness  consisting  in  its  position  on  the  face  of  the  hlnS. 
To  the  casual  observer,  it  would  not  be  noticed  once  in  fifty  times  in 
passing,  so  similar  to  the  rocks  between  which  it  is  plastexed  does  it 
appear  from  our  position  on  the  trail.  A  short  distance  to  the  right, 
and  on  the  ledge  above,  is  another  building  of  somewhat  itider  con- 
struction, but  with  corners  square,  and  the  walls  truncated. 

Referring  again  to  Plate  III  and  Fig.  13,  the  position  of  these  booses, 
and  also  of  the  one  in  Fig.  12,  can  be  seen  in  the  dark  heavy  lines  near 
the  summit,  just  above  the  most  precipitous  portion  of  the  blnft,  gener- 
ally at  a  height  of  from  600  to  800  feet  alK)ve  the  level  of  the  canon. 

This  was  the  last  cliff-house  we  noticed  in  this  canon.  From  Uie  fiist 
to  the  last,  all  that  were  upon  an  elevation,  however  slight,  were  on  the 
western  side  of  the  cafion,  with  either  doors  or  windows  facing  east, 
overlooking  the  opposite  bluffs.  We  could'  not  find  even  the  faintest 
vestige  of  ruins  or  houses  upon  the  eastern  side.  Those  built  low  down 
on  the  level  land  did  not  hold  to  the  same  rule,  being  scattered  indis- 
criminately upon  either  bank  of  the  streajn. 

Proceeding  down  the  broad  open  canon  over  the  now  very  easy  trail, 
we  espied  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream  a  tower  of  apparently 
greater  dimensions  than  the  ones  noticed  above.    The  crossing  was 
execrable;  but,  forcing  a  way  through  the  tangled  undergrowth  to  the 
stream,  a  way  was  found  out  of  it  to  the  ruin  some  forty  rods  back ; 
(see  Figs.  2  and  3.)     The  tower  only  remained;  this  is  circular,  1:2 
feet  in  diameter,  and  now  about  20  in  height,  the  wall  being  about  16 
inches  in  thickness.    Facing  the  valley  northward  is  a  window-like 
aperture,  a.bout  18  by  24  inches  in  size ;  the  lower  lintel  some  7  or  8  feet 
above  the  base.    The  stones  of  which  it  is  constructed  are  uniform 
in  size  and  angle.    Being  so  entirely  exposed  to  atmospheric  influences, 
the  mortar  has  worn  away  entirely  from  between  the  outer  layers.    In- 
side, the  debris  was  heaped  up  nearly  to  the  window.    By  referring  to 
Fig.  3,  it  will  be  seen  that  a  rectangular  structure,  divided  into  two 
apartments,  each  about  15  feet  square,  joins  the  tower.    Only  one  corner 
of  three  or  four  courses  of  masonry  remains,  shown  in  the  sketch  by  tbe 
shaded  lines  ;  the  rest  being  indicated  by  mound-like  lines  of  loose  d&nis^ 
in  which  but  few  stones  remain ;  from  which  fact,  and  also  that  Uie 
center  of  each  square  is  considerably  depressed  below  the  surrounding 
surface,  it  is  probable  that  they  are  underground  apartments,  their 
roofs  not  reaching  the  window  midway  in  the  tower.    It  would  be  ex- 
tremely interesting  to  excavate  upon  these  old  foundations ;  for  there 
is  no  doubt  that  many  interesting  relics,  and  possibly  some  clue  to  their 
manner  of  life,  might  be  found.    Our  time,  however,  was  too  limited  to 
admit  of  the  experiment,  much  as  we  desired  the  information  it  might 
fnrnish. 

In  the  same  neighborhood  stands  a  corner  and  a  portion  of  a  doorway 
of  a  honse,  (see  Fig.  4),  showing  considerable  care  and  skill  in  its  con- 


m 


tJ 


Mos]  ANCIENT   RUINS   IN   S.    W.    COLORADO.  377 

mction,  and  what  we  ba<l  not  noticed  before,  the  doorway  facing  east 
a  little  over  G  feet  in  height,  tall  enongh  to  enable  a  person  to  stand 
3  in  it 

With  these,  we  finished  our  observations  of  the  ruins  in  the  Oauon  de 
18  Mancos.  We  were  now  at  its  mouth,  the  mesa  ending  as  abruptly 
8  it  began:  the  river  turning  well  westward  and  following  approxi- 
lately  the  course  of  the  San  Juan,  joins  it  near  the  southwestern  cor- 
.er  of  the  Territory,  at  the  foot  of  El  Late. 

Striking  off  to  the  right  from  the  stream,  and  following  close  under 
he  bold  escarpment  of  the  mesa^  we  could  still  discern,  as  we  bore 
iway,  group  after  group  of  standing  walls  and  mounds,  extending  down 
she  valley  into  thQ  broad  open  plain  of  the  San  Juan.  It  was  with 
many  regrets  that  we  turned  our  backs  upon  these  relics  of  a  forgotten 
race.  Our  trail  now  lay  over  the  peculiar  marly  earths  lying  under 
the  sandstones  of  the  table-land,  soft,  friable,  and  dusty,  without  vege- 
tation, our  mules'  feet  sinking  into  it  to  the  fetlocks  at  each  step.  At 
our  right,  portions  of  the  mesa  have  become  separated  and  weathered 
into  peculiar  pinnacled  turrets.  One  particularly  stands  out  detached 
some  fifty  rods;  the  trail  passing  between  it  and  the  mesa^  forming  an 
old  and  well-known  landmark  on  the  old  Spanish  trail  from  Santa  F6 
to  Salt  Lake.  A  little  farther  on,  and  to  the  right,  is  another  mass, 
bearing  a  curious  resemblance  to  a  matron  standing  with  a  child  beside 
her,  the  alternating  bands  of  red  and  white  strata  marking  off  the  fig- 
are  into  its  different  proportions  and  into  flounces  and  trimmings. 

Away  to  the  south  and  west,  over  the  broad  plains  of  the  San  Juan, 
where  roam  the  great  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats  belonging  to  the  Nava- 
joB,  the  Callabassas  Mountains  rear  themselves  into  distinct  view ; 
while  between  them  and  the  river,  a  great  cristone  thrusts  itself  up  out 
of  the  earth  to  a  height  of  at  least  2,000  feet,  as  veritable  a  needle  as 
was  ever  christened  such. 

Striking  into  this  old  trail,  we  bore  around  to  the  western  side  of  the 
mesa,  and,  near  nightfall,  arrived  at  the  extensive  group  of  ruins  about 
** Aztec  Springs,"  lying  out  upon  the  northeastern  flanks  of  El  Late, 
and  close  upon  the  divide  between  the  waters  of  the  Mancos  and  the 
McElmo.    It  was  our  intention  to  have  camped  here  and  worked  up 
the  surroundings  at  our  leisure )  but,  very  much  to  the  surprise  of  our 
guide,  the  spring  was  perfectly  dry,  not  even  the  least  moisture  remain- 
ing to  tempt  us  to  dig  for  it,  for  others  before  us  had  dug  to  the  depth 
of  three  or  four  feet  with  no  reward  for  their  labor.    At  its  best,  it 
could  have  been  but  a  very  insignificant  source  of  supply ;  the  surplus 
oozing  away  through  a  few  yards  of  wiry  grass  into  the  dry  sand.    The 
basin  of  the  spring  lay  in  quite  a  depression,  that  had  evidently  been 
excavated  for  the  purpose.    A  well  may  have  existed )  for  it  cannot 
be  reasonably  supposed  that  the  very  large  settlements  which  at  one 
time  existed  in  the  neighborhood  were  supplied  from  it  in  anywhere 
near  its  present  condition.    The  nearest  running  water  was  12  or  13. 
miles  away,  and  none  of  the  surroundings  indicated  that  this  spring 
ever  had  any  very  considerable  volume  of  water.    Immediately  adjoining 
tiie  spring,  on  the  right,  as  we  face  it  from  below,  is  the  ruin  of  a  great 
massive  structure  of  some  kind,  about  100  feet  square  in  exterior  dimen- 
sions ;  a  portion  only  of  the  wall  upon  the  northern  face  remaining  in 
its  original  position.    The  dShris  of  the  ruin  now  forms  a  great  mound 
of  crumbling  rock,  from  12  to  20  feet  in  height,  overgrown  with  arti- 
misia,  but  showing  clearly,  however,  its  rectangular  structure,  adjusted 
approximately  to  the  four  points  of  the  compass.    Inside  this  square  is 
a  circle,  about  60  feet  in  diameter,  deeply  depressed  in  the  center.    The 


378       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

spa^e  between  the  sqaare  and  the  circle  appeared,  npon  a  hasty  examiii' 
ation,  to  have  been  filled  in  solidly  with  a  sort  of  rubble-masonry.  Cross- 
walls  were  noticed  in  two  places ;  but  whether  they  were  to  strength«i 
the  walls  or  divided  apartments  could  only  be  conjectured.  That  porti<Ni 
of  the  outer  wall  remaining  standing  is  some  40  feet  in  length  and  15  is 
height.  The  stones  were  dressed  to  a  uniform  size  and  finish.  UpoB 
the  same  level  as  this  ruin,  and  extending  back  some  distance,  were 
grouped  line  after  line  of  foundations  and  mounds,  the  great  mass  of 
which  is  of  stone,  but  not  one  remaining  upon  another.  AH  the  sabdi- 
visions  are  plainly  marked,  so  that  one  might,  with  a  little  cai-e,  coant 
every  room  or  building  in  the  settlement.  Below  the  above  group,  some 
two  hundred  yards  distant,  and  communicating  by  indistinct  lines  of 
dSbris^  is  another  great  wall,  inclosing  a  space  of  about  200  feet  square. 
Only  a  small  portion  is  well  enough  preserved  to  enable  us  to  judge, 
with  any  accuracy,  as  to  its  character  and  dimensions ;  the  greater  por- 
tion consisting  of  large  ridges  flattened  down  so  much  as  to  measoie 
some  30  or  more  feet  across  the  base,  and  5  or  6  feet  in  heights  This 
better-preserved  portion  is  some  50  feet  in  length,  7  or  8  feetiu  height, 
and  20  feet  thick,  the  two  exterior  surfaces  of  well-dressed  and  evenly- 
laid  courses,  and  the  center  packed  in  solidly  with  rubble-masonry,  look- 
ing entirely  different  from  those  rooms  which  had  been  filled  with  defrm, 
though  it  is  difficult  to  assign  any  reason  for  its  being  so  massively 
constructed.  It  was  only  a  portion  of  a  system  extending  out  into  the 
I)1ains,  of  much  less  importance,  however,  and  now  only  of  indistin- 
guishable mounds.  The  town  built  about  this  spring  is  nearly  a  square 
mile  in  extent,  the  larger  and  more  enduring  buildings  in  the  center, 
while  all  about  are  scattered  and  grouped  the  remnants  of  smaller  struc- 
tures comprising  the  suburbs. 

It  was  sunset  by  the  time  we  had  secured  the  photographic  views 
necessary  to  illustrate  the  leading  features  of  this  group.  A  camp  had 
to  be  found,  a  thing  very  easily  done  in  most  localities,  but  here  one  very 
important  constituent  was  wanting.  Sage-brush  and  grass  abounded, 
but  water  was  sadly  deficient.  However,  by  good  luck,  as  we  might 
call  it,  a  few  pools  of  the  grateful  fluid  were  found  in  the  nearly  dry  bed 
of  an  old  stream,  about  four  miles  distant  from  the  ruins.  This  pretense 
of  a  stream  known  locally  as  the  McElmo,  flows  westwardly  into  the 
San  Juan ;  and  is  for  the  greater  portion  of  the  year  but  a  deep  dry 
gulch. 

A  short  distance  above  our  camp,  and  upon  the  top  of  the  mesa, 
which,  at  this  point,  is  not  more  than  25  feet  above  the  valley,  we 
found  a  tower  very  similar  to  that  on  the  Mancos  (see  Fig.  1),  but  con- 
siderably larger,  and  surroundec^  by  a  much  greater  settlement.  It  is 
about  50  feet  in  diameter,  and,  like  the  Mancos  one,  double-walled,  the 
space  between  the  two  about  6  feet  in  width,  and  subdivided  into  small 
apartments  by  cross-walls  pierced  with  communicating  doors  or  windows. 
.  Immediately  surrounding  this  tower  is  a  great  mass,  of  which  it  is 
the  center,  of  scattered  heaps  of  stone  d4bris^  arranged  in  rectangular 
order,  each  little  square  with  a  depressed  center,  suggesting  large  sab- 
divided  buildings,  similar  to  the  great  community-dwellings  of  the  Pue- 
blos and  Moquis  and  the  old  ruins  of  the  Ohaco.  Upon  the  southeast 
corner  of  this  group,  and  upon  the  very  edge  of  the  iite«a,.are  the  re- 
mains of  another  smaller  tower,  and  below  it,  founded  qpon  the  bottom 
of  a  small  caHon,  which  ran  up  at  right  angles  to  the  McElmo,  is  ft 
portion  of  a  heavy  wall  rising  to  the  base  of  this  lesser  tower.  This 
group  covers  a  space  of  about  one  hundred  yards  square ;  while  ad- 
joining it  on  the  me%a  is  group  after  group  upon  the  same  general  plau. 


WaTCH-TOWEB,  IK  THK  CaSi>S  i'f  THK  McEUMO. 


'^ 


JACKSON]  ANCIENT  RUINS   IN  S.   W.   COLORADO.  379 

a  great  central  tower  and  smaller  snrroQDdlDg  bnildings.  They  cover 
the  whole  breadth  and  length  of  the  land ;  and,  tarn  which  way  we 
.  would,  we  stumbled  over  the  old  monnds  and  into  the  cellars,  as  we 
mi^ht  call  them,  of  these  truly  aborigines.  The  same  painted,  glazed, 
and  otherwise  ornamented  ware,  of  which  I  have  spoken,  accompanies 
each  settlement,  and  we  were  continually  picking  up  new  designs  and 
forms. 

Starting  down  the  cation,  which  gradually  deepened  as  the  table-land 
rose  above  us,  we  found  upon  each  hand  very  old  and  faint  vestiges  of 
the  homes  of  a  forgotten  people,  but  could  give  them  no  more  atten- 
tion than  merely  noting  their  existence.  Half  a  dozen  miles  down, 
and  we  came  upon  several  little  nest-like  dwellings,  very  similar  to  those 
in  Figs.  5  and  7,  bat  only  about  40  or  50  feet  above  the  valley.  Two 
miles  farther,  and  we  came  upon  the  tower  shown  in  Fig.  9,  standing 
upon  the  summit  of  a  great  square  block  of  sandstone,  some  forty  feet 
in  height,  detached  from  the  bluff  back  of  it.  The  building,  ux>on  its 
summit,  is  square,  with  apertures  like  windows  upon  two  faces,  looking 
east  and  north,  and  very  much  mined,  but  still  standing  in  some  places 
about  15  feet  above  the  rock  on  which  it  is  built  At  the  base  of  the 
rock  is  a  wall  running  about  it,  a  small  portion  only  remaining,  the  rest 
thrown  down  and  covered  with  dSbris  from  the  house  above. 

About  here  we  crossed  the  boundary-line  into  Utah,  and  then,  tvvo 
or  three  miles  farther,  we  came  upon  a  very  interesting  group.  The 
valley,  at  this  place,  widens  out  considerably,  and  in  the  center  stands 
a  solitary  butte  of  dark-red  sandstone,  upon  a  perfectly  bare  and  smooth 
floor  of  the  same,  dipping  down  to  the  center  of  the  valley  at  a  slight 
inclination.  The  butte,  a  remnant  of  a  former  mesaj  worn  down  by 
time  to  its  present  dimensions,  is  about  100  feet  in  height  and  300  in 
length;  an  irregular  mass,  seamed  and  cracked,  and  gradually  going 
the  way  its  former  surroundings  have  traveled.  Banning  about  its 
base,  in  irregular  lines,  are  remains  of  walls,  but  whether  for  defense  or 
habitation  would  be  hard  now  to  determine.  At  the  back  of  the  rock, 
a  view  of  which  is  had  in  Fig.  10,  are  the  remains  of  two  quite  consid- 
erable walls,  one  above  the  other;  the  lower  portion — one  corner  only  of 
a  square  building,  all  traces  of  the  remaining  portions  having  entirely 
disapp)eared — seemed  to  serve  as  a  sort  of  approach  to  the  larger  build- 
ing above,  the  top  of  which  came  up  nearly  to  the  summit  of  the  rock. 
It  is  about  18  feet  in  length  and  12  feet  in  height.  Portions  only  of  the 
side-walls,  connecting  it  with  the  rock,  remain.  The  stones  of  which  it 
is  built  are  very  uniform  in  size,  angle,  and  finish,  more  so  than  any  yet 
seen,  but,  like  all  similarly-exposed  buildings,  the  mortar  is  washed  or 
worn  away  entirely  from  between  the  outer  layers;  farther  in,  it  is 
intact  as  usual.  In  front  is  a  single  aperture  of  about  18  by  24  inches, 
whether  for  door  or  window  would  be  hard  to  guess.  The  only  access 
to  the  top  of  the  rock  was  through  the  window  of  this  house.  On  top 
are  evidences  of  some  sort  of  mason-work,  that  covers  it  from  one  end 
to  the  other.  All  the  irregular  gaps  and  crevices  have  been  walled  up, 
probably  to  make  an  even  surface.  But  few  of  the  stones  remain  in 
position ;  in  one  or  two  places,  three  or  four  courses,  all  the  rest  are 
thrown  down  and  scattered. 

In  the  rear,  about  fifty  yards  removed,  are  other  ruins  belonging  to 
the  group,  surrounding  the  rock.  The  better-preserved  portions  consist 
of  a  square  tower,  with  one  round  comer,  about  12  feet  in  diameter,  and 
upon  the  lowest  side — which  stands  in  a  dry  run— rabout  20  feet  in 
height.  The  walls  are  18  inches  in  thickness  with  no  signs  of  apertures. 
Adjoining  this  ruin  is  another,  but  so  much  thrown  down  as  to  be  almost 


380       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TEBBITORIES. 

unrecognizable ;  and  between  these  and  the  Fock  were  circular  depres- 
sions ot  some  considerable  depth,  indicating  either  subterranean  ap^rt- 
meuts  or  reservoirs.  No  water  could  be  found  anywhere  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. The  dry  bed  of  the  McElmo  was  fully  a  mile  distant,  in  wbidi 
water  occurs  during  the  winter  and  spring  only. 

Aside  from  the  interest  attaching  to  the  ruins  themselves,  there  are 
thrown  about  this  rock  and  its  surroundings  the  romance  and  charm 
of  legendary  association.  The  story  runs  thus,  as  given  us  by  oar 
guide,  and  very  excellently  rendered  by  Mr.  Ingersoll,  in  his  article  to 
the  New  York  Tribune  of  November  3 : 

Formerly,  the  aborigiDes  inhabited  all  this  country  we  bnd  been  over  as  far  west  as 
tbe  headwaters  of  the  Sau  Jaan,  as  far  north  as  the  Rio  Dolores,  west  some  distance 
into  Utah,  and  soath  and  southwest  throughout  Arizona  and  on  down  into  Mexico. 
They  had  lived  there  from  time  immemorial — since  the  earth  was  a  small  island,  which 
augmented  as  its  inhabitants  multiplied.  They  cultivated  the  valley,  fashioneil  what- 
ever utensils  and  tools  they  needed  very  neatly  and  handsomely  out  of  clay  and 
wood  and  stone,  not  knowiug  any  of  the  useful  metals  ;  built  their  homes  and  kept 
their  flocks  and  herds  in  the  fertile  river-bottoms,  and  worshiped  the  sun.  They 
were  an  eminently  peaceful  and  prosperous  people,  living  by  agriculture  rather  than 
by  the  chase.  About  a  thousand  years  ago,  however,  they  were  visit-ed  by  8av> 
age  strangers  from  the  North,  whom  they  treated  hospitably.  Soon  these  visits 
became  more  frequent  and  annoying.  Then  their  troublesome  neighbors — ances- 
tors of  the  present  Utes — began  to  forage  upon  them,  and,  at  last,  to  massacre 
them  and  devastate  their  farms ;  so,  to  save  their  lives  at  least,  they  built  boaaes 
high  upon  the  cliffs,  where  they  could  store  food  and  hide  away  till  the  raiders 
leu.  But  one  summer  the  invaders  did  not  go  back  to  their  monntaiuR  as  the  people 
expected,  but  brought  their  families  with  them  and  settled  down.  So,  driven  from 
their  homes  and  lands;  starving  in  their  little  niches  on  the  high  cliffs,  they  could  only 
steal  away  during  the  night,  and  wander  across  the  cheerless  uplands.  To  one  who 
has  traveled  these  steppes,  such  a  flight  seems  terrible,  and  the  mind  hesitates  to  pic- 
ture the  suffering  of  the  add  fugitives. 

At  the  cristone  they  halted,  and  probably  found  friends,  for  the  rocks  and  caves  are 
full  ot  the  nests  of  these  human  wrens  and  swallows.  Here  they  collected,  erected 
stone  fortifications  and  watch-towers,  dug  reservoirs  in  tbe  rocks  to  hold  a  supply  of 
water,  which  in  all  cases  is  precarious  in  this  latitude,  and  once  more  stood  at  bay. 
Their  foes  came,  and  for  one  long  month  fought  and  were  beaten  back,  and  retnnied 
day  after  day  to  tbe  attack  as  merciless  and  inevitable  as  the  tide.  Meanwhile,  tbe 
families  of  the  defenders  were  evacuating  and  moving  south,  and  bravely  did  their 
protectors  shield  them  till  they  were  all  safely  a  hundred  miles  away.  Tbe  besiegers 
were  beaten  back  and  went  away.  But  the  narrative  tells  us  that  the  hollows  of  the 
rocks  were  filled  to  the  brim  with  the  mingled  blood  of  conquerors  and  conquered, 
and  red  veins  of  it  ran  down  into  the  cafLon.  It  was  such  a  victory  as  they  could  not 
afiord  to  gain  again,  and  they  were  glad,  when  the  long  fight  was  over,  to  follow  their 
wives  aud  little  ones  to  the  south.  There,  in  the  deserts  of  Arizona,  on  well-nigh  un- 
approachable isolated  bluffs,  they  built  new  towns,  and  their  few  descendants,  tbe 
Moquis,  live  in  them  to  this  day,  preserving  more  carefully  and  purely  the  history  and 
veneration  of  their  forefathers  than  their  skill  or  wisdom.  It  was  from  one  of  their  old 
men  that  this  traditional  sketch  was  obtained. 

The  bare  floor  of  nearly  white  sandstone,  upon  which  the  butte  stands, 
is  stained  in  gory  streaks  and  blotches  by  the  action  of  an  iron  constit- 
uent in  the  rocks  of  another  portion  of  the  adjoining  bluffs,  and  this 
feature  probably  gave  rise  to  the  legend.  Half  a  mile  back,  or  north 
from  this  historic  butte,  is  a  group  of  small  cave-houses.  A  long  bluff 
line,  about  100  feet  in  height,  of  alternating  bands  of  red  and  white 
sandstone,  has,  along  a  line  of  its  upper'strata,  quite  a  number  of  shal- 
low caves,  in  which  are  snug  little  retreats,  securely  walled  in,  the 
masonry  perfect  and  substantial.  Along  the  top  of  the  bluff  are  traces 
of  old  walls,  but  now  well-nigh  obliterated. 

While  passing  the  mouth  of  a  wide  uide-cafion,  coming  in  from  tbe 
right,  a  tall,  black-looking  tower  caught  our  eye,  perched  upon  tbe  very 
brink  of  the  mesa,  overlooking  the  valley.  Tying  our  riding-animals  at 
the  foot,  and  leading  the  pack-mule^  with  photographic  kit,  we  soou 


JACK80K.]  ANCIENT  RUINS   IN  8.   W.   COLORADO.  381 

strack  into  an  old  trail,  worn  deep  ioto  the  rocks,  winding  and  twisting 
among  great  bowlders,  and  overgrown  and  obstructed  with  rank  growth 
of  sage,  cedar,  and  cacti.  In  its  day,  the  trail  had  been  a  good  one ; 
now  it  was  anything  bat  such.  Bad  as  it  was,  however,  it  was  the  only 
way  to  the  snmmit,  and  we  were  thankful  for  it.  Skirting  the  edge  of 
the  mesa  a  few  yards,  we  came  to  the  tower,  the  trail  passing  back  of  it 
and  on  up  to  a  higher  level.  A  huge  block  of  sandstone  has  rolled  down 
frona  the  escarpment  of  the  mesa  above,  lodging  upon  the  very  brink  of 
a  bench  midway  between  top  and  bottom,  and  upon  this  the  tower  is 
built,  so  that  from  below  both  appear  as  one.  They  are  of  the  same 
diameter,  about  10  feet,  and  some  18  feet  in  height,  equally  divided  be- 
tween rock  and  tower.  In  construction,  it  is  similar  to  those  already 
described,  of  single  wall.  It  was  evidently  an  outpost  or  watch- tower, 
gaarding  the  approach  to  a  large  settlement  upon  or  beyond  the  mesa 
lying  above  it.  From  this  point  we  now  struck  out  for  another  group 
of  ruins  lying  upon  a  nameless  stream,  some  eight  or  ten  miles  farther 
west.  Four  or  five  miles  we  followed  the  McElmo  down,  the  trail  good, 
the  whole  surface  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  artemisia  and  groves 
of  eedar  and  pinon,  with  cottouwoods  fringing,  the  dry  stream.  Branch- 
ing off  at  right  angles,  crossing  the  heads  of  two  caiions  which  o[>ened 
out  quickly  into  great  gorges,  and  then  descending  into  a  valley  densely 
covered  with  greasewood,  we  came  upon  the  ruins  we  were  in  search  of. 
Through  the  valley  ran  a  deep  gulch,  a  narrow  thread  of  warm,  brackish 
water  appearing  at  intervals  in  its  bed,  and  gathering  into  pools  in 
basins  a  short  distance  below  the  ruins. 

In  Fig.  11  of  Plate  III,  is  a  sketch  of  a  ground-plan  of  the  ^^  city," 
showing  its  general  arrangement.  The  stream  referred  to,  and  shown 
in  the  sketch,  sweeps  the  foot  of  a  rocky  sandstone  ledge,  some  40  or  60 
feet  in  height,  upon  which  is  built  the  highest  and  better- preserved  por- 
tion of  the  settlement.  It«  semicircular  sweep  conforms  to  the  ledge; 
each  little  house  of  the  outer  circle  being  built  close  upon  its  edge.  Be- 
low the  level  of  these  upper  houses  some  10  or  12  feet,  and  within  the 
semicircular  sweep,  are  seven  distinctly-marked  depressions,  each  sepa- 
rated from  the  other  by  rocky  d6l>ris\  the  lower  or  first  series  probably 
of  small  community-houses.  Upon  either  flank,  and  founded  upon  rocks, 
are  buildings  similar  in  size  and  in  other  respects  to  the  large  ones  on 
the  line  above.  As  paced  off,  the  upper  or  convex  surface  measured  100 
yards  in  length.  Each  little  apartment  is  small  and  narrow,  averaging 
6  feet  in  width  and  8  feet  in  length,  the  walls  being  18  inches  in  thick- 
ness. The  stones  of  which  the  entire  group  is  built  are  dressed  to  nearly 
uniform  size  and  laid  in  mortar.  A  peculiar  feature  here  is  in  the  round 
corners,  one  at  lea«t  appearing  upon  nearly  every  little  house.  They  are 
turned  with  considerable  care  and  skill,  being  true  curves  solidly  bound 
together. 

With  this  last  our  observations  of  these  interesting  relics  came  to  an 
end.  Our  trip  was  short  and  rapid,  and  instituted  in  the  first  place,  as 
I  have  said,  in  quest  of  the  picturesque,  and  we  found  it.  For  a  much 
more  complete  and  faithful  exposition  of  this  interesting  subject,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  a  series  of  photographic  views  from  which  the  ac- 
companying illustrations  are  drawn. 

I  cannot  close  without  extending  thanks  to  Gapt.  John  Moss,  of  La 
Plata,  our  volunteer  guide,  who  accompanied  us  over  the  route  compris- 
ing the  ruins.  To  his  accurate  knowledge  of  their  locality,  and  the  best 
way  to  reach  them,  aa  well  as  of  the  language  of  the  Indians,  is  due  much 
of  the  success  of  the  trip. 


ZOOLOGY. 


REPORT  OF  ERNEST  INGERSOLL 


-■< , 


{ 


REPORT  ON  THE  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 
GEOLOGICAL  AND  GEOGRAPHICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRI- 
TORIES, 1874. 


By  Ernest  Inobrsoix,  Zoologist. 


New  York,  March  1, 1876. 

Sis  :  I  herewith  forward  the  subjoined  report  of  zoological  work  done 
during  the  season  of  1874  in  connection  with  the  survey  ander  yoar 
direction,  a  preliminary  account  of  which  was  published  by  you  in  the 
Bulletin  of  the  Survey,  second  series,  No.  2,  under  date  of  May  14,  1875 ; 
and  I  remain,  with  high  respect,  yours,  etc., 

ERNEST  INGERSOLL, 

Zoologist 
Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden, 

27.  JS.  Oeologisty  Waskington^  D.  (J. 

The  material  herein  reported  upon  consists  of  two  collections,  chiefly 
of  moUusks:  one  made  by  Mr.  E.  A.  Barber,  of  West  Chester,  Pa.,  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  Territory ;  and  the  other  made  by  the  writer 
in  connection  with  the  Photographic  Division  of  the  Survey  during  July, 
August,  and  September  of  1874,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by  Master 
Frank  Smart,  of  Washington. 

Mr.  Barber  was  attached  to  Mr.  Marvine's  Topographical  Party,  and 
collected  plants  and  shells  in  North  Park,  along  Bear  and  White  Rivers, 
and  at  the  White  River  agency,  where  he  was  engaged  in  making  baro- 
metric observations  for  several  weeks.  His  collection  is  not  large,  but 
is  interesting  in  that  it  exhibits  several  species  which  I  did  not  find, 
and  also  includes  additional  examples  of  the  new  Microphysa^  which  was 
described  by  Mr.  Bland  from  my  specimens. 

My  own  route  lay  from  Denver  west  into  Middle  Park,  thence  sonth 
up  the  valley  of  the  Blue  to  Hoosier  Pass,  leading  the  party  into  South 
Park,  from  which  we  crossed  over  to  the  Arkansas,  and  thence  through 
Poncha  Pass  into  San  Luis  Park,  and  across  to  Saguache.  From  here 
the  road  led  west  to  the  Los  Pinos  Indian  agency,  and  then  southwest 
through  Antelope  Park  to  Baker's  Park,  in  the  high  mountains. 

At  this  point,  the  camp  was  stationed ;  and  leaving  Mr.  Smart  to  col- 
lect here,  I  accompanied  Mr.  Jackson  on  a  side-trip  of  nearly  three 
weeks'  duration,  made  southwest  into  the  valley  of  the  Rio  San  Juan, 
at  the  extreme  corner  of  the  Territory.  On  our  return  trip  from  Baker's 
Park,  we  followed  the  Rio  Grande  to  Del  Norte,  thence  struck  across 
the  San  Luis  plain  to  the  ^^  sand-hills,"  through  Mosca  Pass,  Huerfano 
Park,  Wet  Mountain  Valley,  and  Oak  Greek,  and  finally  came  to  Ganon 
Gity,  where  1  left  the  party. 

Gollections  were  made  at  nearly  every  camp  on  the  whole  route,  and 
that  they  do  not  make  a  greater  aggregate  is  due  to  the  ihexperience  of 
the  writer,  the  haste  with  which  the  party  moved,  and  not  a  little  to  the 
comparative  scarcity  of  those  objects  in  which  he  happened  to  take  the 
most  interest,  and  most  desired  to  have  completely  represented.  In 
such  cases,  in  the  absence  of  specimens  or  affirmative  evidence,  a  oer* 

38& 

25  H 


386       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITORIES. 

taiD  amoaDt  of  negative  evideDce  appears,  which  may  be  of  valae  in 
future  deductions.  I  append  a  list  of  the  localities,  remarking  npon  ele- 
vation and  <8o  forth,  at  which  collections  were  made.  The  absence  of 
any  camp,  as  Nos.  12-16,  from  this  list,  does  not  necessarily  imply  that 
I  was  idle,  bat  that  nothing  of  importance  reached  home  from  that 
locality. 

LIST  OF  LOCALITIES  FROM  WHICH  SPECIMENS  WERE  BROUGHT  HOME. 

Camp  9  :  Hot  Sulphur  Spring^^  Middle  Parky  July  31  to  August  5.  Ele- 
vation 7,725  feet.  A  broad,  open  valley,  containing  hot  and  cold 
springs  of  various  mineral- waters. 

Camp  9-10 :  Orand  River  Valley,  August  5.  About  7,600  feet  Grassy 
prairies  and  river  terraces  of  coarse  gravel  covered  with  sage-brusb, 
with  but  little  timber,  except  along  some  portions  of  the  river-banks. 

Camp  10 :  Mouth  of  Blue  River y  Aqgust  6-8.  About  7,600  feet.  High 
river-terraces.  Cottonwoods  and  alders  along  the  river  and  about 
springs  in  the  neighboring  hills. 

Camp  10-11 :  Blue  River  Valley^  August  8.  7,500-8,500  feet.  Same 
general  characteristics. 

Camp  11 :  Ute  Pealc^  Blue  River  Yalleyj  August  8.  About  8,500  feet 
Springy  ground  by  a  cold  streamlet,  with  abundance  of  small  timber 
and  luxuriant  herbage.  Many  shells  were  collected  on  a  wooded  hill 
2,000  feet  higher  than  the  camp. 

Camp  17 :  Head  of  San  Luis  Valley^  August  14.  About  8,000  feet 
Luxuriant  grass  and  herbage ;  large  pines  and  spruces.  Water  in 
plenty. 

Camp  17-18 :  San  Luis  Valley,  August  15.  7,600-7,200  feet  Distance 
thirty  miles,  mo&tly  Artemisia  plains,  very  dry  and  dusty.  The  weather, 
which  had  been  rainy,  now  began  to  be  clearer,  with  hot  noondays 
and  cool  nights. 

Camp  18 :  Springs^  Saguache,  August  16.  7,700  feet.  Edge  of  dry  plains. 
The  springs  come  copiously  from  under  a  volcanic  bluff,  and  flow  into 
a  marsh,  which  drains  into  Saguache  Creek. 

Camp  19 :  Saguache  Creeks  August  16.  7,748  feet  Five  miles  beyond 
Camp  18,  on  the  banks  of  the  above  stream,  which,  is  a  tributary  of 
the  Bio  Grande  and  waters  a  fertile  region.  Thousands  of  cattle  are 
herded  hereabouts. 

Camp  20 :  Twenty  miles  west  of  Sagua^chcy  August  17.  About  9,000  feet 
Volcanic  canon. 

Camp  21 :  Los  Pinos  Indian  agency j  August  19-24.  9,290  feet.  A  fer- 
tile plain  watered  by  two  creeks,  and  surrounded  by  hills,  affording 
plenty  of  rain.  The  camp  was  placed  among  a  grove  of  various  trees 
by  a  little  rocky  stream.  We  remained  a  week  at  this  point;  but  my 
time  was  largely  occupied  in  studying  the  traits  of  the  Ute  Indians, 
whose  southern  agency  is  here. 

Camp  22 :  White  Earth  Creek,  August  24.  About  8,000  feet  A  deep 
ravine,  which  had  been  recently  burned  over. 

Camp  23 :  Timber  line;  divide  .between  the  Gunnison  and  Rio  Orande,  Au- 
gust 25.  About  10,000  feet  Timber  mostly  small ;  no  pines.  Found 
many  mollusks  in  the  deep  wet  grass  early  in  the  morning. 

Camp  24 :  Clear  Creek,  August  26.  About  9,300  feet  A  tributary  of  the 
Bio  Grande,  emptying  in  Antelope  Park.  The  banks  were  here  cov- 
erad  with  a  riotous  growth  of  brush  and  weeds. 

GAJfP  26 :  Jennison^s  Ranch,  August  27-28.  About  9,600  feet  On  the 
Bio  Grande,  between  Antelope  and  Baker'a  Parks.    Fertile  alluvial 


JHOEBSOLL.]  ZOOLOGY — ^LIST   OP   LOCALITIES.  387 

bottoms,  with  pleuty  of  timber  on  the  hills.  Clear,  wirh  frosty 
nights. 

Camp  26 :  ffotcardvillej  Baker^s  Park,  August  29-September  23.  9,709 
feet.  A  deep  valley  among  immense  trachyte  mountains.  Abundance 
of  timber  (spruce  and  the  like,  and  aspen),  bushes  and  plants.  Frosty 
nights,  and  snow  toward  the  last  of  our  stay. 

Cunningham  Quick  is  a  deep  canon  liearby,  on  the  high,  perpendicular 
side  of  which,  aloug  trails  leading  to  silver-mines,  I  found  active  mol- 
lusks  and  insects  at  an  altitude  of  fully  1.1,000  feet. 

Camp  D:  Cascade  Creek;  head  of  the  Animas  Valley,  September  3. 
About  8,000  feet.  Southern  slope  of  high  sierras.  A  beautiful  region 
in  all  respects.  This  and  the  four  following  localities  were  on  the 
side-trip  into  the  San  Juan  Valley. 

CampE:  Animas  Park,  September  4.  About  6,600  feet.  Lower  down 
the  river,  where  the  broad  bottoms  are  somewhat  cultivated. 

Camp  E-F  :  Betvceen  the  Rio  Animas  and  Rio  La  Plata,  September  4. 
8,000  i'eet.  Half-way  we  passed  a  great  poud,  surrounded  with  rushes ; 
the  resort  of  innumerable  wild  fowl,  and  inhabited  by  a  great  variety 
of  fresh-water  life.    Observe  the  note  to  Selisoma  trivolvis. 

Camp  F  :  Rio  La  Plata  mining-camp,  September  6-8.  About  7,500 
feet.  Collections  made  in  dense  damp  groves  of  evergreen  and  de- 
ciduous trees. 

Camp  K:  Hovvenweep,  Utah,  September  13.  About  4,500  feet.  Alow, 
dry  ravine  some  twenty  miles  into  Utah,  in  a  desolate  mesa  country, 
named  by  us  Hovvenweep,  from  two  Indian  words  meaning  deserted 
caiion.  Only  gnarled  cedars,  sage-bush,  and  greasewood  grow  there. 
The  valley  must  be  subject  to  floods. 

Camp  P  :  Head  of  Mineral  Creek,  September  19.  About  10,000  feet.  The 
sources  of  a  mountain-torrent  draining  into  Baker's  Park. 

Camp  28-29:  Saint  Mary's  Lake,  Antelope  Park,  September  25.  9,300 
feet.  A  beautiful  lake  without  inlet  or  outlet,  on  the  northeastern 
side  of  the  park,  surrounded  by  rocky  cliffs.  Inhabited  by  some  pe- 
culiar shells  and  hosts  of  water-fowl,  while  its  shores  are  the  resort  of 
large  herds  of  antelope. 

Camp  30 :  Rio  Orande  above  Del  Norte ,  September  28.  7,660  feet  The 
camp  was  in  a  low  spot  by  a  sluggish  stream. 

Camp  32:  Lakes,  San  Luis  Valley,  September  20.  About  7,600  feet. 
These  lakes  are  most  of  them  dry  in  September,  and  all  the  shells  I 
found  were  dead  on  the  beach.  They  are  frequented  by  innumerable 
wild  geese  and  ducks,  which  are  tormented  by  the  many  large  gulls 
which  make  the  lakes  their  home.  The  waters  are  alkalinei^  and  the 
whole  region  is  white  with  saline  deposits  and  nearly  barren. 

It  will  be  observed  that  all  of  these  localities  are  in  Colorado  except 
Camp  K. 

aElTEEAL  AOOOUNT  OP  THE  WORK, 

Attention  was  chiefly  given  to  firesh-water  invertebrate  life,  though 
the  results  were  not  very  satisfactorj'. 

At  the  springs  near  Saguache,  leeches  were  found,  pronounced  by 
Prof.  A.  E.  Verrill  to  be  Aulostomum  lacustre,  vaPi  tigris,  Verrill,  and 
Cl^sine  modesta,  Verrill,  both  of  which  have  been  fouod  heretofore  in 
the  same  region.  A  more  thorough  search,  had  it  been  possible,  would 
probablv  have  revealed  additional  forms,  as  the  locality  was  extremely 
lavorable. 

For  Crustacea  a  sharp  lookout  was  kept,  but  only  the  following  spe- 
cies were  certainly  seen :  two  amphipods,  Oammctrus  robustus,  Smithy 


388       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBSITOBIES. 

aud  Hyallela  inermiSy  Smith,  both  of  which  were  described  in  the  Report 
for  1873,  which  inhabited  the  above  springs  in  great  abundance.  From 
the  pond  mentioned  between  camps  E  and  F  a  small  crab  was  bronght 
home,  which  Prof.  S.  I.  Smith  pronounced  to  be  a  true  marine  form,  be- 
longing to  the  Astacidoas,  That  this  is  a  survivor  of  the  period,  probably 
comparatively  recent,  when  this  pond  was  a  salt-water  marsh,  is  sap- 
ported  by  the  astonishing  fact  that  two  specimens  of  a  young  Trui^ 
catella  aud  well-preserved  fragments  of  an  Arcd  were  found  on  the 
muddy  shores.  It  would  be  of  great  interest  to  know  whether  the 
exuberant  vegetation  of  the  pond  retains  any  traces  of  marine  plants. 

The  insects  w<^re  not  methodically  collected,  and  but  few,  chiefly  my- 
riapods,  which  are  very  abundant  in  the  mountains,  were  brought  home. 
A  small  collection  of  spiders  consists  of  ten  species  of  Arane^  {Dras- 
gidcc  2,  Lycosa  5,  Aitus  1,  Tfiomisus  2)  and  four  species  of  Phalamgejb 
(PhalangeinSj  Oonyleptes  1).  All  of  these  species  are  believed  by  Mr. 
£.  H.  Emerton,  who  has  examined  them,  t6  be  undescribed,  though  iti 
part  identical  with  forms  previously  collected  in  Colorado.  A  descrip- 
tion is  not  attempted  herewith,  because  the  material  is  not  at  hand  for 
proper  study  and  comparison.  Further  collections  and  observation  in 
this  branch  of  entomology  are  particularly  desirable  from  the  mountain- 
ous regions  of  all  the  Territories. 

Land  and  fresh- water  shells  comprise  the  largest  part  of  the  material 
brought  home.  They  were  made  a  specialty ;  and  the  fact  that  next  to 
nothing  of  this  class  had  ever  been  reported  from  Colorado,  and  but  lit- 
tle was  known  at  all  of  the  Mollnsca  of  the  Bocky  Mountain  region,  was 
deemed  a  sufficient  excuse  for  what  might  seem  too  exclusive  attention 
to  this  department  of  natural  history,  which  does  not  present  to  the 
careless  mind  such  striking  attractions  as  the  study  of  the  higher  ver- 
tebrates. 

No  fishes  were  collected,  although  numerous  attempts  were  made. 
The  majority  of  our  time  was  spent  where  they  seemed  to  be  entirely 
absent,  or  so  extremely  scarce  that,  although  all  were  interested  in  tbe 
capture  of  certain  species,  not  a  trout  graced  our  table  during  the 
whole  trip. 

Some  snakes  and  frogs  were  secured  at  Hot  Springs,  Middle  Park, 
aud  a  number  of  AmblyHtoma  seen  for  the  first  and  last  time.  Beptiles 
were  taken  wherever  they  occurred  after  this,  also,  except  upon  tbe 
long  side- trip  mentioned  above,  where  it  was  impracticable  to  preserve 
anything  greater  than  could  be  put  in  a  pocket-bottle  of  alcohol.  The 
marsh  between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata  was  a  fine  locality  for  batra- 
chians.  South  of  the  mountains,  lizards  began  to  appear  in  great  num- 
bers and  variety,  and  increased  as  we  got  farther  out  upon  the  dry 
plains.  Camp  20  furnished  us  our  only  rattlesnake,  and  I  do  not 
remember  any  other  camp  at  which  we  were  even  suspicious  of  their 
presence. 

Such  large  suites  had  already  been  secured  of  the  mammals  and  birds 
of  Colorado  that  it  was  not  deemed  advisable  to  spend  time  in  a  syste- 
matic collection  of  them.  Some  skins  were  obtained,  and  observations 
recorded,  but  little  worthy  of  special  mention.  Birds  were  nowhere 
seen  so  abundantly  as  in  Berthoud  Pass  and  on  the  Arkansas  below 
Granite.  The  former  locality,  being  easily  accessible,  ought,  before 
many  seasons,  to  yield  a  rich  ornithological  harvest. 

In  conclusion,  I  wish  to  express  to  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Jackson,  director  of 
our  party,  the  appreciation  I  have  of  his  hearty  co-operation  and  genial 
sympathy,  through  which  he  not  only  afforded  me  opportunities  I  would 
not  otherwise  have  had,  but  added  immensely  to  my  personal  enjoy- 
ment of  this  delightful  trip. 


SPECIAL  REPORT  ON  THE  MOLLUSCA. 

The  collection  of  Mollnsks  fairly  represents  the  land  and  fresh-watier 
families,  and  comprises  many  additions  to  the  fauna  of  Colorado,  as  well 
88  the  following  six  species,  believed  to  be  new : 

Idmoj^^mantanuSy  Ingersoll. 
lAmax  castaneusj  Ingersoll. 
Microphysa  IngersoUi^  Bland. 
Pupilla  alticolay  Ingersoll. 
Helisoma  plexata^  Ingersoll. 

With  respect  to  their  distribntion,  it  will  be  seen  that  none  were  found 
on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  rantr(*,  although  there  is  no  conclusive  evi- 
dence that  they  do  not  exist  there;  Ibat  there  was  a  marked  increase 
as  we  advanced  south;  that  altitude  seemed  to  have  little  influence 
upon  their  range  so  long  as  other  favorable  conditions  were  present ; 
and  that  some  species  (as  of  Eelisoma)  had  a  very  local  distribution. 
The  genera  Zonites,  Vitrina,  Vallonia,  Pvpa,  Sucdnea^  and  Pisidium 
were  widespread.  Among  the  Helices,  Paiula  Cooperi  only  occurred  in 
broad  open  valleys;  Paiula  striatella  and  Cronkhitei  were  found  together 
over  the  northern  portion  of  the  district  traversed,  but  in  the  south  the 
latter  replaced  striatella.  The  little  Microphysa,  occurring  abundantly 
on  the  cliffs  in  Baker?s  Park  up  to  11,000  feet,  and  in  the  Animas  and 
other  valleys  draining  into  the  Bio  San  Juan,  was  also  found  in  the  North 
Park  by  Mr.  Barber,  but  his  examples  were  less  robust.  All  the  other 
species  of  this  genus  belong  to  Florida  and  the  Gulf  coast.  The  Pupas 
were  perhaps  the  most  common  forms,  increasing  as  we  went  south, 
where  specimens  of  Vertigo  californica  and  Pupilla  alticola  were  numer- 
ous everywhere  on  the  mountains  as  high  up  as  timber  grows.  Pupilla 
Blandij  heretofore  known  only  as  a  fossil  in  Missouri  River  Drift,  was  col- 
lected alive  in  considerable  numbers. 

In  order  to  make  this  Ist  as  far  as  practicable  a  stateuient  of  our 
present  knowledge  of  the  Mollusca  of  that  portion  of  the  United  States 
lying  between  the  Bocky  Mountains  on  the  east  and  the  Sierra  Nevada 
on  the  west,  designated,  by  Mr.  W.  G.  Binney,  Tfie  Central  Province 
(Bulletin  Mus.  Comp.  Zool, III,  ix),  I  have  inserted  in  their  proper  system- 
atic place  the  niimes  of  such  mollusks  as  I  could  ascertain  to  have 
occurred  within  that  region,  distinguishing  those  species  which  form 
my  own  list  by  the  black  head-letter  type.  A  brief  mention  of  the 
range  extralimital  to  the  scope  of  this  paper  is  added  to  most  species. 

There  seems  some  reason  to  doubt  whether  the  limits  assigned  by  Mr. 
Binney  in  his  Geographical  Catalogue,  above  referred  to,  circumscribe 
a  true  zoological  province,  considered  with  reference  to  the  Mollusca; 
but  I  have  contented  myself  with  carefully  tabulating  such  observations 
as  I  had  access  to,  leaving  to  others  such  deductions  as  the  facts  may 
warrant.  Enough  is  presented,  however,  it  seems  to  me,  to  show  that  the 
Central  Province,  so-called,  is  not  so  deficient  as  has  been  supposed, 
either  in  the  number  of  species  or  in  representiitives  of  adjoining  faunas. 
The  impression  that  this  inter- montanic  region  is  unfavorable  to  the 
development  of  Pulmouates  also  seems  wrong,  except  in  respect  to  the 
scarcity  of  lime,  to  which  cause  we  may  probably  attribute  the  fact  that 
the  more  minute  forms  are  in  large  majority.  A  further  discussion  of 
the  geographical  and  hypsometric  distribution  of  the  Moilusks  of  the 

389 


390       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  T£RRIT0R1£8. 

liocky  Moniitaiugi  may  be  found  in  an  article  by  the  author  iu  the  Popular 
Science  Monthly  lor  May,  187(J. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  and  tender  my 
thanks  to  Messrs.  Thomas  Bland  and  W.  G.  Binney,  Dr.  James  Lewis 
aiid  Prof.  Edward  S.  Morse,  for  much  kind  help  and  good  counsel,  boA 
before  and  after  the  completion  of  this  manuscript. 

moLiiVscA. 

Class  GASTEROPODA. 

Order  PECTINIBRANCHIATA. 

Family  VALVATID^B. 
Valvata  siaceia,  Say. 

• 

Lakes  ;  San  Luis  Valley 1  specimeo. 

lleported  also  from  Salt  Lake  (Hetnphill).  Inhabits  the  Western 
States. 

My  single  shell  was  found  dead  upon  the  beach.  It  is  typical,  except 
in  size,  which  exceeds  that  of  any  other  specimens  I  have  seen.  I  agree 
with  Mr.  W.  G.  Binney  that  I  have  never  seen  "  specimens  referred  to 
this  species  that  can  easily  be  distinguished  from  carinate  forms  of 
F.  triearinataJ^ 

Valvata  virensy  Tryon. — Cceur  d'Al^ue  Lake,  Montana  {Hemphili  ) ; 
Pacific  coast. 

RISSOID^iE. 

AMNICOLIN^. 

Tryonia  clatliarata,  Stm. — Colorado  Desert  (Blake), 
Tryonia  protea^  Gld. — Colorado  Desert  {Blake.) 

Somatogynis  iBOg^onns  Var.  subglobosus,  Sat. 

Lakes )  San  Luis  Valley .\  •     5  specimenB. 

Northwestern  part  of  the  Union  {Say). 

All  my  specimens  were  dead.  My  time  was  so  limited  at  this  inter- 
esting point  that  I  could  not  search  the  deep  water  for  living  moliusks. 

Amnicola  turbiniformiSj  Tryon. — Crane  Lake  Valley  and  Surprise  Val- 
ley, Northeast  California  {Gabb)-,  near  Fort  Hall,  Idaho  {Eeid)-,  Truck- 
ee,  Nevada  {Carlton).   California. 

Amnicola  longinqua^  Gld. — Colora<lo  Desert  {Blake). 

Fluminicola  Nttttalliana,  Stm. — Warm  Springs,  near  Salt  Lake^Utah 
{Beid) ;  Upper  Des  Chutes  River,  and  Klamath  Eiver,  Oregon  (New- 
berry).  Oregon  and  California. 

Fluminicola  seminalis,  -  Stm. — Salt  Lake,  Utah  {B€id)'j  Oregon  and 
Washington  Territory  (Newberry). 

Fluminicola  Eindm^  Stm. — Salt  Lake,  Utah  (Beid) ;  River  Kootaiiie 
and  stream  at  foot  of  Rocky  Mountains,  4,G2G  feet,  British  Columbia 
(Lord). 


IKGER80LL.]  ZOOLOGY ^MEL  ANIIDiE — ^PULMONATA.  391 

The  la8t  two  of  these  three  species  are  considered  identical  with  the 
first  by  Mr.  Binuey  and  some  others ;  their  range  seems  to  be  co-exten- 
sive. 

Fluminieola  fusca^  Hald. — Shores  of  Lake  Utah  [Burton) ;  Sacramento. 

Biver,  California,  to  Green  Biver,  Utah  (Cooper), 

<  « 

POMATIOPSIN^. 

Pomatiapsis  intermedia^  Trvon. — Owyhee  River,  Southeast  Oregon 
{Qahb))  White  Pine  district,  Nevada  {Hemphill),    Pacific  coast. 

MELANIID^, 

Choniabasis  pliciferay  Lea. — Rivets  of  Washington  Territory  (Cooper), 
Pacific  coast. 

Ooniabasis  siliculay  Gld. — Usually  regarded  as  a  variety  of  the  above. 
Quoted  from  Washington  Territory ;  Oregon ;  Hell  Gate  River,  Mon- 
tana ;  and  the  Missouri  above  the  Falls  (Cooper).    Pacific  coast. 

Ooniabasis  Newberryi,  Lea. — Upper  des  Chutes  River,  Oregon  (Neic- 
eofnb),    California. 

Ooniabasis  nigrina.  Lea. — Clear  Creek,  Shasta  County,  California. 
Pacific  coast. 

Ooniabasis  Draytoni^  Lea. — Walla  Walla,  Oregon;  Clear  Creek,  Shasta 
County,  California.     Pacific  coast. 

Leptoxis  fuscay  Hald. — Shores  of  Lake  Utah  (Burton).    Pacific  coast. 

Order  PULMONATA. 
PUPID^. 

PUPlN-ffl. 

Cumella  sabcylindrioa,  Linn^us. 
C^mp  24 :  Clear  Creek 3  specimens. 

These  three  were  found  in  wet  grass  and  bushes,  some  8,300  feet  above 
the  sea.  Though  I  searched  particularly  for  them  afterward,  no  more 
were  obtained.    It  is  a  circumpolar  species. 

Pnpillainiisconun,  LiNN^us. 

Camp  11 :  Blue  River  Valley 1  specimen. 

Camp  21 :  Los  Pinos  Agency 5  specimens. 

Canada ;  Eastern  States ;  Europe. 

Papilla  Blandi,  MoBSE. 

Camp  24 :  Clear  Creek 2  specimens. 

Camp  26 :  Cunningham  Gulch 40  specimens. 

Camp  D:  Animas  Valley 1  specimen. 

Camp  F  :  Rio  La  Plata 1  specimen. 

Sub-fossil  in  Drift  on  Missouri  River  near  Fort  Berthold. 

Pnpilla  altioola,  sp.  noy. 

Animal  not  observed. 

Shell  perforate^  straight,  tito  and  one-half  times  as  long  as  broad,  densely 
striate,  subtran^tlucenl^  chestnut-brown  ;  apex  obtuse  ;  xchorls  6  or  7,  convex, 


392       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TESBIT0B1E8. 

the  middle  three  of  the  apire  equal,  cawting  a  paralleJUm  in  the  sidet  of  the 
shell,  the  last  noticeai>ly  greater,  expanding  toward  the  aperture,  not  closely 
appressed  to  ttte  body-vhorl;  suture  deeply  impressed;  aperture  smaH, 
oblique,  subtriangvlar,  margins  connected  bg  a  thin  deposit,  without  internal 
processes;  peristome  simple,  somewhat  reflected  over  theumbilicus.  Length, 
33  mm. ;  diameter,  1  mm. 


Cnmp  26 :  Canningham  Oalch 25  Bpccimens. 

Gamp  F:  Bio  Ita  Plata..  _   5  Hpecimeas. 

It  vill  not  be  difficalt  to  recognize  tbia  apeciee  b;  its  parallel  sides, 
base-like  expaDsion  of  the  laat  wborl,  coarse  iiicrenieotal  lines,  ami  eden- 
tate aperture.  It  fleeiua  to  be  an  eBseotially  alpine  species,  none  having 
been  fouud  at  an  elevation  leea  tbaa  8,000  to  9,000  feet.  It  was  plenty 
in  the  localitiea  mentioned  above. 

Leucochila  arvsonensis,  Gabb. — Fort  Grant,  Arizona  {Horn);  Pike's 
Peak,  Colorado  (IVyon);  White  Pine,  Nevada  (-H«Mj>ftt»).  Calitoruia. 
Leucochila  hordea^eOj  Oabb. — Fort  Grant,  Arizona  (Horn). 

TBBTiaiNlN^. 

Vertigo  califomioa,  Bowell. 

Campll:  Bine  Eiver  Valley 15  specimens. 

ramp21:  Los  Pi  noB  agency 3  specimens. 

Camp  23 :  Divide  aouth  west  of  Los  Finos 3  specimens. 

Camp  26:  Howardville 50  specimens. 

Camp  D :  Animaa  Valley 2  specimens. 

Camp  F:  Bio  La  Plata 4  8i)ecimens. 

Pacific  coast. 
Vertigo  Gorpnlenta,  MoBSE. 

Camp  21 :  Los  Pinoa  agency 2  specimens. 

Camp  23 :  Divide  sonthwest  c'  Los  Pinoa 1  8i>ecimen. 

Eastern  slope  Sierra  Nevada  (Stretch;  Hemphill), 

Vertigo  ovata^  Hay. — Fort  Grant,  Arizona  (teste  BiuTiey).  Eastern 
United  iStatea. 

HELICID^. 

VITEmJE. 

Macrocyclis  vancouverensis,  Lea. — Idaho;  west  side  of  Ctenr  d'Al^ne 
Mountains,  in  foreata  of  Couiferse { Cooper) ;  Suniass  Prairie,  Fraser  Kiver 
[Lord).    PaciHc  coiiet. 
Zonltes  arboreaa.  Say. 

Camp  9:  Hot  Sulphnr  Springs 3  specimens. 

Campll:  Bine  River  Valley ]3  specimens. 

Camp  26:  Howardville,  Baker's  Park 22  specimens. 

Camp  F:  Bio  La  Plata 3  specimens. 

North  Park  {Barber) 2  specimena 


woEMOLL.]  ZOOLOGY — ^HELICID^.  393 


» 


^^Damp  bottom-lauds  along  the  lower  valley  of  Hell-Gate  Biver,  Mon- 
tana" (Cooper);  Washoe  (Joauty,  Nevada;  Montana;  Bio  Chama,  New 
Mexico  {Binney  and  BUmd).    United  States  generally. 

Zonites  viridnliu,  Menkb. 

Camp  11 :  Blue  Biver  Valley 2  specimens. 

Camp  19 :  Saguache  Greek  12  specimens. 

Camp  20 :  Twenty  miles  west  of  Saguache 1  specimen. 

Camp  D :  Cascade  Greek,  Animas  Valley .  r 3  specimens. 

CampF:  Bio  La  Plata....*   4  specimens. 

1  find  no  other  localitieSifor  this  mollusk  recorded  in  the  inter-montanic 
region,  except  that  Mr.  Lord  mentions  fiuding  a  '^  Ztmites  like  electrina^ 
Fort  Golville,  Columbia  Biver ";  and  Mr.  Binney  accredits  it  to  the 
Central  Province.  All  my  own  localities  were  at  the  foot  of  mount- 
ains, and  in  each  case  the  animals  were  found  in  the  wet  shaded  ground 
beside  running  water.  In  the  valleys  of  the  Animas  and  La  Plata,  they 
were  very  abundant  under  logs.  It  is  distributed  over  the  United  States 
generally,  except  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Zonites  indentatm^  Say. — Accredited  by  Mr.  Binney  (Bull.  Mus.  Gomp. 
Zool.,  Ill,  ix,  202)  to  the*  Central  Province  (Utah)  as  having  been  de- 
rived from  the  north.    Eastern  North  America. 

Zonites  nitiduSj  Miill. — Colorado  (Carpenter),  Europe,  New  York, 
Ohio,  and  British  America. 

Zonites  Whitneyij  Newc. — Lake  Tahoe,  Sierra  Nevada,  6,100  feet 
(Cooper);  Truckee,  Nevada  (CarWon). 

Zonites  Breweri^  Newc. — Truckee,  Nevada  (Carlton);  Lake  Tahoe 
(Newcomh).    California  coast. 

Zonites  minusculus,  Binney. — Accredited  in  Biuney's  catalogue  to  the 
Central  Province ;  Fort  Grant,  Arizona  (Horn).  All  of  North  America 
and  the  West  Indies. 

Zonites  conspectus,  Bland. 
Camp  26 :  Cunningham  Gulch,  altitude  11,000  feet 1  specimen. 

No  mention  has  been  made  of  this  species  that  I  am  aware  of  since 
its  description  by  Mr.  Thomas  Bland  (Ann.  N.  Y.  Lye.  N.  H.,  VIII,  163), 
who  quotes  San  Francisco,  California,  a«  its  habitat. 

Zonites  ftdvns,  Dbapebnaitd. 

Camp   9 :  Hot  Sulphur  Springs 5  specimens. 

Camp  10 :  Mouth  of  Blue  Biver 5  specimens. 

Camp  20  :  Twenty  miles  west  of  Saguache 2  specimens. 

Camp  24 :  Clear  Creek 35  specimens. 

Camp  26 :  Howardville,  Baker's  Park .  25  specimens. 

Camp  D  :  Animas  VWley 10  specimens. 

Camp  F  :  Bio  La  Plata - 6  specimens. 

Camp  P :  Head  of  Mineral  Greek 25  specimens. 

North  Park  (Barber) 6  specimens. 

Found  heretofore  in  the  White  Pine  district  (Hemphill)  and  Truckee 
Valley  (Carlton)  of  Nevada;  and  at  Lake  Tahoe  (Cooper).  North  Amer- 
ica, and  boreal  regions  generally. 

The  specimens  vary  in  size  and  proportion,  many  being  young.  The 
highest  localities,  it  will  be  noticed,  yielded  the  greatest  number  of 
specimens,  as  Camp  24  (9,300  feet),  Camp  26  and  Camp  P  (10,000  feet). 


394 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERBITOBIES. 


Vitrina  limpida,  Gould. 

Camp  24 :  Clear  Creek,  Northeast  Antelope  Park 25  specimens. 

Camp  26 :  Howardville,  Baker's  Park 3  specimens. 

Camp  D :  Auimas  Valley 12  specimen& 

I  do  not  find  this  species  anywhere  recorded  from  the  central  basin. 
It  was,  therefore,  after  long  hesitation  that  I  separated  these  specimens 
from  the  following  species,  which  inclades  the  majority  of  the  Vitruut 
collected,  and  has  a  co  extensive  distribution  in.  the  Rocky  Mountain& 
The  recorded  range  of  the  present  species  is  eastward  from  Lake 
Superior. 

Vitrina  Pfbifferi,  Newgomb. 

Camp  21 :  Los  Pinos  agency 25  specimens. 

Camp  23 :  Divide  southwest  of  Los  Pinos 15  specimens. 

Camp  26 :  Howardville,  Baker's  Park ^   40  specimena 

Camp  F :  Rio  La  Plata 4  specimens. 

Camp  P:  Head  of  Mineral  Creek ^ 6  specimens. 

Carson  Valley,  Nevada  {I^ewcomb);  Lake  Tahoe  (Cooper);  head  of 
Gunnison  River,  Colorado  (Carpenter).  Western  slopes  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada. 

It  whl  be  noticed  that  all  my  localities  are  sonthem,  but  at  a  great 
elevation,  shells  from  Mineral  Creek  having  been  collected  in  a  snow- 
storm. It  is  well  known  that  '^  the  animal  is  very  hardy ;  for,  according 
to  Nilson,  it  is  found  crawling  about  among  leaves  in  the  southern  part 
of  Sweden  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and  it  is  also  found  in  the  most  north- 
ern part  of  that  country."  The  gentlemen  of  (he  United  States  Explor- 
ing Expedition  found  their  specimens  of  Vitrina  almost  universally  on 
the  tops  of  mountains. 

Limax  montanns,  sp.  t^oy. 

Color  hluvshgray ;  form  stouty  with  blunt  posterior  extremity;  length 
exceeding  one  inch  ;  color  hrown^  ucith  mantle^  headj  tentacles  and  cye-pedun- 
eles  black  ;  bottom  of  foot  white. 


If  Jaw.    2,  Lineal  dentition.    3,  Genitalia:  a,  external  orifice;  (,  genitnl  bladder; 
c,  ovidact;  d,  testiole;  e,  epididymis ;  f,  ovary;  §,  vas  deferens ;  a,  penis-aao. 


uroERsoix.]  ZOOLOGY — HELICID^.  395 

Jaw  as  nsual  in  the  genus.    Lingual  membrane  long  and  narrow. 
Teetlx  50-1-50,  with  16  perfect  laterals.    Centrals  with  base  of  attach- 
ment slightly  longer  than  wide;  inferior  lateral  angles  not  much  pro- 
duced, lower  margin  incurved;  reflection  slightly  shorter  than  one-half 
the  base  of  attachment ;  tricuspid,  the  outer  cu^ps  short,  stout,  bearing 
short,  stout  cutting-points ;  the  median  cusp  stout,  reaching  almost  to 
the  lower  edge  of  the  base  of  attachment,  beyond  which  projects  the  cut- 
ting-point; laterals  like  the  centrals,  but  unsymmetrical,  as  usual,  by 
the  suppression  of  the  inner  cusp  with  its  cutting- point  and  inner  lower 
lateral  expansion  of  the  base  of  attachment.   There  are  16  perfect  lateral, 
beyond  which  are  several  teeth,  forming  the  usual  gradual  transition  to 
the  marginals.    These  latter  are  aculeate,  the  cutting-points  bearing  at 
about  the  center  of  their  lower  edge  a  blunt  spur,  which  is  a  modified 
form  of  the  bifurcation  of  the  marginal  teeth  often  found  in  Limax. 
The  marginal  teeth  have  the  usual  characteristic  arrangement  in  oblique 
rows,  and  the  separate  teeth,  as  they  pass  outward,  have  at  first  the 
usual  rapid  increase  for  a  short  distance,  and  thence  gradual  decrease 
in  size. 

A  reference  to  the  exhaustive  article  on  the  lingual  dentition  of 
American  Fulmonata^  published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Philadelphia 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  April  27, 1875,  by  W.  G.  Binney,  forming 
part  III  of  volume  11  of  his  Conchological  Contributions,  will  show  (pages 
172-177)  that  this  species  differs  in  its  dentition  from  all  the  Limaces 
now  known  to  inhabit  North  America.  L.  flavus  and  maximus  have  no 
cutting-points  to  the  sicle-cusps  of  centrals  and  laterals.  L.  Hewstoni  has 
well- developed  inner  cutting- pom ts  to  its  inner  lateral  teeth,  which  in- 
deed are  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  centrals.  X.  agrestia  has  also 
a  peculiar  inner  cutting-point  to  its  laterals.  L.  campestris  has  the  same 
type  of  central  and  lateral  teeth  as  the  species  under  consideration,  but 
its  inner  marginals  are  simple,  not  bifid.  L,  Weinlanidi^  known  only  by 
its  dentition,  no  description  of  its  external  characters  or  genitalia  having 
been  published  (see  Hynemann,  Malak.  Blatt.,  X,  212,  pi.  ii,  fig.  1), 
differs  from  tliis  species  by  having  all  its  marginals  simple. 

The  above  comparison  of  the  dentition  is  given  in  detail,  because  it 
is  on  its  lingual  membrane  that  I  am  forced  to  rely  for  decided  specific 
characters,  the  external  characters  of  the  animal  being  of  little  value 
in  alcoholic  specimens. 

In  the  genital  system,  there  are  no  accessory  organs.  The  penis-sac 
is  as  long  as  the  vagina,  with  a  constriction  near  its  commencement, 
and  tai)ers  above  to  a  point,  below  which  it  receives  the  vas  deferens. 
The  genital  bladder  is  oval,  with  a  very  short  duct  entering  the  vagina 
above  the  penis-sac. 

Gamp  9 :  Hot  Sulphur  Springs 1  specimen. 

My  notes  taken  on  the  spot  were  lost.  The  external  characters  of  the 
animal  in  alcohol  are  unreliable :  hence  the  brief  description. 

In  Mr.  Binney's  *' Notes''  (vol.  II,  part  III,  163),  this  slug  was  cata- 
logued; among  the  Terrestrial  Mollusks  of  the  United  States,  under  the 
name  of  Limax  Ingersolli^  and  on  pages  174  and  176  of  the  same  work, 
where  the  circumstances  of  its  discovery  are  mentioned,  it  was  referred 
to  as  undescribed.  In  vol.  II,  part  IV,  of  the  same  series  (now  in 
press),  it  was  described  as  L,  montannt^  Ingersolt,  but  the  necessity  of 
discarding  the  former  name  was  not  discovered  by  Mr.  Binney  in  time 
to  make  a  corresponding  change  in  the  designation  of  the  figures,  which 
will  bear  the  name  Limax  IngersoUi^  the  plates  having  already  been 
made. 


396       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Limaz  caBtaneus,  sp.  noy. 

Smnll  and  slender;  length  less  than  one  inch;  color  a  lively  broitn^  tcitk 
a  darker  spot  over  the  shield;  heady  tentacles^  and  eye-stalks  black;  hottom 
of  foot  white. 


^5lf 


LiDgnal  deDtition  of  Limax  ca»taneiu. 

Jaw  as  asaal ;  lingual  dentition  as  in  the  other  form,  bat  differing  in 
having  only  34-1-34  teeth,  with  12  perfect  laterals.  This  important 
difference  is  such  as  to  warrant  the  belief  that  the  forni  may  prove  a 
distinct  species.    Genitalia  not  examinued. 

Camp  10-11:  Blue  River  Valley ' 5specimeu8. 

The  above  Limaces  were  submitted  to  Mr.  W.  G.  Binney  for  anatomi- 
cal examination.  The  drawings  and  descriptions  of  the  jaw,  lingnal 
apparatus,  and  genitalia  of  both  reproduced  in  the  figures  were  fur- 
nished by  him,  to  whom  really  belongs  the  credit  of  discriminating  their 
specific  distinction. 

Limax  campestris^  Binney. — ^Truckee,  Nevada,  5,866  feet  {Cooper)^  is 
the  only  other  mention  I  can  find  of  the  occurrence  of  this  family  in  the 
central  ba^sin ;  United  States  except  Pacific  slope. 

HELIGIN^. 

Patnla  Cooperi,  W.  G.  Binney. 

Gamp  9 :  Hot  Sulphur  Springs,  Middle  Park 7  specimens. 

Gamp  11 :  Blue  River  Valley 30  specimens. 

Lakes,  San  Luis  Valley     2  specimens. 

Northeastern  Colorado  (Barber) 100  specimens. 

California  to  Nebraska;  Montana  to  Arizona.  Most  of  the  many 
recorded  localities  are  in  the  mountains;  the  highest  being  5,500  feet 

This  well-known  HeliXj  the  largest  of  any  collected,  was  not  uncom- 
mon in  Middle  Park  and  North  Park,  where  great  numbers  of  dead 
shells  would  be  found  in  isolated  spots;  only  a  few  live  ones  being  found 
in  wet  places  in  the  vicinity.  In  the  Blue  River  Valley,  crossed  a  belt 
a  hundred  yards  or  so  wide,  and  apparently  miles  in  length,  where  the 
surface  was  thickly  strewn  with  bleached  shells,  as  though  an  army  of 
these  mollusks  had  been  overtaken  on  the  march  by  universal  destrnc- 
tion.  There  was  a  very  perceptible  difference  between  such  specimens 
as  were  found  in  shaded,  humid  places  and  those  living  in  open  and  drier 


iHOEssoLL.]  ZOOLOGY — ^HELICIN^.  397 

places,  in  that  the  latter  had  a  paler,  more  bleached  appearance,  and  a 
thicker  shell. 

Patula  solitariaj  Say. — CcBur  d'Al^ne  Mountains,  2,500  feet  (Cooper  ; 
Hemphill.)   Mississippi  Valley. 

Patula  strigosay  Goald. — Western  New  Mexico  to  the  Big  Horn  Mount- 
ains of  Nebraska  [Binney  and  Bland):,  Montana  to  Arizona  {Cooper), 

Patula  Hemphilli,  Newc. — White  Pine,  Nevada,  8,000  feet  {Hemphill). 

Patula  idahoensis,  Newc. — Between  Idaho  City  and  Coeur  d'AI^ne 
Mountains  {Hemphill). 

Patula  Haydeni^  Oabb. — Weber  Canon,  Utah  {F.  V.  Hayden),  Sub- 
fossil  only. 

The  above-mentioned  species  of  Patula^  viz :  Cooperi,  solitaria,  strigosa^ 
Meniphilli^  idahofnsis  and  Haydeni,  are  remarkably  connected  in  form. 

^^  Patula  Haydeni,  which  may  be  considered  as  extinct,  is  distinguished 
by  its  carina  and  equally  ^  prominent,  elevated,  revolving  ribs.'  It  is 
allied  to  P.  strigoaa^  and  more  especially  to  the  carinated  lorm  described 
as  P.  Hemphilii.  The  uon-carinated  P.  strigosa  is  variable,  sometimes 
difficult  to  be  distinguished  from  depressed  varieties  of  P.  Cooperi,  The 
rather  strongly-ribbed  variety  of  the  latter,  from  Bear  liiver,  Utah, 
connects  P.  idahoenms  with  this  group.  In  some  specimens  of  that 
species,  the  obsolete  carina  may  be  observed  on  the  periphery  between 
the  strongly-elevated  oblique  (not  revolving)  ribs.  The  more  globose 
forms  of  P.  Cooperi  may  be  compared  with  P.  solitaria.  In  the  group 
of  species  of  Patula  referred  to,  the  alliances,  indicated  however  by 
the  shells  alone,  are  associated  witb  well-marked  specific  differences  in 
the  genitalia;  in  other  groups,  ife«o(7on,  for  instance,  in  the  dentition. 
Mr.  W.  G.  Binney  has  lately '  directed  attention  to  this  interesting 
point."— Thos.  Bland,  letter  of  March  16, 1875. 

Patula  Horniiy  Gabb. — Fort  Grant,  Arizona  {Horn), 

Fatola  Cronkhitei,  Newcomb. 

Gamp  9 :  Hot  Springs 14  specimens. 

Camp  1 1 :  Blue  River  Valley  - . . 20  specimens. 

Gamp  F :  Rio  La  Plata 15  specimens. 

Recorded  from  Klamath  Valley,  Oregon  {Oabh);  White  Pine  Mount- 
ains, Nevada,  and  Northern  Utah  {Hemphill). 

Patula  striatella,  Anthony. 

Camp  9:  Hot  Springs 20  specimens. 

Cainp  19:  Saguache 5  specimens. 

Camp  24 :  Clear  Creek 20  specimens. 

Nof  th  Park  {Barber) 5  specimens. 

Montana!  {Cooper);  Hell-Gate  River,  Montana  {Binney  And  Blund)] 
Estes  Park,  Colorado  {Carpenter),  Eastern  United  States. 

Helix  (Miorophysa)  IngersoUi,  Bland.    Ann.  N.  Y.  Lye.  N.  JET,  vol.  XJ, 
151 )  June,  1875. 

^^ Shell  umhilicatedy  discoidal,  thin^  traTisltLcidy  nearly  smooth^  white; 
spire  Jlat^  summit  subimmersed;  suture  impressed;  whorls  5^,  rather  con- 
veXy  slowly  increasing^  the  last  not  descending,  more  convex  below  the  periph- 
ery ;  breadth  of  umbilicus  nearly  one  mill,;  aperture  subverticali  higlier 


398       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

than  broad  J  lunate;  peristome  simple^  aeute^  margins  remote^  columeUar 
margin  slightly  reflexedj  basal  margin  subsinuate.  Greater  diameter  4  milL^ 
height  2^  miU^ 


Gamp  26:  Baker's  Park 25  specimens. 

Camp  26 :  CiiDuiDgham  Gulch,  11,000  feet 6  8i)ecimeos. 

Gamp  D :  Animas  Valley 25  specimens* 

North  Park  (Barber) • 10  specimens. 

This  beautifal  little  shell,  described  by  Mr.  Thomas  Bland,  from  my 
specimens,  as  above,  was  not  foand  by  me  north  of  the  crests  of  the  sier- 
ras about  Baker's  Park,  but  was  not  uncommon  on  their  southern  slopes, 
where  I  first  found  it  clinging  to  vertical  and  all  but  inaccessible 
cliffs  in  Gunningham  Gulch,  at  an  altitude  of  over  11,000  feet,  exposed 
to  daily  snowstorms ;  yet  these  specimens  were,  if  anything,  finer  than 
those  subsequently  found  along  the  Bio  Las  Animas.  Mr.  Barber's  ex- 
amples are  all  dead  shells,  and  are  not  so  large  or  perfect.  They  were 
found  at  an  altitude  not  exceeding  8,000  feet,  but  the  station  is  not 
stated. 

Mr.  W.  G.  Binney,  who  dissected  the  animal  of  this  species,  which 
seemed  with  difficulty  to  wholly  retreat  into  the  shell,  cotnmunicated 
the  following  particulars  of  its  anatomy : 

^'  Jaw  low,  wide,  slightly  arcuate,  ends  slightly  attenuated,  whole 
interior  surface  with  about  22  broad,  flat,  slightly-separated  ribs, 
whose  ends  denticulate  either  margin.  This  form  of  jaw  is  usual  among 
the  Helicinae.  It  is  of  the  same  type  as  H.  Lansingi  (Ann.  Lye  N.  II.  of 
N.  Y.,  xi,  74,  fig.  2).  Lingual  membrane  long  and  narrow.  Teeth  abont 
16-1-16.  Gentrals  as  usual  in  the  Relicinw ;  the  side-cusps  and  cut- 
ting-points  are  well  developed,  the  base  of  attachment  longer  than  wide. 
Laterals  of  same  type,  but  unsymmetrical,  and  consequently  only 
bicuspid.  The  change  from  laterals  to  marginals  is  very  gradual,  there 
being  no  splitting  of  the  inner  cutting-point.  Marginals  low,  wide,  with 
one  inner,  long,  blunt  cutting-point,  and  one  outer  small,  blunt  cutciog- 
point." 

Helix  lineatUB,  Say. 
Gamp  D :  Animas  Valley 1  specimen. 

Bio  Ghama,  N.  Mex.  (Binney  and  Bland)]  Salmon Biver,  Idaho  (Hemf- 
hill).   North  America  except  Pacific  coast. 

Helix  Polygyrellaj  Bid.  and  J.  O.  Gp. — Gommon  on  Goeur  d'Al^ne 
Mountains  (Cooper). 

Helix  Columbiana^  Lea. — Hell-Gate  Valley,  Montana  (Hemphill) ;  Fraser 
Eiver  (Lord).  Pacific  coast. 

Helix  devia,  Gld. — ^Intruding into  Idaho  (Binney) }  Deer  Lodge  Valley, 
Montana  (Hemphill).  Pacific  coast. 

Helix  loricata^  Gld. — Sierra  Nevada  (Cooper).   Pacific  coast 


Ui^MtMuLL.]  ZOOLOGY — SDCININ^.  399 

ETelix  MuUani^  Bid.  aud  J.  G.  Gp. — C<Bur  d'Alfine  mi88ioD,  Bitter 
Root  Mouutains  and  Kiver,  Idaho  {Cooper)  y  Idaho  {Binney), 

JSelix  fidelis^  Gray. — Large  but  very  pale  variety,  Suniass  Prairie, 
Fraser  River  (Lord).  Pacific  coast. 

JETelix  TotcnsendianajhesL — "Both  slopes  of  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains, 
from  2,200  to  5,000  feet  high.  Large  variety  at  the  base  of  the  range 
to  4,800  feet;  small  variety  in  dry  prairie  at  junction  of  Hell-Gate  and 
Bitter  Root  Rivers'' (Cooper).  Sutnass  Prairie,  Fraser  River;  small 
variety  Fort  Colville,  summit  of  Rocky  Mountains  {Lord) ;  east  of  Fort 
Colville,  Washington  Territory  {N.  W.  Bound.  Surv.).   Pacific  coast. 

The  small  variety  from  northwest  Idaho  has  been  described  as  a  new 
species  by  Mr.  A.  D.  Brown  under  the  name  of  Helix  ptychophora  (Jour- 
nal de  Conchologie,  1870),  giving  as  its  habitat  Bitter  Root  Mouutains 
and  Nebraska.  .  It  is  regarded  as  a  variety  only. 

Helix  pulchella,  Muller. 

Gamp  11 :  Blue  River  Valley 16  specimens. 

Gamp  20 :  West  of  Saguache 4  speciuiens. 

Gamp  21 :  Los  Pinos  Indian  Agency 65  specimei  s. 

Gamp  26 :  Howard ville.  Baker's  Park 50  specimens. 

Gamp  F :    Rio  La  Plata 10  specimens. 

North  Park  {Barber) 25  specimens. 

**This  American  form  {minuta)  of  the  Old-World  pulchellaj  Mlill.,  has 
only  lately  been  found  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  I  obtained  an 
immature  specimen  near  Truckee,  in  May.  •  •  •  Mr.  Harford  after- 
ward found  it  common  near  Donner  Luke,  a  few  miles  above  Truckee ; 
and  Mr.  Hemphill  has  also  found  them  common  near  White  Pine  Mount- 
ains. Not  having  been  found  north  of  Canada,  its  circumpolar  distri- 
bution, though  asserted  by  Middendorf,  is  doubtful;  he,  like  most 
authors,  considering  it  identical  with  pulckella,^ — Dr.  J.  G.  Cooper. 

Helix  Dupetit-Thouarsij  Desh. — Klamath  Lake,  Oregon  (Neicberry)^ 
Snmass  Prairie  (Lor(7).  Pacific  coast. 

Helix  tudiculatay  Binn. — Truckee,  Nevada  {Carlton).   Pacific  coast 

SUCININ-ffi. 

Buccinea  Nnttalliana, .  Lea. 

Camp  9 :  Hot  Sulphur  Springs 30  specimens. 

Camp  D :  Animas  Valley 1  specimen. 

Warm  Springs,  near  Salt  Lake,  Utah  {Reid)  i  Snake  River  {Nnttall) ; 
Wright's  Lake  and  Rhett's  Lake,  northeast  California  {Newberry).  Pa- 
cific coast. 

Sucoinea  ovalis,  Gould. 

Camp  10 :  Mouth  of  Blue  River 1  specimen. 

Eastern  States. 

Suooinea  nuticaiia,  Oouli). 
Camp  9 :  Hot  Sulphur  Springs i 12  specimens. 

Bumass  Prairie,  Fraser  River  {Lord) ;  Rocky  Mountains  of  Bitter  Root 
Valley,  2,600  to  4,500  feet  {Cooper) ;  White  Pine  region,  Nevada  {Hemp- 
Mil).  Pacific  coast. 

The-se  three  species  are  hardly  to  be  distinguished.  I  separated 
them  as  above  after  examination  of  shells  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative 
Zoology,  but  they  merge  into  one  another  indeterminately. 


400       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Succinea  HatcJdnsiiy  Baird. — East  of  Fort  Colville,  Washington  Terri- 
tory (N,  W.  Bound.  Survey) ;  Lake  Osojoos  {Lord) ;  British  Colanibia. 

Succinea  Sillimanij  Bland. — Humboldt  Lake,  Nevada  (iSt'/Zifiian).  Pa- 
cific slope. 

Succinea  lineata,  W.  G.  Binney. 

Camp  20 :  20  miles  west  of  Saguache 8  specimens. 

Camp  I) :  Animas  Valley 50  speciaieot». 

Lakes,  San  Luis  Valley 10  specimens. 

Bank  of  Bear  Eiver  (Barber) 1  specimen. 

Northeast  California  to  Nebraska  and  British  Columbia  (Cooper); 
Utah,  Yellowstone  River  (Smithsonian  Catalogue) ;  Little  Colorado,  Ari- 
zona (Palmer) ;  Este's  Park,  Colorado  (Carpenter). 

I  should  not  quarrel  with  any  one  who  should  prononnce  some  of  the 
smaller  of  my  specimens  to  be  8.  Stretchiana^  Bid.  Yet,  upon  compari- 
son with  shells  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology,  I  prefer  to  call 
them  all  by  the  above  name.  They  include  but  four  living  snails  among 
the  whole  number,  the  rest  being  dead  shelhj.  Mr.  Barber's  example  is 
a  fine  one. 

Succinea  Stretchiana^  Bland. — Little  Valley,  Washoe  County,  Nevada 
( Stretch) .    Pacific  slope. 

Succinea  avara^  White  Pine,  Nevada  (Binney).  Eastern  North  Amer- 
ica. 

If,  as  is  indicated  by  the  map  appended  to  Mr.  Binney's  catalogae 
(Bull.  M.  C.  Z.,  Ill,  IX),  the  Central  Province  includes  the  valley  of  the 
Yellowstone  as  far  east  as  its  mouth,  Succinea  Haydenij  W.  G.  Binn., 
and  S.  retusaj  Lea,  must  be  considered  to  belong  to  our  list,  atid  several 
localities  on  the  Yellowstone  Eiver  can  be  added  to  the  distribution  of 
S.  lineata  J  as  well  as  to  that  of  several  moUusks  in  other  families. 

PHYSIDiE. 
Fhysa  heterostropha,  Say. 

Camp  9 :  Hot  Sulphur  Springs  » '. •  100  specimens. 

Camp  18 :  Springs  east  of  Saguache 40  specimens. 

Between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata 5  st)ecimen8. 

Its  range  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  is  well  assured,  it  having 
been  collected  in  nearly  every  State  and  Territory.  These  specimens 
show  the  greatest  variation  in  [mint  of  size,  shape,  and  color;  yet>,inthe 
absence  of  other  types,  all  seem  referable  to  this  species.  The  Grand 
River,  which  fiows  through  Middle  Park,  contains  no  Physw  (or  other 
mollusks)  tbat  I  could  discover ;  but  at  the  Hot  Springs,  in  a  little  la- 
goon filled  at  high  water,  large,  clear,  ampuUaceaWke  shells  were  com- 
mon. In  the  few  yards  of  exposed  outlet  of  the  springs  of  hot  sulphur- 
water  from  which  the  locality  derives  its  name  and  celebrity,  there  oc- 
curred in  the  greatest  profusion  a  blackish  globose  variety  about  one- 
fifth  of  an  inch  long.  The  temperature  of  this  water  was  at  some  points 
as  high  as  100^  F.  In  the  basin  of  a  still  hotter  spring  close  by,  whose 
waters  were  saturated  with  chlorides  of  sodium  and  magnesium,  hun- 
dreds of  still  smaller  Physw  (see  below)  were  floating  about  in  mats, 
glued  together  by  a  tangle  of  confervoid  vegetal  ion  and  the  depositions 
of  the  water.    All  of  these  seemed  to  have  lost  the  apex  of  the  spire  by 


iKGBRfiOLL.]  ZOOLOGY — ^PHYSID^.  401 

erosioD,  "  which  is  extremely  liable  to  happen  to  shells  living  in  water 
charged  with  alkaline  salts  other  than  lime."  Yet  quite  as  small  and 
bla<:k  were  the  examples  from  the  cold,  clear,  abundant  springs  near 
Sap:uache,  where  there  was  seemingly  nothing  whatever  to  stunt  their 
growth. 

Pliysa  Wolfiana,  Lea. 

In  the  Proceedings  of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  for  1869,  Mr.  Isaac 
Lea  described  a  species  of  Physa  from  ''the  Hot  Sulphur  Springs,  Colo- 
ratio,"  collected  by  Prof.  J.  VV.  Powell,  which  he  named  PhysaWolJiana. 
Inasmuch  as  my  shells  came  from  the  exact  and  very  limited  station  and 
locality  (vide  Observations,  XIII,  G7;  PI.  xxi,  flg.  20)  as  his  types,  I 
Buppose  I  must  have  it;  but  as  I  cannot  separate  to  my  satisfaction 
those  which  resemble  that  shell  as  described  and  figured,  from  those 
which  do  not  resemble  it,  I  have  remanded  all  to  the  foregoing  species. 

Phym  Lordij  Baird. — British  Columbia  (Lord),  replacing  P.  hetero- 
strophaou  the  higher  ground  toward  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  east  of  Fort 
Colville,  Washington  Territory  (Northwestern  Boundary  Survey).  It  is 
not  unlikely  that  P.  ClarJcei  and  the  two  following  species  will  prove 
identical  with  this,  diifering  only  in  size  and  color.  Here,  as  in  Limnea, 
the  shell  is  subject  to  such  variation  that  it  is  precarious  to  predicate 
specific  rank  upon  the  shell  alone,  particularly  it'  the  specimens  be  few 
and  localities  isolated. 

Physa  ampullaceajGonld, — Oregon  and  Washington  Territory  (Cooper); 
Bhett's  Lake,  Caliioruia,  and  Upj)er  Kiamath  LuUe,  Oregon  (Newberry). 

Pkysa  ancillaria^  Say. — Ruby  Valley,  Nevada  (Simpson), 

Physa  gyrina,  S'dy. — Carson,  "S ewadd  (Wheatley)',  Nevada  (Simpson). 
Missouri  River. 

Physa  humerosa^  Gould. — Colorado  Desert,  Pecos  River  (Blalce). 

Physa  Orosvenorii,  Lea. — Dayton,  Nevada  (  Wheatley). 

Physa  parva,  Lea. — Little  Valley,  Nevada  (  Wheatley). 

Physa  Hawnii,  Lea. — White  Pine,  Nevada  (IlemphUl). 

Physa  Saffordii,  Lea. — Fort  Hall,  Idaho,  and  Snake  River  Valley, 
Utah  (Reid);  Nevada  an<l  Eastern  Idaho  (Hemphill). 

Physa  virgata. — Gila  River  ( Gould).  Southern  California. 

Physa  propinqua,  Tryon. — White  Pine,  Nevada  (Hemphill)]  Jordan 
Creek,  southwest  Idaho  (Oabb). 

Physa  occidentaliSj  Tryon. — Fort  Colville,  Washington  Territory  (Horn) ; 
Warners  Valley,  Oregon  (Oabb) ;  Truckee,  Nevada  (Carlton). 

Physa  Blandiiy  Tryon. — Truckee,  Nevada  (Carlton). 

Physa  malleata,  Tryon. — Hell-Gate  River,  Montana,  and  Fandango 
Valley,  a  part  of  Goose  Lake  Valley,  Oregon  (Oabb). 

Physa  Nnttallii,  Lea. — Lewis  River,  Idaho  (Nuttall). 

Physa  Cooperi,  Teton. 

Between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata 5  specimens. 

Also  recorded  from  a  spring  in  Crane  Lake  Valley,  northeast  Cal- 
ifornia (Oabb).  I  do  not  feel  quite  sure  of  this  determination,  because 
of  the  immaturity  of  the  specimens,  and  the  fact  that  I  do  not  have 
access  to  types ;  nor  do  I  altogether  trust  in  the  validity  of  the  species. 

Bnlinns  hypnomin,  Linn^us. 

Camp  9-10 :  Grand  River  Valley 50  specimens. 

Bear  River  (Barber) * 5  specimens. 

26  H 


402       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Recorded  also  from  Hell-Gate  River,  Montana  {Cooper) ;  Utah ;  Ma- 
lade  River,  Idaho  {Hemphill)]  Washington  Territory;  Yellowstone 
River  (timitJisonian  Catalogue)  ^  British  possessions  (l/or<2)  northward 
Cosmopolitan. 

PLANOEBIN-ffi:. 

Helisoma  plexata,  sp.  NOV. 

Shell  a  little  larger  than  P.  Trivolvis,  Say,  of  irregular  proportions^ 
fragile]  whorls  4-5,  the  inner  ^-^  of  the  spire  angulated  and  coiled  in  a 
plane,  tchich  is  considerably  iiiclined  to  the  plane  of  the  outer  revolution  in 
such  a  tcaii  that  the  carina  of  the  third  whorl  rises  into  a  sharp  shoulder  on 
the  right  side,  and  on  the  lift  side  sinks  underneath  the  overfiotcing  last  ichorlj 
which  takes  on  a  sudden  increase  in  old.  age.  A  similar,  but  less,  change  in 
the  plane  often  occurs  again  in  the  fourth  whorl,  giving  a  very  twisted  ap- 
pearance to  the  shell.  Surface  marked  by  irregularly -crowded,  tcavy,  raised 
lines  of  growth.  Umbilicus  broad,  exhibiting  the  tcell-rounded  whorls  to 
the  apex.  Aperture  somewhat  oblique,  pretty  regularly  pyriform  in  outline, 
the  vertical  slightly  exceeding  the  horizontal  diameter,  and  embracing  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  body  whorl,  well  to  one  side  of  the  median  line. 
Peristome  gently  reflected,  slightly  thickened  within,  and  fully  lined  with 
an  opaque  white  deposit,  which  also  forms  a  thick  and  welldefined  callous 
connecting  the  ends.  Color  yellowish  horn  to  reddish-broicn  {becoming 
almost  black  behind  the  aperture),  most  specimens  abundantly  banded  and 
streaked  with  revolving  lines  of  ochraceous  red,  and  fine  black  threads. 


spire.  Aperture.  Section  at  apertnra 

RhowinK  cbanpe 
of  plaue  in  revola- 
tion. 

Sjiint  Mary's  Lake,  Antelope  Park 25  specimens. 

This  species  existed  in  countless  numbers  in  the  above-mentioned 
lake,  which  is  a  small  sheet  of  water  held  among  precipitous  cliflPs, 
that  afford  it  no  visible  outlet.  It  seems  to  be  merely  a  "  sink  "  for 
the  melted  snow  of  the  snrrounding  heights.  All  of  the  hundreds  of 
individuals  seen,  possessed,  in  a  more  or  less  marked  degree,  the 
twisted  appearance,  resulting  from  the  change  of  plane  in  the  old  age 
of  tbe  shell,  which  is  their  most  striking  character.  How  the  species 
came,  almost  entirely  alone,  to  inhabit  this  secluded  lake  is  a  problem, 
complicated  by  the  fact  that  there  probably  is  not  another  larg;e  Plan- 
orbis  within  iifty  miles.  That  the  wild  fowl,  abundant  on  the  lake, 
brought  the  eggs  clinging  to  their  feet,  may  be  a  plausible  explanation; 
but  where  did  they  bring  them  from,  and  when  f  The  bottom  of  the 
lake  is,  for  the  most  part,  rough  conglomerate  rock,  and  it  is  in  many 
places  filled  with  heavy  water-plants,  which  may  account  lor  the  pecu- 
liarities of  the  shell. 

The  members  of  the  family  Planorbidce,  seem  to  be  particularly  sub- 
ject to  sudden  and  eccentric  deviations  from  the  normal  form  of  the 
group.  Many  curious  examples  have  been  noticed.  The  genus  Valtaia 
seems  also  subject  to  similar  deformities,  which  Prof.  Alpheus  H^att,  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  has  been  paying  special  attention  to  of  late,  in  the 


DfGBRfiOLL.]  ZOOLOGY — ^PLANORBIN^.  403 

conrse  of  some  paleootological  investigatioDS.  GoncerDiDg  this  matter 
Professor  Hyatt  writes  as  follows,  in  a  letter  dated  February  10,  1876: 

"These  variations  have  been  studied  only  with  reference  to  the  shell, 
bat  the  changes  of  form  are  so  great  in  this  external  organ,  that  one 
naturally  infers  corresponding  ditferences  in  the  animals  themselves. 
The  principal  papers  heretofore  published  upon  these  interesting  shells 
are  but  two  in  number:  one  by  Hilgendorf,  in  the  Monatsber.  d.  kongl. 
Preuss.  Akad.  d.  Wissen.,  1866,  upon  the  fossil  forms  of  Flanorbis  mul- 
tiformis;  and  one  by  M.  Pir6,  upon  Flanorbis  complanatusj  in  the  Annales 
de  la  Soc.  Malacol.  de  Belgique  for  1871.  The  recorded  information  is 
therefore  scanty,  and  it  would  be  a  very  important  service  to  conchology 
and  paleontology  if  every  one  who  has  met  with  abnormal  or  distorted 
forms,  in  the  course  of  his  collecting  of  land  or  fresh-water  shells,  would 
make  public  all  the  information  he  has  in  connection  with  those  discov- 
eries.   Records  of  such  experiences  are  extremely  desirable. 

"  Both  of  the  papers  alluded  to  above  are  accompanied  by  figures,  and 
show  a  very  remarkable  series  of  forms,  which  vary  from  the  flat  spire 
with  equal  umbilici,  to  those  which  are  completely  trochiform,  and  fron 
these  to  specimens  entirely  unwound,  like  a  wire  corkscrew.  I  have 
myself  studied  attentively  the  Steinheim  beds  described  by  Hilgendorf, 
and  can  confirm  his  results  so  far  ds  the  extreme  variations  of  form  are 
concerned,  though  in  other  respects  his  paper  is  full  of  erroneous  state- 
ments, especially  with  regard  to  the  genetic  connections  and  stratigraph- 
leal  distribution  of  the  varieties. 

"  I  have  also  a  very  remarkable  series  of  shells,  probably  belonging  to 
Valvata,  which  I  owe  to  the  kindness  of  Prof.  Edward  S.  Morse.  They 
were  collected  by  Prof.  C.  F.  Hartt  in  marl  laid  dry  by  the  drainage  of 
Lawlor's  Lake  in  Nova  Scotia.  These  are  equal  to  any  described  species 
in  variation,  some  of  them  being  actually  unwound,  with  a  perfectly 
cylindrical  outline,  to  the  mouth  of  the  shell.  What  the  governing 
peculiarities  of  the  locality  last  named  may  have  been  at  the  time  the 
marl  was  deposited,  I  cannot  say,  but  the  condition  of  the  Steinheim 
Lake  during  the  Tertiary  period,  and  of  the  small  ponds,  described  by 
M.  Pir6,  resembles  closely  that  of  the  localities  described  in  your 
paper. 

*'  The  Steinheim  Lake  was  evidently,  as  shown  by  Quenstedt  and  Fraas, 
an  isolated  sheet  of  water  about  a  mile  in  diameter.  The  ponds  of 
Magn^e,  according  to  M.  Pir6,  are  fed  only  by  rain-water,  but  are  never 
frozen  and  never  dry. 

**  Not  only,  therefore,  is  the  occurrence  of  these  extreme  variations 
exceptional,  but  they  appear  in  localities  presenting  certain  excep- 
tional characteristics.  These  characteristics  are  well  worth  investigating, 
since  it  seems  as  if  a  direct  correlation  existed  between  the  extreme 
variations  of  the  shells,  and  some  physical  cause  common  to  all  tbe 
Jocalities  in  which  the  distorted  specimens  have  been  found.  That  the 
variations  are  not  distortions  in  the  ordinary  meaning  of  that  word,  can 
be  readily  understood  by  any  one  who  has  studied  an  extended  series  of 
thorn.  The  most  aberrant  of  these  varieties  in  Steinheim  has  descendants, 
which  perpetuate  its  peculiarities  for  what  must  have  been  a  consider- 
able lapse  of  time,  forming  races  of  greater  or  less  importance;  and  M. 
Pir6  inferred  the  same  fact  at  Magn6e,  from  dead  shells  found  buried  in 
the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  the  cisterns.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  reniust 
be  a  vast  array  of  similar  experiences  awaiting  any  explorer  of  the  iso- 
lated lakes  and  ponds  of  this  country,  and  I  hope  your  publication  will 
open  the  way  for  many  similar  observations.  In  no  other  direction  can 
we  look  for  more  light  upon  the  mode  of  origin  of  new  races  and  forms, 


f 


404       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TEKRITORIES. 

and  the  causes  which  lead  to  their  prodnctioD,  than  by  the  study  of  siidi 
isolated  localities,  where  causes  are  reduced  to  their  least  complicated 
state,  and  results  reach  their  maximum,  so  far  as  the  observability  and 
variety  of  the  characteristics  are  concerned." 

Helisoma  trivolvis,  Sat. 

Pond  between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata ^ 10  specimens. 

San  Luis  Lakes , 5  specim«i& 

There  is  a  long  list  of  recorded  localities  from  all  the  Territories,  as 
well  as  British  America  and  the  Pacific  coast,  so  that  it  seems  univer- 
sally distributed  over  this  continent. 

The  pond  first  alluded  to  was  entirely  isolated,  and  several  acres  in 
extent,  resorted  to  by  vast  flocks  of  wild  fowl,  and  inhabited  by  all  sorts 
of  fresh-water  and  amphibious  life.  The  bottom  was  mudd^^,  and  nearly 
the  whole  expanse  choked  with  luxurious  vegetation. 

All  of  the  species,  which  were  abundant,  seem  to  belong  to  this 
species,  although  there  are  scarcely  two  alike.  One  resembles  closely 
Flanorlns  macrostomusj  Whiteaves;  another  in  near  P.  tumens^  Cpr.;  a 
third  variety  might  be  identified  as  P.  glabratus^  Say,  if  that  shell  were 
dextral;  yet,  while  all  difi'er  in  development  and  in  color,  all  agree  in 
being  very  fragile,  which  may  be  owing  partly  to  scarcity  of  lime  in  the 
water,  aud  partly  to  the  soft  bottom )  and  in  having  a  short  vertical 
diameter,  which  peculiarity  may  have  been  acquired  by  them  from  the 
necessities  of  their  habitat,  since  snails  having  shells  with  small  breadth 
of  beam  could  most  advantageously  pass  between  the  stalks  of  standing 
water-plants  which  everywhere  crowd  the  pond.  This  species  is  an 
inhabitant  of  the  United  States  generally. 

Helisoma  ammon,  Gld. — Colorado  Desert  {Blake)  ]  Klamath  Lake,  Ore- 
gon, and  Rhett  Lake,  California  (Neicherry) ;  east  of  Fort  Colville,  Wash- 
ington Territory  {Northwestern  Boundary  Survey),  Pacific  slope. 

Helisoma  Traskeiy  Lea,  is  probably  a  synonym  of  the  above.  Cali- 
fornia. 

Helisoma  corpulenitis,  Say. — Oregon  and  Washington  Territory  ( United 
States  Exploring  Expedition)  \  Lake  Osoyoos,  Washington  Territory 
(Marsh))  British  Colombia (Xor(?) ;  Okanigan  Eiver,  Washington  Terri- 
tory {Cooper) ;  Pacific  Coast  and  Guatemala.  It  seems  doubtful  whether 
this  is  not  a  synonym  of  i/.  trivolvis. 

Planorbis  oregonensis^  Try  on. — Pueblo  Valley,  on  the  boundary  be- 
tween Oregon  and  Nevada,  "  from  a  thermal  spring,  water  above  blood- 
heat"  {Gahb). 

Planorbis  subcrenatus,  Cpr. — Oregon  {NuttalC) ;  Washoe,  Nevada  {New- 
comb);  Snmass  Prairie,  British  Columbia  {Lord).  California. 

Planorbis Hornii^  Tryon. — Utah  {8uro,  W.  of  100th if.);  Truckee Eiver, 
Nevada  {Carlton). 

Planorbis  gracilenttis,  Gld. — Colorado  Desert  ( Weibb).  This  seems  to 
be  a  northern  form  of  P.  Liebmanni.  Dunker. 

7  • 

Oyraulus  parvus,  Say. 

Camp  9:  Hot  Sulphur  Springs 1  specimen. 

Arkansas  River,  ten  miles  below  Granite 5  specimens. 

Between  Bio  Animas  aud  Bio  La  Plata 2  specimens. 

Saint  Mary's  Lake,  Antelope  Park 60  sj)ecimen8. 

North  Park  {Barber) , . .     6  specimens. 


xKomsuLu]  ZOOLOGY LIMN-EIDiE.  405 

It  occurs  also  in  Hell-Gate  River,  MontaDa  (Coop^);  Ccear  d'Alfine 
Xake,  MoQtBDa  {Hemphill) ;  Ruby  Valley,  Nevada  {ISimpson) ;  and  aloug 
the  Yellowstone  {Smiths.  Catal.).    Eastern  States. 

Oyratilus  verniioularis^  Gld.— Truckee,  Nevada,  altitude  5,866  feet, 
xare ;  Dalles,  Oi-egon  {Cooper).    Santa  Cruz  northward. 

POMPHOLIGINJE. 

• 

Pompholyx  effusa^  Lea. — ^Near  White  Pine,  Nevada  {Hemphill)]  north- 
eastern California  {Newberry).    Sacramento  Valley. 
•    Garinifex  Newberryi^  Lea. — Klamath  Lake,  Oregon  {Newberry).    Cali- 
fornia. 

Varticifex  Tryoni^  Meek. — Fossil  in  Tertiaries  of  Nevada  {King). 

t  Ancylus  paralleluB,  Haldeman. 

North  Park  (Earner)  4  specimens. 

Among  the  shells  brought  home  by  Mr.  Barber  were  four  apparently 
full-grown  specimens,  and  one  young  one,  of  an  AncyluSy  none  of  which 
contained  the  animal.  While  closely  resembling  the  figure  of  A.  cau- 
rinusy  Cooper,  given  on  page  144  of  Part  II,  of  Binney  and  Bland's 
Land  and  Fresh- Water  Shells  of  North  America,  careful  comparison 
vith  the  large  series  in  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology  failed  to 
establish  any  great  difference  between  them  and  A.parallelm.  As, 
however,  this  latter  species  has  not  been  found  hitherto,  out  of  New 
England,  it  seems  only  proper  to  look  upon  the  apparent  identity  of 
the  Colorado  and  eastern  shells,  with  caution.  A  slight  difference  in 
the  angle  of  the  sides  en  profile  may,  perhaps,  be  noticeable  between 
them. 

Ancylus  Newberryij  Lea. — Klamath  Lake,  Oregon  {Newberry). 

Ancylus  kootaniensiSy  Baird. — Rivers  Kootanie  and  Spokane  {Lard). 

Ancylus  patelloides,  Lea. — Spokane  River,  Washington  Territory, 
[approaching  A.  kootaniensis]  {Hemphill).    California. 

Acroloxus  Nuttalliij  Hald. — Oregon  {Nuttall);  lower  part  of  Snake 
River,  Washington  Territory  {Hemphill).    California. 

LIMN^ID^. 
Lixnnea  stagnalis,  Linn^us. 
Between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata 2  specimens. 

Fraser  River,  typical,  fine,  and  abundant  {Lord)]  east  of  Fort  Colville 
{Northwest  Boundary  Survey) ;  Rhett's  Lake,  California  {Newberry);  Ruby 
Valley,  Nevada,  and  southern  Utah  {Simpson).    Circumpolar. 

Idmnea  snmassi,  Baibd. 
Between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata 1  specimen. 

Bast  of  Fort  Colville,  Washington  Territory  {Northwest  Boundary 
Survey);  Su mass  Prairie  (Xord). 

Limnea  Haydenij  W.  G.  B. — Yellowstone  and  Big  Sioux  Rivers  {Hay- 
den);  Ruby  Valley,  Nevada  {Simpson). 

Limnea — ? 
Camp  30 :  Rio  Grande,  above  del  Norte 60  specimens. 

Bemauks. — "Near  L.  Bowelliiy  Try  on.'' — Dr.  Jas.  Lewis,  in  letter. 


406  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   TUE   TERRITORIES. 

Limnea  palnstris,  Muller. 
Between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata 2  specimeDS. 

Co\umbm  River  {Niittall);  Klamath  Lake  and  Sumner  Lake,  Oregon; 
Ehett's  Lake  and  Wright's  Lake,  California  {Neicberry);  Hell-Gate 
Elver  and  Missouri  Elver  above  Falls  {Cooper).    Circuropolar. 

Limnea  Ifnttalliana,  Lea. 
Between  Animas  and  La  Plata  Elvers 75  specimens. 

Eemarks. — Often  considered  a  synonym  of  L.palustriSj  with  which, 
in  the  West,  it  seems  to  be  co-extensive. 

Limnea  desidiosa,  Say. 

Gamp    9:  Hot  Sulphur  Springs 10  specimens. 

CamplI:  Blue  River  Valley.. 10  sijecimens. 

Lake  Osoyoos,  Washington  Territory  (Lord)}  Missouri  Eiver  above 
the  Falls  [Cooper) ;  Yellowstone  Eiver  (Hayden).  Eastern  United  States 
and  Mississippi  Valley.  This  shell  is  called  Limnea  obrussa  in  many 
western  lists. 

Limnea  catascopium^  Say. — New  Eugland  to  Lewis  [Snake]  Eiver,  and 
through  British  America  (Binney) ;  Lake  Utah  {Burton) ;  Idaho  (?). 

Limnea  Binneyi,  Tryon. — Hell  Gate  Eiver,  Montana  (Binney). 

Limnea  emarginata^  Say. — New  England  to  Washington  Territory 
[Auct). 

Limnea  bulimoidesj  Lea. — Oregon  {NuttaJl ;  Hayden). 

Limnea  Traski,  Tryon. 

Golorado 6  specimens. 

A  Galifornian  species.. 

Limnea  hnmilis,  Say. 

Gamp  17  :  San  Luis  Valley 2  specimens. 

Gam  p  26 :  Ho  ward  ville.  Baker's  Park 1  specimen. 

Hell-Gate  Eiver,  Montana  {Cooper).    All  over  the  continent 

IL^jnneafermginea,  Haldeman. 
Between  the  Animas  and  La  Plata 2  specimens. 

Oregon  (Nuttall).  "  If  not  L.  ferrugineaj  it  may  be  new.''— Dr.  Jas. 
Lewis,  in  letter. 

Class  CONCHIFERA. 

Order  DIMYARIA. 

GOEBIGULAD^. 

Sphcerium  atriatinum^  Lamarck. — Hell  Gate  Eiver  and  Missouri  Biver 
above  the  Falls  (Cooper) '^  Humboldt  Eiver,  Nevada  {Hepburn).  East- 
ern North  America. 

Sphcerium  occidentaU,  Prime. — Hell-Gate  Eiver  (Cooper).  Northern 
States  and  Gauada. 

Sphcerium  dentatum^  Hald. — Oregon  {21'uttall). 


isGBBUOLL.]       ZOOLOGY UNIONIDiE ^LIST   OP   AUTHORITIES.  407 

Sphcerium  patellaj  Gonld.— Walla- Walla,  Oregon  (J7.  S.  Uxpl.  Exped.). 

Sphccrium  lenticula^  GId. — Lake  Tahoe,  Klauiatb  aud  Carsou  EiverK, 
Cal.  {Cooper). 

Sphagnum  tumidumj  Baird. — Sumass  Prairie,  Fraser  Kiver  (Lord). 

Sphccrium  spokanij  Baird.— ^Spokane  and  Kootauie  liivers  {Lord; 
Hernphill). 

Sphccrium  tenue,  Prime. — I  am  confident  that  I  secured  this  species 
(one  specimen)  at  tbe  liio  La  Plata.  It  has  been  recorded,  I  think, 
from  Montana  and  anotber  northern  locality.    It  is$  a  boreal  species. 

Fisidium  abditam,  Haldeman. 

CampO:  Hot  Springs 30  specimens. 

Camp  D :  Animas  Valley 1  specimen. 

Saint  Mary's  Lake,  Antelope  Park 1  specimen. 

Raft  River,  near  Fort  Hall,  Iduho  {Reia);  Truckee  River  {Carlton), 
All  over  tbe  continent. 

My  specimens  vary  greatly  in  color,  but  seem  to  be  all  referable  to 
this  widely-distributed  species.    Many  are  about  half-grown. 

Pisidium  compressum^  Prime. — White  Pine,  Nevada ;  Owen's  River, 
California  (Hemphill)^     Northern  States  and  Canada. 

Pisidium  occidentale^  Newc. — Truckee  River, Nevada  {Carlton).  Cali- 
fornia. 

Pinidium  ultramontanum^  Prime. — Canoe  Creek,  Pitt  River,  California 
(Cooper). ' 

UNIONID^. 

Unio  luteolwt.  Lam. — Missoui  i  River,  above  the  Falls  {Cooper).  United 
States  generally. 

Margaritaiia  margaritifera^  Linn. — Missouri  River  above  the  Falls; 
Spokane  River  below  Coeur  d'Alene  Lake  {Cooper)]  Salt  Lake,  Utah, 
or  Fort  Hall,  Idaho  {Rtid) ;  Truckee  River,  Nevada  ( Carlton).  Cosmo- 
politan. This  Mollusk  is  eaten  by  tbe  Indians  east  of  the  Cascade 
Mountains. 

Anodonta  angulata^  Iteti, — Idaho,  Montana  {Cooper)]  Columbia  Jliver 
{Lord.)    Considered  at  most  only  a  variety  of  the  foregoing. 

Anodonia  oregonenniH^  Lea. — Abundant  east  and  west  of  the  Cascades 
{Lord)  ]  Montana  ( Cooper). 

Anodonta  Nuttalliana^  Lea. — Idaho  {Cooper). 

Anodonta  whalamatemis^  Lea. — Idaho,  to  British  Columbia  {Cooper). 

LIST  OF  AUTHORITIES. 

The  following  list  of  authors  is  intended  to  include  all  of  the  books 
and  papers  ])ublished  in  English  tbat  contain  direct  reference  to  the 
mollusca  of  the  Central  Province,  so  called. 

Such  general  works  as  Gould's  Shells  ol'  the  United  States  Exploring 
Expedition,  Dr.  Binney's  Terrestrial  Mollusks,  Haldeman's  Monograph 
of  the  Limuoiida),  Lea's  Observations,  Binnev  and  Bland's  Land  and 
Freshwater  Shells  of  North  America,  and  Pfeifter's  Monographia 
Heiiceorum,  must,  of  course,  be  consulted  in  working  up  the  *jio11u8c<iq 
fauna  of  any  district,  but  scarcely  requii>3  mention  among  special  author- 
ities. 

Baird.  Descriptions  of  some  new  species  of  shells  collected  in  Van- 
couver's Island  and  in  British  Columbia,  by  J.  K.  Lord,  1838-02  : 
by  Wm.  Baird,  M.  D.    Proc.  Zool.  Soc.  of  Loudon,  1803-07. 


408       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBRITOKIES. 

Bland.  Notes  on  the  sub-generic  characters  oi Helix  JamaicensiSy  GbemD., 
and  on  certain  terrestrial  mollusks  from  Haiti,  with  descrlptioD 
of  a  new  species  of  Helix  from  Colorado :  by  Thomas  Bland. 
Ann.  N.  Y.  Lye.  N.  H.,  Xf,  146. 

Bland  and  Binney.  On  the  generic  position  of  Helix  Neuberryana:  by 
Thos.  Bland  and  VV.  G.  Binney.  Am.  Jour.  Coucbology,  Vli, 
190 ;  plate  17,  figs.  3  and  4. 

Bland  and  Cooper.  Notice  of  land  and  fresh- water  shells  collected  by  Dr. 
J.  G.  Cooper,  in  the  Rocky  Monutaius,  etc. :  by  Thos.  Bland. 
Ann.  N.  Y.  Lye.  N.  H.,  1801,  362. 

Binney.  Report  on  the  land  shells  collected  on  the  survey:  by  W.  G. 
Binney.  In  the  reports  of  explorations  and  surveys  for  a  rail- 
road from  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  etc, 
VI,  IIL 

Descriptions  of  American  land  shells :  by  W.  G.  Binney.   Proc 

Phil.  Acad.  Sc,  IX,  18. 

Notes  on  American  land  shells.  No.  3:  by  W.  G.  Binney.   Proc 

Piiil.  Acad.  Sc,  X,  197. 

A  supplement  to  Amos  Binney's  Terrestrial  MoUusks  of  the 

United  States,  constituting  volume  IV  of  the  same:  by  W.  G. 
Binney.  Boston,  1859.  [From  the  Journal  of  the  Boston  Soc 
of  Nat.  Hist.] 

Catalogue  of  tne  terrestrial  air-breathing  mollnsks  of  the  United 

States:  by  W.  G.  Binney.    Bull.  Mus.  Comp.  Zool.,  Ill, ix. 

Notes  on  American  land  shells  and  other  miscellaneous  coucho- 

logical  contributions:  by  W.  G.  Binney.  Proc.  Phil.  Acad. 
Sc,  1874  and  1875.  [Also  bound  up  in  two  volumes  for  the 
author,  at  Burlington,  N.  J.  I 

Carpenter.  The  moUusks  of  western  North  America:  by  P.  P.  Cabpen- 
TEB.  Washington,  Smithsonian  Institution,  1872.  [Reprinted 
from  Keport  to  the  Brit.  Assoc,  etc| 

Carlton.  List  of  the  shells  of  Truckee  River  and  vicinity:  by  H.  P. 
Carlton.    Proc  Cal.  Acad.  Sc,  IV,  57. 

Confad.  Description  of  a  new  species  of  Melania :  by  T.  A.  Coxead. 
Proc  Phil.  Acad.  Sc,  Vll,  269. 

Cooper.  List  of  shells  collected  by  Mr.  Schoolcraft  in  the  western  and 
northwestern  terniory :  by  Wm.  Cooper.  In  the  appendix  to 
Narrative  of  an  expedition  through  the  Upper  Missouri,  etc., 
under  the  direction  of  Henry  B.  Schoolcraft.    New  York,  1834. 

Report  on  the  niollusca  of  the  survey :  by  Wm.  Cooper.    In  the 

Pacific  Railroad  Reports,  XII,  pt.  ii.  [Same  as  afterward  ap- 
peared in  Cooper  and  Suckley's  Natural  HiiJtory  of  Wsishington 
Territory :  New  York,  1859.] 

Croper.  Geographical  catalogue  of  the  mollusca  found  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  between  latitude  33^  and  49^  north:  by  J.  6. 
Cooper,  M.  D.  In  connection  with  geological  survey  of  Cali- 
fornia.   San  Francisco,  1867. 

On  the  distribution  and  localities  of  west  coast  helicoid  land- 

shells:  by  J.  G.  Cooper,  M.  D.  Am.  Jour.  Conchology,  IV, 
211. 

West  coast  helicoid  land-shells :  by  J.  G.  Cooper,  M.  D.    Proc 

Cal.  Acad.  Sc,  III,  331. 
"West  coast  fresh-water  univalves.  No.  1 :  by  J.  G.  Cooper,  M. 

D.    Proc  Cal.  Acad.  Sc,  IV.  92. 
Notes  on  west  coast  land-shells.  No.  2:  by  J.  G.  Cooper,  M.  D. 

Am.  Jour.  Conchology,  V,  199. 


IKOBB80LL.]  ZOOLOGY — LIBT   OP  AUTHORITIES.  409 

On  shells  of  the  west  slope  of  North  America:  by  J.  G.  Cooper, 

M.  D.    Proc.  Cal.  Acad.  Sc,  IV,  160. 
No.  2  of  same.    Ibid.,  171. 

On  new  California  Tnlmonata,  etc:  by  J.  G.  Cooper,  M.  D. 

Pror^.  Phil.  Acad.  Sc,  1872,  143. 
I>all.  On  a  species  of  Helix  from  California,  supposed  to  be  new :  by  W. 
H.  Dall.    Am.  Jour.  Conchology,  II,  328. 

On  a  new  subfamily  of  fiuviatile  mollusca:  by  W.  H.  DAX.L, 

Prpc  Cal.  Acad.  Sc,  III,  204. 
On  the  genus  PompJiolyx  and  its  allies,  with  a  revision  of  the 

LimnsBidsb  of  authors :  by  W.  H.  Dall.    Ann.  N.  Y.  Lye  N. 

M.,  IX.,  33o. 
Gabb.  Descriptions  of  three  new  species  of  land-shells  from  Arizona:  by 

Wm.  M.  Gabb.    Am.  Jour.  Conchology,  II,  330. 

Description  of  a  new  Helix  from  Utah :  by  Wm.  M.  Gabb.    Am. 

Jour.  Conchology,  V,  24. 
Gould.  Catalogue  of  shells  collected  in  California  by  W.  P.  Blake,  with 

descriptions  of  the  new  species :  by  Augustus  A.  Gould,  M. 

D.    In  appendix  to  the  preliminary  geological  report  of  Wm. 

P.  Blake  to  Lient.  R.  I.  Williamson.    Washington,  1855. 
Descriptions  of  new  species  of  land  and  fresh-water  shells  from 

western  North  America :  by  A.  A.  Gould.    Proc  Bost.  Soc 

N.  H.,  V,  127. 
Lea.  Description  of  new  fresh-water  and  land-shells;  by  Isaao  Lea. 

Trans.  Am.  Philos.  Soc,  VI.    [Incorporated  in  Observations  on 

the  genus  UniOj  etc.,  II.] 

Continnation  of  paper  on  fresh-water  and  land  shells :  by  ISAAO 

Lea.  Trans.  Am.  Philos.  Soc,  IX,  [Incorporated  into  Obser- 
vations,' etc.,  IV.] 

Descriptions  of  new  freshwater  shells  from  California :  by  Isaao 

Lea.    Proc  Phil.  Acad.  Sc,  VIII,  80. 

Descriptions  of  a  Helix  and  two  new  Planorbes:  by  ISAAO  Lea. 

Proc  Phil.  Acad.  Sc,  X,  41. 

Descriptions  of  six  new  species  of  Succinea  from  the  United 

States :  by  Isaao  Lea.    Proc  Phil.  Acad.  Sc  18C4, 109. 

Descriptions  of  twenty -four  new  species  of  Physa  of  the  United 

States  and  Canada:  by  Isaao  Lea.  Proc  Phil.  Acad.  Sc 
18C4,  114. 

Descriptions  of  six  new  species  of  fresh-water  shells :  by  Isaao 

Lea.    Proc  Phil.  Acad.  Sc,  1809-70,  124. 

Lord.  The  naturalist  in  Vancouver's  Island  and  British  Columbia:  by 
John  Keast  Lord,  naturalist  to  the  British  northwestern 
boundary  commission.    2  vols.    London,  1866. 

ffewcomb.  Catalogue  of  Helices  inhabiting  the  west  coast  of  North 
America,  etc :  by  Wesley  Newcomb,  M.  D.  Am.  Jour.  Con- 
chology, I,  342. 

Addition  to  catalogue  of  Helices,  etc.,  ibid.,  II,  13. 

Desciiption  of  new  species  of  land  shells:  by  W.  Newcomb,  M. 

D.    Proc  Cal.  Acad.  Sc,  III,  179.      • 

Description  of  a  new  American  species  of  Helix:  by  W.  New- 
comb, M..D.    Am.  Jour.  Conchology,  II,  1. 

,^  Description  of  a  new  American  Helix:  by  W.  Newcomb,  M.  D, 

Am.  Jour.  Conchology,  V,  165. 

Prime.  Monograph  of  North  American  Corbiculadse :  by  Temple 
Peime.    Washington,  Smithsonian  Institution,  1865. 


410 


GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY    OF   THE   TEkEITORIES. 


Stearns.    Eemarks  on  fossil  shells  in  the  Colorado  Desert:  by  £.  C. 

Stearns.    Proc.  Cal.  Acad.  Sc,  IV,  229. 
Stimpson.    Researches  ou  the  H>  drobiioa)  and  allied  forms :  by  Dr.  Wm. 

Stimpson.     Washiugtou,  Smithsonian  institution,  1865. 
Tryon.    Catalo^^ue  of  the  species  of  Physa  inhabiting  the  United  States : 

by  George  W.  Tryon.    Am.  Jour.  Gonchology,  I,  165, 
^^Descriptions  of  new  species  of  Amnicola^  Pomatiopsis,  Sonutto- 

gyrusy  OabbiUy  Hydrobia^  and  Rissoa :  by  George  W.  Tryo». 

Am.  Jour.  Gonchology,  I,  219: 
Descriptions  of  new  species  of  North  American  Limnssidae :  by 

George  W.  Tryon.    Am.  Jour.  Gonchology,  I,  223. 
Review  of  the  Goniabases  of  Oregon  and  Galifornia:  by  Gborgb 

W.  Tryon.    Am.  Jour.  Gonchology,  I,  236. 
' Catalogue  of  the  species  of  Limnea  of  the  United  States :  by 

George  W.  Tryon.    Am.  Jour.  Gonchology,  I,  247. 
New  localities  for  Physce:  by  George  VV.  Tryon.    Am.  Jour. 

Gonchology,  II,  7. 
Monograph  of  the  family  Strepomatidse :  by  George  W.  Tbyok. 

Am.  Jour.  Gonchology,  I  and  II. 


TOPOGRAPHY  AND  GEOGRAPHY. 


IlEI>OIlT8 


OF 


HENRY  GANNETT,  S.  B.  LADD,  AND  A.  D.  WILSON. 


411 


i 


4. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  REPORT  OF  HENRY  GANNETT,  M,  E.,  TOPOG- 
RAPHER DIRECTING  MIDDLE  DIVISION. 


IJ^TRODUCTORY  LETTER. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  8nbaiit  to  jou  herewith  my  report  on  the 
geographical  work  of  the  middle  diviaiou  of  the  survey  during  the 
season  of  1874. 

The  party  in  my  charge  was  composed  as  follows :  Dr.  A.  C.  Peale, 
geologist:  Fred.  D.  Owen,  assistant  topographer;  Frank  Kellogg  and 
Arch.  R.  ^alloch,  general  assistants,  with  two  packers  and  a  cook. 

The  party  left  Denver  on  July  21,  and  i)roceeded  to  the  field  of  work 
via  Fairplay,  Mosquito  Pass,  and  Tennessee  Pass,  returning  by  the 
Bouthern  route,  via  Cochetopa  Pass,  San  Luis  Valley,  Poncho  Pass,  and 
Canon  City,  reaching  Denver  November  10. 

The  area  worked  is  five  thousand  three  hundred  square  miles,  in  doing 
•which  eighty-six  stations  were  occupied,  or  an  average  of  one  in  every 
8  miles. 

I  would  here  express  my  thanks  to  Mr.  Q.  F.  Bond,  Indian  agent  at 
the  Los  Pinos  agency,  for  assistance  rendered  by  him  during  the  season. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

HENRY  GANNETT. 

Dr.  F.  V.  IIA.YDEN, 

United  States  Oeologist 


413 


/ 


CHAPTER   I. 


The  district  assigned  to  the  middle  division  for  the  field  season  of 
1874  was  bounded  as  follows:  Commencing  at  the  intersection  of  the 
Orand  River  with  the  meridian  of  109°  30',  the  north  line  follows  the 
Orand  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle  River;  thence  the  Eagle  River  to 
its  intersection  with  the  parallel  of  39o  16' ;  thence  west,  along  this 
parallel,  to  the  meridian  of  107O;  south  on  tins  meridian  to  the  parallel 
of  38°  20' ;  west  on  this  parallel  to  the  meridian  of  109°  30',  and  north  on 
this  meridian  to  its  intersection  with  the  Grand  River.  The  total  area 
of  this  district  is  seven  thousand  five  hundred  square  miles.  Of  this 
area  the  party  in  my  charge  has  worked  all  of  the  country  lying  be- 
tween the  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers,  the  strip  lying  between  the 
parallel  of  39°  15'  and  the  Eagle  River,  and  a  small  area  south  of  the 
Gunnison  River,  between  the  one  hundred  and  seventh  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eighth  meridians. 

PREVIOUS  EXPLOBATIONS    IN  THE    DISTRICT  UNDER   CONSIDERATION. 

With  the  exception  of  a  little  work  done  along  the  borders,  this 
country  was  as  little  known  as  any  part  of  the  Western  Territories.  No 
map,  representing  even  the  most  general  features,  was  in  existence. 

In  1845,  Fremont,  at  that  time  a  lieutenant  in  the  Corps  of  Topo- 
graphical Engineers,  skirted  the  northern  border  for  a  short  distance. 
He  came  up  the  Arkansas  River,  crossed  the  main  divide  at  Tennessee 
I^ass,  and  traveled  down  Eagle  River  as  far  as  the  mouth  of/ creek. 
Here  he  crossed  the  river  and  took  the  trail  over  to  White  River,  which 
stream  he  followed  down  some  distance,  then  crossed  the  country  to  the 
Green  River,  thence  to  Salt  Lake  City.  He  was  in  the  country  in 
which  I  worked  during  last  season,  only  while  on  the  Eagle  River  for 
a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles. 

In  the  autumn  of  1853,  Captain  Gunnison,  with  a  large  force  of 
soldiers  and  civilian  employes,  including  topographers  and  a  geologist, 
and  a  large  wagon-train,  came  into  this  country  by  way  of  San  Luis 
Valley,  <3ochetopa  Pass,  and  Cochetopa  Creek.  From  the  mouth  of 
Cochetopa  Creek  his  course  was  down  the  Gunnison  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  White  Earth  Creek,  sixteen  miles,  within  which  distance  he  was 
obliged  to  cross  the  river  several  times.  At  the  mouth  of  White  Eacth 
Creek  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the  Gunnison  and  cross  the  rolling, 
broken  country  south  of  it,  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  to  Lake  Fork, 
which  he  crossed  with  considerable  diflQculty  several  miles  above  its 
mouth.  He  then  continued  down  its  west  bank  nearly  to  the  Gunnison, 
where  he  wound  around  the  side  of  the  mesa  to  the  valley  of  Mountain 
Creek.    He  traveled  up  the  valley  of  this  creek,  in  a  direction  nearly 

415 


416       GEOLOGICAL  SUBVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

south,  for  several  miles,  then  left  it,  gaining  the  summit  of  tbe  plateaa. 
On  this  summit  he  traveled  in  a  direction  fjeuerally  west,  cros^ 
several  streams,  until  he  reached  a  branch  of  CeboUa  Creek.  He  trav- 
eled  down'  this  branch  and  the  main  creek  to  a  point  only  one  mile 
from  its  mouth,  where. the  Gunnison  is  in  a  tremendous  eauon.  There 
he  left  CeboUa  Creek  and  crossed  the  ridge  to  Cedar  Ci^eek,  a  branch  of 
the  Uncompahgre  Kiver.  Thence  he  followed  Cedar  Creek  and  the 
Uncompahgre  to  the  Gunnison  Eiver.  He  forded  the  Gunnison  at  the 
mouth  of  Koubideau's  Creek.  Thence  his  course  followed  a  low, 
trough  like  depression  in  the  valley  near  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison  to 
the  Grand  River,  which  he  forded  about  five  miles  above  the  mouth  of 
the  Gunnison.  Below  this  point  bis  route  followed  the  course  of  the 
Grand  quite  closely  tor  a  long  distiince  below  what  he  supposed  to  be 
the  mouth  of  the  Dolores,  finally  crossing  to  the  Green,  and  theocre  to  the 
Sevier,  whence  it  goes  nenrly  north  to  Salt  Lake  City.  The  topo|2:raph- 
icai  work  done  by  this  expedition  consists  of  a  narrow  belt  on  each  side 
of  their  line  of  travel.  The  general  course  of  the  Gunnison,  except  in 
the  great  canon,  was  mapped. 

A  few  months  later,  Fremont  passed  over  the  same  route,  on  his  way 
to  California. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1873^  Lieutenant  Ituffner,  United  States 
Engineer  Corps,  had  a  party  within  this  district,  under  the  immediate 
direction  of  civilian  assistant  H.  G.  Prout.    This  party  surveyed  tha 
principal  part  of  Ohio  Creek,  and  the  head  of  Anthracite   Creek,  a 
branch  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison  Eiver — in  all,  perhaps,  two 
hundred  square  miles.     His  map,  of  which  this  area  forms  but  a  small 
portion,  was  published  in  the  sjmng  of  1874.    In  Mr.  Prout^s  report, 
which  accompanies  the  maps,  he  gives  certain  names  to  some  of  tbe 
prominent  mountain-peaks  in  this  area.    These  names  would  be  plo^ced 
on  our  maps,  were  it  possible  to  identify  the  peaks  on  which  they  have 
been  bestowed,  but  neither  from  his  report  nor  from  his  map  can  the 
names  be  located. 

aEOGRAPHY  OF  THE  DISTRICT. 

« 

In  this  report,  I  shall  take  up  the  whole  country  west  of  tbe  Sawatch 
range,  over  which  I  have  worked  during  the  two  seasons  of  1873  and 
1874,  in  order  to  consider  the  Elk  Mountains  and  their  spurs  as  a  whole, 
even  at  the  risk  of  repeating  some  of  my  report  on  the  field-work  of  1873. 

West  of  the  Great  Sawatch  range,  the  county  is  drained  by  the  two 
rivers,  the  Grand  and  the  Gunnison.  The  Gunnison  is  the  largest  and 
most  important  branch  of  the  Grand,  while  the  Grand,  by  its  union  with 
the  Green,  gives  rise  to  the  Eio  Colorado,  which  drains  nearly  all  of  the 
southwestern  i)art  of  the  United  States. 

The  principal  branches  of  these  rivers  are:  of  the  Grand,  from  the 
south.  Eagle  River,  Roaring  Fork,  Divide  Creek,  and  Plateau  Creek; 
of  the  Gunnison  River,  from  the  north,  Taylor  River,  Slate  River,  Ohio 
Creek,  Smith's  Fork,  and  the  ^orth  Fork  of  theGunnison,  and  fi'om  the 
south,  Texas  Creek,  Cochetopa  Creek,  Lake  Fork,  (or  Rio  delaLagana 
of  the  Spaniards,)  Cebolla  Creek,  and  the  Uncompahgre  River. 

The  country  between  these  two  large  streams,  the  Grand  and  Ganni- 
son,  consists,  in  the  eastern  part,  of  the  system  of  mountains  known  as 
the  Elk  Mountains,'  with  its  spurs,  which,  at  its  western  extremity,  falls 
into  plateau,  considerably  broken  down  by  denudation.  The  Elk  MouDt- 
aius,  with  their  si)urs,  occupy  the  whole  area  between  the  Eagle  River 
and  the  i)ortion  of  the  Grand  River  between  the  mouths  of  the  Ea^le 
and  Routing  Fork  on  the  north,  and  the  Gunnison  from  its  head  to  tbe 


GANNETT.]  OEOGBAPHY — ^ELK  MOUNTAINS.  417 

month  of  its  North  Fork  on  the  south  and  west.  The  whole  area  covered 
l3y  this  system  is  aboat  three  thousand  two  hundred  square  miles.  This 
^aitimate  covers  not  only  the  high  monntaiu  region,  but  also  all  the  spurs 
directly  connected  with  the  rsiiige,  thus  including  much  rolling  and  val- 
ley country'. 

The  principal  part  of  this  mountain  system  is  in  the  form  of  a  series 
of  parallel  ranges  connected  transversely  by  low  saddles,  and  having  a 
<lirection  about  north  30^  west  and  south  30^  east,  or  essentially  the 
aame  direction  as  the  Sawatch  ivnd  Park  ranges  and  other  ranges  in 
Colorado.  The  most  important  of  these  ranges,  both  in  height  and  con- 
tinuity, is  the  most  eastern,  the  one  which  is  terminated  on  the  north  by 
Sopris'  Peak,  and  includes  Capitol  Peak,  Snowmass  Mountain,  Castle 
l?eak,  and  others  of  the  principal  peaks  of  the  system.  This  range  joins 
t  he  Suwatch  range  in  a  heavy,  broad,  and  comparatively  low  ridge,  in 
latitude  38o  45'. 

Farther  west,  the  parallel  ranges  are  not  as  continuous,  or  as  high, 
but  all  have  a  uniform  direction,  until  we  reach  the  western  part  of  the 
fi&ystem.  In  about  the  longitude  of  the  head  of  Ohio  Creek,  i,  e ,  longi- 
t  ude  107^  6',  the  character  of  the  grouping  changes,  and  the  mountains  are 
ill  isolated  groups,  irregularly  disposed.  But  here,  as  farther  east,  the 
drainage  still  has  the  same  direction,  slightly  west  of  north  and  east  of 
MOuth,  as  is  the  case  with  Ohio  Creek,  Anthracite  Creek,  and  many 
others,  as  is  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  map. 

The  drainage  of  the  Elk  Mountains  toward  the  north  into  the  Grand 
is  carried  entirely  by  Koaring  Fork  and  its  branches;  to  the  south  b^^ 
the  Gunnison  and  its  branches  from  the  north  above  its  North  Fork ; 
and  on  the  west  by  the  IS'orth  Fork  of  the  Gunnison. 

Frying-Pan  Creek,  one  of  the  largest  branches  of  Bearing  Fork,  is 
in  a  very  narrow  valley,  or  close  caiion  throughout  its  course,  from  the 
Sawatch  range  to  its  month.  It  is  bordered  on  each  side  by  broad,  high 
ridges,  reaching  to  the  timber-line  or  above.  The  same  broad,  massive 
character  appertains  to  the  ridges  separating  all  the  branches,  which 
unite  to  form  lioaring  Fork,  as  far  around  toward  the  west  as  Castle 
Creek.  Here  we  reach  the  principal  range  of  the  Elk  Mountains,  and 
the  character  of  the  mountain-forms  changes  materially.  The  broad, 
massive  ridges  give  way  to  sharp,  conical  peaks,  ragged,  serrated 
ridges,  pinnacles,  and  spires.  They  increase  in  elevation  from  11,000  or 
J  2,000  feet  to  13,000  or  14,000.  The  mountains  present  great  diversity 
of  colors,  some  being  of  light-gray  trachyte,  others  of  red,  maroon,  and 
brown  sandstone. 

The  principal  range  of  this  mountain  system  separates  Boaring  Fork 
from  Bock  Creek.  It  is  a  very  well  deiined  range  as  far  south  as  the 
divide,  and  a  few  miles  beyond.  Farther  south  it  diminishes  in  eleva- 
tion and  loses  its  distinctive  character,  in  a  number  of  spurs,  separating 
branches  of  the  Gunnison.  Of  this  range,  Sopris  Peak  is  the  most 
northern  summit.  It  rises  abruptly  from  the  broad,  flat  valley  of  Bear- 
ing Fork  to  a  height  of  7,000  feet  above  it.  It  is  a  very  massive  moun- 
tain, covering,  with  its  broad  spurs,  an  enormous  extent  of  country,  and 
standing  alone,  as  it  does,  is  a  very  conspicuous  and  well-known  land- 
mark in  all  the  surrounding  country. 

South  of  Sopris  peak,  the  range  lulls  to  a  height  little  above  the  limit 
of  timber;  this  comparatively  low  ridge  extends,  with  little  change  in 
elevation,  to  Capitol  Mountain,  one  of  the  crowning  summits  of  the  range, 
whose  gray,  prism-sbaped  top  and  precipitous  sides  forbid  access. 
A  ragged  spur  running  from  Capitol  Mountain  northeastward  separates 
Capitol  and  Snowmass  Creeks*    It  bears,  near  its  end,  a  high  summit, 

27  H 


418  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TEBBIT0EIE8. 

which  has  been  named  Moaot  Daly,  io  honor  of  the  gentleman  who  is 
now  president  of  the  American  Geographical  Society.  Two  and  three- 
tenths  miles  farther  south  on  the  main  ridge  is  the  summit  which  has 
been  named  Snowmnss  Moant«  This  also  is  one  of  the  highest  saaimite 
in  the  system,  being  but  slightly  inferior  to  Capitol  Mountain  in  elevatioii* 
It  is  a  station  in  the  primary  triangniation.  It  has  received  its  name 
from  an  immense  field  of  snow  on  its  eastern  face.  This  snow-field,  in 
August,  which  is  the  mouth  when  there  is  the  least  snow  in  the  moan- 
tains,  had  an  area  of  lully  five  square  miles.  Probably  this  ia  the 
nearest  approach  to  a  glacier  in  the  Bocky  Mountains.  These  moon- 
tains,  Sopris,  Capitol,  Daly,  and  Snowmass,  being  of  eruptive  rocks, 
are  extremely  rugged  and  precipitous. 

Following  the  ridge  farther  south,  it  falls  to  an  elevation  of  but  12,500 
feet,  which  it  holds  tor.  about  six  miles;  then,  on  a  sharp  angle  in  the 
ridge,  rises  Maroon  Mountain.  This  peak  is  so  named  from  its  pecaliar 
color,  that  of  the  sandstones  of  which  it  is  composed.  It  is  one  of  the 
highest  peaks  in  the  system,  and  its  summit  is  nearly,  if  not  quite,  in- 
accessible. On  the  north  and  south  it  presents  walls  almost  vertical 
for  2,000  feet ;  on  the  west  it  is  full  as  steep  for  3,000  feet,  and  €>n  the 
east  a  sharp,  comb-like  ridge  runs  down  from  its  summit,  forming  the 
commencement  of  a  long,  heavy  ridge,  which  separates  two  large  branches 
of  Eoariug  Fork,  Snowmass  Creek  on  the  west  and  Maroon  Creek  on 
the  east.  This  ridge  has  a  direction  nearly  north,  and  for  many  miles 
its  crest  is  above  timber-line,  and  it  has  several  summits  above  13,500 
feet. 

The  main  ridge,  from  Maroon  Mountain,  turns  west  for  a  few  miles,  with 
two  quite  high  summits  on  it  in  this  part  .of  its  course,  then  turns  south 
and  suddenly  falls  considerably  at  the  head  of  Maroon  Creek,  sending 
off  a  heavy  spur  separating  the  two  branches  of  Maroon  Creek.  The 
highest  point  of  this  spur  is  near  its  end.  It  has  been  named  Pyramid 
Peak,  from  its  peculiar  shape.  It  is  a  first-class  peak,  reaching  nearly 
14,000  feet. 

Farther  down  the  main  ridge,  another  spur  with  a  sharp,  ragged  crest, 
separates  Maroon  Creek  from  the  next  branch  of  Itoaring  Fork,  known 
as  Castle  Creek.  Castle  Peak,  from  which  this  creek  derives  its  name. 
is  the  highest  peak  in  the  Elk  Mountains.  It  stands  on  the  dividing: 
ridge,  between  the  heads  of  two  branches  of  Castle  Creek.  It  has  a 
conical  summit,  from  which  the  main  ridge  runs  south,  in  a  succession 
of  high,  needle-like  points,  which  rise  several  hundred  feet  above  the 
ridge,  gradually  decreasing  in  altitude  as  they  recede  from  the  main 
peak.  The  summit  is  well-nigh  inaccessible,  the  only  way  to  reach  it 
being  up  a  crevice  on  the  south  side.  Its  color  is  dark  brown.  A  high, 
sharp  ridge,  separating  the  two  branches  of  Castle  Creek,  runs  north- 
eastward from  this  peak.  Summits  on  this  spur  reach  nearly  I4,OU0 
feet. 

From  Castle  Peak  this  range  runs  generally  about  southeast  for  sev- 
eral miles,  bearing  a  number  of  summits  of  secoud-rate  importance  upon 
it,  to  the  junction  with  the  Elk  divide,  as  I  call  the  ridge  se|)arating  the 
waters  flowing  into  the  Gunnison  from  those  flowing  into  the  Grand. 
South  of  this  divide,  the  most  important  peak,  perhaps,  is  the  one  named 
Italian  peak,  which  stands  at  the  extreme  head  of  the  Gunnison  River. 
It  was  so  named  from  the  singular  and  beautiful  grouping  of  colors  on 
its  surface,  produced  by  the  red  rocks,  white  snow-fields,  and  green 
patches  of  vegetation. 

South  of  Italian  Peak,  this  range  loses,  in  great  part,  its  distinctive 
character,  has  a  less  elevation,  and  becomes  a  mass  of  low,  heavy  spurs 


GANS«TT.]  GEOGRAPHY — ELK  MOUNTAINS.  419 

Across  tbese  heavy  spars  the  Gannison  makes  it€(  way,  cutting  a  deep 
caiion.  On  the  sontb  side  of  the  river,  at  the  head  of  the  cauoD,  stands 
alone,  a  conical  peak  called  Park  Gone.  This  peak  ends  this  range. 
Farther  south  a  rang^  of  low  hills  connects  with  tbe  range  of  the  Gou- 
tiDeutal  water-shed.  Tbe  branches  of  East  and  Slaijte  Rivers  are  sepa- 
rated by  broad  ridges,  rising  bnt  sligbtly  above  timber-line.  Around 
their  heads,  however,  separating  them  from  the  beadwaters  of  Roaring 
Fork  and  Bock  Greek,  is  a  higb,  ragged  ridge,  set  with  lofty  peaks,  but 
broken  by  low  saddles.  At  the  head  of  Teocalli  Greek  is  a  high  summit, 
known  as  White  Itock  Mountain,  from  tbe  white,  volcanic  rock  with 
which  it  is  capped.  Between  White  Kock  Mountain  and  Gastle  Peak 
there  are  several  very  high  summits,  none  of  them,  however,  exceeding 
13,500  feet  in  altitude. 

South  of  White  Eock  Mountain,  on  the  ridge  separating  Teocalli 
Greek  from  Dyke  Greek,  is  a  peak  known  as  the  Teocalli  from  its  re- 
semblance to  tbe  teocallis  of  the  Aztecs.  The  strata  composing  this 
mountain  are  nearly  horizontal,  and  are  so  broken  as  to  form  a  series  of 
steps  from  tbe  base  to  the  summit,  a  giant's  stairway.  The  color  of  this 
mountain  is  a  dark-brown. 

On  the  north  side  of  White  Bock  Greek  is  a  spnr  separating  it  from 
the  head  of  East  River,  on  which  are  a  number  of  high  summits ;  also, 
at  the  extreme  head  of  East  River  there  is  a  high  peak  known  as  Belle- 
vue. 

The  ridge  or  spur  separating  East  River  from  Slate  consists  of  three 
isolated  mountains,  separated  from  one  another  by  low  saddles.  Tbe 
northern  one  is  known  as  Ginnamon  Mountain,  tbe  middle  one  as  Gothic 
Mountain,  from  the  spires  and  pinnacles  in  bas-relief  upon  its  eastern 
face,  and  the  soathern  one  as  Grested  Butte.  The  latter  peak  standi) 
entirely  alone,  in  the  angle  of  tbe  two  streams,  and  rises  3,000  feet  above 
the  saddle  north  of  it.  This  latter  ridge  is  a  part  of  a  second  range, 
similar  in  direction  to  the  eastern.  Tracing  it  north  of  Slate  Mountain, 
it  rounds  the  extreme  head  of  Rock  Greek  by  turning  to  the  westward 
for  three  miles.  There  it  joins  an  enormous  mountain  mass  known  as 
Treasury  Mountain.  In  the  south  end  of  this  mountain  are  the  Elk 
Mountain  mines,  and  the  name  of  the  mountain  is  connected  therewith. 
This  mountain  extends,  in  a  solid  mass,  in  an  east  and  west  direction 
live  miles,  and  north  and  south  three  miles,  to  the  junction  of  Rock 
Greek  with  branch  b.  Between  the  months  of  creek  a  and  b^  Rock 
Creek  is  in  close,  heavy  canon,  cutting  its  way  through  this  mass.  On 
the  east  side  of  Rock  Greek,  this  mass,  though  still  continuous,  is  more 
cut  up  by  streams,  and  shows  several  high  summits,  with  oousiderabio 
fall  in  the  saddles.  It  connects,  by  a  very  high  ridge,  with  the  eastern 
range.  Its  northern  end  is  just  west  of  Sopris  peak,  where  a  large 
branch  enters  Rock  Greek  from  the  south. 

The  third  range  commences  west  of  Sopris  Peak,  on  the  west  side  of 
Kock  Greek,  in  a  ridge  slightly  above  timber-line,  which  separates  Rock 
Creek  from  the  upper  valley  of  tbe  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison.  This 
ridge  turns  to  the  eastward,  and  crosses  Rock  Greek  just  above  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  leaving  only  a  comparatively  low  saddle,  whose  top 
is  about  2,000  feet  above  Rock  Greek.  This  saddle  is  several  miles 
long,  and  terminates  suddenly  in  an  immense  mass  of  eruptive  moun- 
tains, of  which  station  33  is  a  summit.  There  are  a  number  of  peaks 
in  this  mass,  of  heights  from  12,500  to  12,800  feet  Some  of  the  slopes 
in  this  group  are  terrific.  The  west  side  of  this  mass  rises  straight  up 
from  the  plateau  bordering  North  Fork  for  2,500  feet,  at  an  angle  of  65o. 
At  the  head  of  Slato  River  is  the  highest  peak  in  this  range.    It  has  a 


420 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEBBITORIES. 


prism -sbaped  sdmmit,  very  Bimilar  to  that  of  Capitol  Monutain.  Its 
elevation  is  12,891  feet.  Thei*e  are  several  suinmits  near  it,  both  in 
position  and  elevation. 

The  next  peak  of  importance  in  this  range  is  station  32.  This  moon- 
tain  stands  slightly  detached  from  the  range,  extending  into  and  partlj 
across  the  valley  of  Anthracite  Creek,  which  takes  a  wide  detour  to 
get  aroand  it.  It  is  composed  of  brownish-red,  highly  metamorphosed 
slates.    There  are  three  sammits,  of  which  the  central  one  is  the  highest. 

Farther  down  toward  the  sonth  the  range  is  very  much  div^infleti. 
now  high,  now  low,  bat  nowhere  lower  than  11,000  feet.  It  ends  west 
of  Crested  Bntte,  in  an  isolated  gronp  of  monntains,  of  an  elevatiOD  of 
aboat  12,500  feet.  South  of  this  gronp  there  are  two  bits  of  sloping 
mesa,  and  then  the  valley  of  the  Gunnison. 

West  of  this  range  the  mountains  decrease  in  elevation,  and  ooear  in 
isolated  groups.  Between  Atitbracite  and  Coal  Creeks  there  is  a  short 
range,  consisting  of  two  ridges,  connected  by  a  low  saddle,  of  about 
10,000  feet  iu  elevation.  These  ridges  contain  several  summits,  ranging 
in  height  from  12,000  to  12,000  feet.  In  the  angle  of  Anthracite  Creek. 
and  connected  with  the  northern  end  of  the  range  mentioned  above,  ii 
a  solitary  peak,  known  to  the  prospectors  as  Mount  Marcellina.  Upon 
its  precipitous  southern  face  are,  iu  bas-relief,  Gothic  spires,  piedaely 
as  on  the  eastern  face  of  Gothic  Mountain. 

Joining  this  range  near  the  saddle,  in  the  middle  of  its  length,  is 
quite  a  heavy  group  of  mountains.  It  sweeps  quite  around  the  head 
of  Ohio  Creek,  and  contains  many  high  peaks,  several  reaching  nearly 
13,000  feet.  This  gronp,  in  turn,  is  joined,  by  a  low  saddle,  to  a  groap 
which  heads  Coal  Creek,  of  which  H--34  is  the  highest  summit. 

From  station  34  to  stations  33  and  39  runs  a  well-defined  ridge,  hav- 
ing an  east  and  west  direction.  It  contiects  with  the  last-mentioned 
group  by  a  very  low  ridge,  not  exceeding  9,400  feet.  This  ridge  ends 
the  system,  and  with  it  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  this  latitude.  West- 
ward, to  the  Wahsatch^  range  in  Utah,  stretches  a  system  of  enormoos 
plateaus,  iu  which  are  cut  the  caftons  of  the  Grand,  Green,  and  Colo- 
rado Rivers. 

Rising  on  the  north  fk*om  the  valley  of  the  Gunnison  River  and  ilR 
Korth  Fork,  was  originally  a  |*reat  plateau.  Its  limits  were,  on  the 
west,  about  in  longitude  108^  15';  on  the  south  in  latitude  38^  45'.  Ii 
extended  cast  nearly  or  quite  to  the  Elk  Monntains,  and  north  to  tiie 
Grand  «River.  Its  elevation,  in  its  eastern  part,  is  about  11,200  feet, 
an  elevation  still  held  by  a  few  isolated  points  of  traohyte.  The  ele- 
vations of  a  few  i)oints  on  its  surface  will  give  an  idea  of  the  direction 
and  amount  of  its  slope. 


•  • » - 


Latitude. 


Longitude. 


Station  44 

Station  43 

H-39 : 

Station  42  (not  the  original  surface) 

Station  45 , 

North  Mam 

Soath  Mam 

23-45 

24-45  ......•..^.  ..;.•>  ^wv.  —  «k4.^...r^.»4..  «.«< 

4-39 ,.^ , 

North  end  of  plateau,  (station  54 ) 1 

South  end  of  plateau,  (station  59) 


3 
2 
1 

0 


5 


3D 
39 

:» 

39 
39 

39  23 

^  22 

39  23 

39  .23., 

39  4 

39  G 

38  53 


107  41 

107  40 

107  40 

107  45 

107  50 

107  51 

107  51 

107  55 

107  57 

107  50 

10i5  13 

106  10 


E^evatlM. 


Ftet. 
Il,l5^ 
ll.i:M 

iu.c.« 
io,a">« 

lO.Pitf 

lo.cir 

10,tft 

10, 0£ 

10, 90" 
9,i»^ 
9,7$^ 


OAXSETT.]  GEOGEAPHW-EAGLE   RIVER.    .  421 

As  win  be  seen,  the  direction  of  the  B\o^e  i&  from  the  east  toward  the 
westi  and  is  tolerably  uniform,  being  about  50  feet  to  the  mile. 

The  original  basalt  capping  of  the  plateau  has  been  in  great  part  re- 
moved by  denudation,  appearing  only  iu  points  and  ridges,  here  and 
there^  except  in  the  western  part,  where  a  large  area,  of  75  square  miles, 
preserves  the  original  surface,  and  is  as  level  as  a  floor. 

This  plateau  has  been  cut  in  two  pieces  by  a  large  creek,  an  afSuent 
of  the  Grand  Biver,  which  I  have  named  Plateau  Creeks  It  has  cut  out 
for  itself  a  very  broad  valley,  of  a  depth,  in  its  deepest  part,  of  6,000 
Iteet  below  the  level  of  the  plateau.  With  the  aid  of  the  Grand  Itiver 
on  tJie  north,  it  has  cut  down  the  western  extension  of  the  part  of  the 
plateau  north  of  its  valley  to  a  range  of  low  mountains.  They  are  ex- 
tremely rugged  and  precipitous,  of  elevations  from  7,000  to  10,000  feet. 

The  Grand  Biver  has  its  head  in  the  eastern  part  of  Middle  Park, 
across  which  it  flows,  receiving,  on  its  way,  several  large  branches. 
It  cats  its  way  through  the  Park  range  on  the  western  side  of  Middle 
Park  in  a  very  heavy  canon.  In  latitude  39o  39',  longitude  107o  3',  it 
receives  the  waters  of  one  of  its  largest  tributaries,  the  Eagle  Biver. 
This  stream  heads  in  Tennessee  Pass,  and  the  mountains  of  the  Park 
and  Sawatch  ranges.  In  that  neighborhood,  near  its  head,  it  flows 
through  broad  and  beautiful  meadows,  which  would  be  valuable  for 
agricultural  purposes  and  for  stock-raising,  but  the  elevation,  over  9,000 
i^t,  is  too  great  fov  the  former,  and  also  for  the  latter,  except  during 
the  summer. 

The  river  receives,  in  these  meadows,  a  large  branch  from  the  east, 
aud^  in  the  caiion,  at  the  foot  of  these  meadow(«,  a  large  branch  from  the 
southwest  and  another  from  the  east^  by  which  its  volume  is  very  much  in- 
creased. The  branch  from  the  southwest  heads'under  Oomestake  Peak, 
so  named  from  the  Homestake  mine,  which  is  situated  at  timber-line  ou 
its  southeastern  slope. 

Eagle  Biver,  below  these  meadows,  is  in  close,  high  cauon  for  about 
Ave  miles,  emerging  therefrom  at  the  mouth  of  lioche  Moutonnde  Creek, 
into  a  narrow  valley,  inclosed  by  high,  precipitous  walls.  The  spur 
from  the  continental  divide,  of  which  the  Mountain  of  the  Holy  Cross 
is  the  most  northern  as  well  as  the  highest  i>eak,  gives  rise  on  the  east 
and  uotth  to  branches  of  the  Ragle.  Biver,  and  on  the  west  to  Frying 
Pan  Creek,  a  large  branch  of  Boariug  Fork.  .  From  this  mountain  mass, 
the  spurs  separating  branches  of  the  Eagle  Biver  have  a  broad,  plateau- 
like character,  sloping  at  a  low  ang!e,  the  ends  forming  the  west^wall  of 
the  canon,  and  of  the  narrow  valley  below.  These  branches  of  the 
Eagle  Biver  are  all  in  close  caQon. 

Below  the  mouth  of  Boche  Moutonni^e  Creek,  the  river  remains  in  a 
narrow  valley  as  far  down  as  the  mouth  of  the  Piney  Ci*eek,  a  branch 
Irom  the  east,  nearly  as  large  as  the  Eagle  Biver  itself.  Below  the 
mouth  of  this  stream  the  valley  broadens  to  nearly  two  miles  iti  width ; 
but  this  is  mainly  bench-land,  with  a  gravelly  soil,  covered  with  sage, 
and  can  be  of  use  only  when  irrigated.  There  is  sufficiept  bunch-grass 
to  afford  indifferent  grazing.  The  hills  rise  abruptly  from  this  valley, 
and  then  extend  back  in  long  ridges  to  the  mountain  mass  spoken  ot' 
above. 

The  course  of  the  river  commenced  to  cliange  near  the  mouth  pf  Bocbo 
Moutonude  Creek,  from  north  toward  west,  and  at  the  foot  of  this  valley, 
that  is,  near  the  mouth  of/  creek,  has  a  course  nearly  west.  Uere  it 
enters  a  caiion,  which  extends  as  far  as  station  7,  where  it  ends  abruptly, 
and  the  river  flows  through  a  broad  valley,  which  extends  nearly  to 
its  mouth,  and  far  up  g  creek.    This  valley,  like  that  above,  is  covered 


422  GEOLOGICAL   SLTIVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

mainly  with  fia^e,  but,  if  irrigated,  might  prove  prodactive.  Tbe  soil, 
liowever,  coDtains  some  alkali,  g  creek  has  a  broad  abd  fertile  bottom. 
Between  these  two  valleys,  the  ooantry  consists  of  rolling  hills,  covered 
with  excellent  grass. 

From  the  mouth  of  h  creek  to  its  mouth,  the  Eagle  River  is  iu  dose 
cafioD,  and  the  junction  of  the  rivers  is  iu  this  caiion,  which  extends  down 
the  Grand  to  the  mouth  of  lioaring  Fork,  with  little  intervals  of  valley. 
Its  height  is  greatest  fifteen  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle  River, 
where  it  reaches  9,400  feet.  This  caiion  is  cut  in  a  rolling  table-land,  of 
an  average  elevation  of  9,000  feet,  which  separates  the  water  of  Eagle 
Kiver  from  that  flowing  into  Koaring  Fork.  It  is  well  watered,  sparsely 
timbered  with  quaking  aspen,  with  plenty  of  excellent  grass.  It  is  too 
exposed  and  the  elevation  is  too  great  for  a  winter  range  for  stock,  bat 
for  a  summer  range  it  is  excellent. 

The  divide  between  the  waters  of  the  Eagle  and  Grand  Rivers  on  tbe 
north,  and  Frying  Pan  Creek  on  the  south,  consists  of  a  broad,  flat- 
topped  ridge,  whose  summit  is  slightly  above  timber-line.  It  joins  the 
Sawatch  range  near  the  Mountain  of  the  Holy  Cross.  Thence  it  has  a 
course  nearly  west  to  Roaring  Fork. 

Roaring  Fork  takes  all  of  the  Grand  Biver  drainage  on  the  northern 
slopes  of  the  Elk  Mountains,  and  the  western  slopes  of  the .  Sawatdi 
range,  north  of  the  Elk  divide.  Its  branches,  without  an  exception  of 
any  consequence,  head  among  the  high  peaks  above  the  limits  of  tinn- 
ber,  and  most  of  them  have  their  entire  courses  in  the  mountains.  The 
lower  course  of  Eoarins:  Fork,  that  is,  below  the  mouth  of  Castle  Creek, 
is  in  a  valley  gradually  increasing  iu  width  till  it  reaches  its  greatest 
width  at  the  mouth  of  Bock  Creek,  where  it  is  fully  four  miles  wide. 
The  bottom-land,  as  almost  everywhere  in  the  Territory,  is  excellent, 
and  is  unusually  broad,  but  liable  to  sudden  overflows  from  the  melting 
of  snows  in  the  mountains. 

Grand  Biver,  below  the  mouth  of  Boaring  Fork,  is  in  a  narrow  val- 
ley, with  very  high  hills  on  each  side,  (rising  abruptly,)  for  abont  three 
miles.  Then  it  enters  a  close  canon,  in  which  it  is  for  twelve  miles, 
when  it  issues  from  this  canon  into  a  broad  valley,  east  of  the  Korth 
Mam  plateau,  as  I  call  the  portion  of  plateau  between  Plateau  Gre^ 
and  the  Grand  Biver.  Tbe  country  south  of  this  cafion  of  the  Grand, 
and  west  of  Bearing  Fork,  consists  of  high,  rolling  hills,  covered  with 
a  heavy  growth  of  cottonwoods.  The  elevation  of  summits  in  this 
mass  oi'  hills  exceeds  10,000  feet. 

The  oroad  valley,  alluded  to  above,  extends  down  the  Grand  to  tiie 
2^orth  Mam  plateau,  nortli  of  the  river  to  a  considerable  distance,  and 
south  of  it  ten  miles,  speaking  generally.  Within  this  valley  the  Grand 
receives  three  branche's  of  considerable  size.  The  largest  of  these, 
which  I  have  named  Uivi<le  Creek,  comes  into  the  Grand  just  west  of 
station  22. 

The  principal,  almost  the  sole,  production  of  this  valley  is  sage.  There 
is  no  grass,  ej^cept  iu  the  stream  bottoms.  The  soil  is  extremely  poor. 
The  hills  farther  south,  which  rise  to  the  Gunnison  and  Grand  divide, 
are  covered  densely  with  scrub-oak  and  smaller  bushes,  with  some  quak- 
ing aspen. 

In  passing  the  North  Mam  plateau  and  the  Plateau  range,  the  valley 
of  the  Grand  is  very  much  contracted,  averaging  not  more  than  live 
miles  in  width.  In  this  part  of  its  course,  tlie  river  is  very  sluggish  and 
winding,  with  numerous  bayous  and  islands. 

Opposite  the  North  Mam  plateau,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  the 
country  consists  of  a  rolling  plateau,  extending  as  far  to  the  north  aiMi 


cAKK£Tr]  GEOGRAPHY GBAND   RIVER.  423 

west  as  the  eye  can  reach.  The  cliffs  on  the  south  edge  of  this  plateau 
are  perpendicular,  and  even  in  places  6verhanging,  and  the  tops  pro- 
jecting, so  that,  at  noon. in  August,  they  cast  a  shadow  on  the  vertical 
wall  beneath. 

Below  the  Plateau  range,  the  valley  widens  immensely.  This  valley 
is  not  more  inviting  than  the  one  above  the  North  Mam  plateau. 

In  latitude  39°  .08',  longitude  108o  .19'  the  Grand  is  crossed  by  the  crest 
of  a  range  of  hog-backs.  This  crest  has  a  general  direction  slightly  west 
of  north  and  east  of  south.  The  dip  is  toward  the  east,  and  is  slight, 
and  as  the  Grand  does  not  cross  this  range  in  a  direction  contrary  to 
that  of  the  dip,  but  obliquely  to  it,  the  caiion  which  it  cuts  is  very  long, 
being  about  15  miles.  It  increases  in  depth  very  gradually,  until, 
at  the  lower  end,  it  is  about  1,800  feet.  The  western  edge  of  this  line  of 
hog-backs  is  nearly  vertical,  and  the  exit  of  the  river  from  the  canon  is 
very  abrupt.  The  surface  of  this  hog-back  is  very  much  broken  and  cut 
by  sidecaiioDS. 

Plateau  Creek  heads  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  plateau,  and  about  mid- 
way between  the  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers.  It  flows  tin^t  northwest, 
down  the  slope  of  the  plateau,  cutting  deeper  and  deeper.  At  station  49 
its  course  changes  to  west,  and  it  holds  this  course  very  constantly  to  its 
mouth,  in  the  middle  of  the  Hog-back  Caiion.  This  plateau  has  an 
enormous  amount  of  drainage.  Near  its  toi>  the  valleys  are  broad,  flat, 
and  marshy,  with  numerous  small  lakes  or  ponds.  The  best  land  in  the 
district  for  agricultural  and  stock  purposes,  is  that  on  and  near  the  tops 
of  the  high  mesas ;  but  the  great  elevation  precludes  their  use  for  these 
purposes. 

Plateau  Creek  drains  the  whole  of  the  northern  slopes  of  the  main 
plateau  and  the  southern  slopes  of  the  Noith  Mam  plateau.  All  the 
streams  flowing  to  it  from  the  main  plateau  have  a  course  nearly  due 
north,  forming  a  very  regular  system  of- drainage.  The  valley  of  this 
stream  is,  throughout  the  greater  part  of  its  course,  quite  wide,"  with,  in 
places,  enormous  extents  of  bench-land  between  its  branches. 

At  the  foot  of  Hogback  Canon  the  Grand  emerges  into  a  broad  valley 
in  which  it  meets  the  Gunnison.  This  valley  is  of  enormous  extent, 
stretching  far  down  the  Grand,  even  beyond  the  Sierra  la  Sal  and  up 
the  Gunnison  ten  miles  above  the  moiith  of  the  Uncompahgre  River, 
and  up  the  Uncompahgre  for  at  least  forty  miles.  Its  width,  on  the 
Grand,  below  the  mouth  of  the  Gunnison,  is  about  ten  miles.  It  is 
bordered  on  the  northeast,  for  some  distance,  by  the  range  of  hogbacks 
mentioned  above;  on  the  i^outhwest,  by  a  plateau  lower  than  that 
described  above  and  of  a  different  character.  .  The  Grand  hugs  closely 
the  edge  of  this  plateau.  The  river- bottom  of  the  Grand  is  upward  of  a 
mile  in  width,  weH  timbered  with  cottonwoods,  and  very  fertile.  The 
rest  of  the  valley  is  bench-land,  elevated  about  100  feet  above  the  river, 
at  the  edge,  rising  very  gradually  toward  the  range  of  hog- backs.  The 
soil  is  gravelly,  with  much  alkali,  and  produces  only  greasewood  and 
sage. 

The  part  of  this  valley  included  between  the  Grand,  the  Gunnison, 
and  the  west  edge  of  the  great  plateau  is  nearly  triangular  in  shape, 
the  two  rivers  and  the  edge  of  the  plateau  forming  the  sides.  It  al8<» 
extends  up  the  Gunnison,  east  of  the  western  edge  of  the  plateau,  to 
longitude  107^  55'.  The  area' of  this  pai-t  of  the  valley  is  three  hundred 
square  miles. 

The  western  edge  of  the  great  plateau  consists  of  a  precipice  of  basalt, 
averaging  200  feet  in  height,  below  which  there  are  timbered  ridges 


424       GEOLOGICAL  SUBV£Y  OF  THE  TEREITORIES. 

ranning  down  into  the  valley,  and  terminating  in  tongues  of  sloping 
mefia. 

Between  longitnde  lOTo  55',  and  the  month  of  Boobidean's  Creek, 
the  Gnnnisoa  occupies  the  bottom  of  this  valley,  with  a  fertile  bottom 
upward  of  two  miles  in  width,  in  which  the  river  is  very  sluggish  and 
winding,  with  numerous  sloughs  and  backwaters.  Below  the  month  of 
lioubidean^s  Creek  the  river  does  not  occupy  the  lowest  part  of  the  val- 
ley ;  the  latter  lies  between  the  river  and  the  great  plateau,  aboat  three 
miles,  generally  speaking,  east  of  the  former,  and  follows  its  general 
course.  From  this  lowest  part  of  the  valley  the  land  rises  slowly  towmd 
the  west,  and,  in  a  caiion,  which  originated  in  a  monoclinal  fractnie, 
closely  hugging  the  plateau  on  the  west  side  of  the  valley,  the  Guunison 
has  its  course.  This  canon,  known  to  the  Indians  as  the  Unaweep,  is  in 
stratified  rocks,  of  the  most  brilliant  colors.  It  has  an  average  depth 
of  about  800  feet,  with  walls  absolutely  vertical.  The  river-bottom  is 
quite  broad,  and  the  river  is  sluggish  and  winding,  now  undermining 
one  wall,  now  wandering  across  the  broad  and  fertile  bottom  to  the 
other.  The  soil  in  this  bottom  must  be  excellent  for  agricnltaral  por- 
poses. 

The  remainder  of  this  great  valley  lies  on  the  south  side  of  the  Gun- 
nison River,  extending  up  the  Uncompahgre  Eiver  for  upward  of  forty 
miles,  with  an  average  width  of  eighteen  to  twenty  miles.  On  the  west 
it  rises  gradually  into  a  plateau.  On  the  east  it  is  limited  by  the  plateav 
in  which  the  Grand  GaSion  of  the  Gunnison  is  cut,  and  by  spnrs  from 
the  Uncompahgre  range,  and  on  the  south  by  this  range.  The  stream- 
bottoms  in  this  part  of  the  valley  are,  as  in  the  other,  very  fertile, 
and  quite  broad,  with  a  heavy  growth  of  cottonwoods.  The  rest  of 
this  portion  of  the  valley  consists  of  perfectly  flat  bench-land,  rising 
in  regular  steps  from  the  streams  to  an  elevation  of  about  200  feet  above 
them.  Throughout  the  valley 'the  bench-land  is  very  poor,  with  a  clay  or 
gravelly  soil,  containing  always  some  alkali,  and  in  many  places  strongly 
impregnated  with  it.  There  is  very  little  grass,  indeed.  Sage,  grease- 
wood,  and  several  species  of  cactus,  form  almost  the  sole  ^^getation. 
A  great  deal  of  the  water  sinks,  so  that,  except  in  the  spring,  only  the 
larger  streams  contain  any  water,  and  the  water  of  the  larg^  streams 
is  more  or  less  ledkaHne.  Betweein  the  Grand  and  the  Gunnison,  Elahnah 
Greek  and  b  creek  (of  the  Gunnison)  are  almost  the  only  streams 
containing  water  in  October,  and,  south  of  the  Gunnison,  the  Uncom- 
pahgre is  the  only  stream  in  the  valley  which  is  not  dry  at  that  time  of 
the  year.  Gedar  Creek  and  lioubideau's  Creek  are  dry.  It  is  in  this 
valley  of  the  Uncompahgre  and  the  Gunnison  that  the  Utes  asuaUf 
have  their  winter  quarters. 

The  Gunnison  River  heads  under  Italian  peak,  and  its  upper  branehes 
drain  the  sonthem  slopes  of  tl|6  Elk  Mounttdns  and  the  western  alopai 
of  the  Sawatch  range.  The  branches  whidi  drain  the  Elk  Moantaiiw 
have  a  general  direction  of  -^^P  east  of  south,  as  is  the  ease  with  Slate 
River,  East  River,  Ohio  Creek,  and  the  numerous  parallel  streams  west  of 
Ohio  Creek.  The  main  stream  is  in  a  narrow  valley  for  several  miles  below 
its  head,  extending  nearly  down  to  the  mouth  of  Pass  Creek.  Thenoe 
to  Park  Cone  it  is  in  a  broad  valley  of  gravelly  soil,  which  is  mainly  a 
glacial  deposit.  At  Park  Cone,  it  enters  a  caiion,  by  which  it  cuts  its 
way  through  the  eastern  range  of  the  Elk  Mountains.  Thiscanoois 
cut  in  granite,  is  sixteen  miles  long  and  is,  on  an  average,  l,2U0fee( 
deep.  In  this  cafloB,  a  iarge  branch,  Taylor  River,  enters  uie  Gnnnlsoa 
from  the  north.  Just  below  its  foot,  the  next  large  tributary.  Slate 
River,  comes  in.    This  stream  and  its  tributary,  East  River,  drain  a 


ojkxxETT]  GEOGRAPHY — GUNNISON   rIvEB.  425 

large  part  of  the  Elk  MoimtaiDS.  Moat  of  tbeir  brHDcbos  have  tbe  usnal 
directioD,  and  are  in  narrow  valleys,  with  heavy,  massive  ridges  between 
theui.  The  longer  pan  of  Slate  Kiver,  from  Crested  Eutte  to  its  montii, 
is  in  a  valley  two  to  four  miles  in  width,  of  the  same  character  as  that 
on  the  Qunnison  alK>ve  tbe  canon.  This  valley  extends  down  the  Oun- 
uison  to  tbe  mouth  of  Oochetopa  Creek,  with  a  width  of  abont  five  miles. 
The  river-bottom  of  tbe  Gnunison  in  this  part  of  its  course  is  quite 
broad,  and  densely  overgrown  with  bushes  and  eottonwoods*. 

Between  Slate  Biver  and  Ohio  Creek,  south  of  the  termination  of  tbe 
mountains,  are  two  rather  remarkable  pieces  of  table-land.  They  evi- 
dently were  originally  but  one,  but  have  been  cut  in  two  by  erosion. 
Tbeir  surface  slopes  considerably  toward  the  Gunnison. 

At  the  junction  of  Ohio  and  Cochetopa  Creeks  with  the  Gunnison, 
tbe  valley  is  very  broad,  extending  far  up  Ohio  Creek,  with  a  broad 
bottom  on  each  stream.  In  this  valley,  between  tbe  Gunnison  and 
Cochetopa  Creek,  is  located  the  embryo  town  of  Gunnison.  This  town 
was  started  by  a  company,  on  the  colony  plan.  Thus  far  it  has  not  been 
a  anccess,  principally  owing  to  its  great  distance  from  other  settlements, 
and  the  limited  means  of  communication.  The  situation  is  excellent, 
tbe  soil  very  good,  and,  with  the  aid  of  irrigation,  it  will  produce  good 
crops.  Tbe  range  i'or  stock,  both  for  summer  and  winter,  is  not  excelled 
in  the  Tenitory.  This  range  now  supports,  throaghont  the  year,  the 
6t€x;k  belonging  to  tbe  Ute  Indians  of  the  Southern  or  Los  Piuos  agency, 
numbering  about  900  head. 

Below  the  mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek,  tbe  valley  narrows  to  about  a 
mile  in  width,  which  is  all  bottom-land,  and  which  extends  about  four 
miles  down  the  river.  North  of  it  the  country  rises,  in  a  sloping  pla- 
teau,  to  the  Elk  Mountains.  This  plateau  is  cut  into  long  tongues  by 
parallel  streams — branches  of  tbe  Gunnison.  At  the  foot  of  this  valley 
these  long  tongues  of  mesa  run  down  to  the  river,  forming  a  caSon  lOO 
to  200  feet  high,  which  extends,  broken  at  intervals  by  bits  of  meadow- 
laud,  as  far  down  as  the  mouth  of  g  creek.  On  the  south  side,  the  coun- 
try' is  very  broken,  but  in  general  rises  gradually  toward  tbe  Uncom- 
pabgre  Mountains.  % 

West  of  the  mouth  of  g  creek  tbe  land  rises  rapidly  on  both  sides  of 
tbe  river,  into  a  high  plateaa.  This  plateau,  on  tbe  south  side  of  the 
river,  is  almost  perfectly  flat,  with  an  average  elevation  of  9,000  feet. 
On  the  north  side  it  slopes  upward  toward  the  northwest  yery  gradu- 
ally. At  the  river  it  has  the  same  elevation  as  on  the  south  side.  It  is 
in  this  plateau  that  tbe  Gunnison  cuts  a  part  of  its  great  cailon,  a  cation 
fifty-six  miles  long  and  3,000  feet  deep  in  its  deepest  part.  This  plateau 
consists  of  gneiss,  topped  with  1,000  to  1,200  feet  of  stratified  rocks,  in 
beds  nearly  horizontal.  The  cailon  is  cut  through  the  beds  of  stratified 
rocks,  and  deep  into  tbe  i^oeias,  tbe  deptb  of  tbe  eafion  in  tbe  gneiss 
inereasing  with  the  fall  ef  the  river.  This  part  of  the  cafion  has  rough, 
lugged,  nearly  vertical  walls,  with  no  beaoh  to  the  river.  On  top  of  the 
gneiss  there  is  a  slopiug  bench,  marking  the  line  between  gneiss  and 
stratified  rocks.  Above  this  bench  are  the  steeply-sloping  walls  of  strat- 
ifi(Ml  rock,  generally  ending  with  100  or  200  feet  of  perpendicular  clifi' 
just  below  the  summit  of  the  mesa.  Tbe  tributaries  of  the  Gunnison 
in  this  plateau  cut  but  slightly  into  the  gneiss,  consequently  these 
streams  have  a  very  rapid  fall  just  before  reaching  the  river.  The  top 
of  this  plateau  is  well  watered,  covered  with  excellent  grass  and  groves 
of  qaaking  aspen.  It  is  a  moat  excellent  aommer-range  for  stock,  but 
the  elevation  is  too  great  to  allow  of  its  use  as  a  winter-range. 

At  stations  77  and  78,  the  character  of  the  plateau  changes,  as  far  as 


426       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

the  north  side  of  the  river  is  concernecl.  The  flat  plateaa  ends  in  a  very 
well-defiDed  terrace,  oq  an  enormous  scale,  ten  miles  long  and  1,800  to 
2,000  feet  high.  In  its  place  there  is  a  lower  sloping  plateao,  or  long 
hog-back,  with  its  edge  at  the  Gunnison  Biver,  and  line  of  greatest  de- 
pression in  the  valley  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison.  This  is  a 
true  sloping  plateau,  its  surface  being  perfectly  flat  and  unbroken,  with 
the  exception  of  the  cafions  of  Smith's  Fork  and  Dry  Caiion,  which  have 
a  course  nearly  parallel  to  that  of  the  Gunnison  above  station  80.  These 
streams  have  many  small  gullies  coming  into  them  from  the  soatb,  bat 
none  at  all  from  the  north.  The  line  of  greatest  slope  of  this  plateau  has 
a  direction  slightly  west  of  north.  This  plateau  contains  no  water,  aud 
the  vegetation  consists  of  the  piiion  pine,  cactus,  sage,  and  scrub-oak,  a 
marked  difference  in  character  from  the  plateau  just  east.  This  differ- 
ence is  owing  in  part  to  the  greater  slope  of  this  plateau,  thus  carrying 
the  water  off'  more  rapidly,  and  in  part-  to  the  less  elevation.  The 
highest  part,  the  edge,  at  the  caiiou  of  the  Gunnison,  is  8,600  to  9,000 
feet,  while  the  valley  of  the  North  Fork,  the  lowest  part,  is  5,400  feet. 
The  character  of  the  cailon  on  the  north  side,  as  far  down  as  station 
80,  is  similar  to  that  above,  both  geologically  aud  topographically. 
The  stratified  beds  occupy  1,000  to  1,200  feet,  with  the  same  marked 
bench,  and  the  precipitous  cailon  in  gneiss  below.  On  the  south  side, 
however,  the  top  of  the  caiion  is  lower  than  it  is  above  station  77, 
and  the  caiion  is  cut  entirely  in  gneiss.  The  plateau  on  the  south  side 
is  nearly  horizontal,  with  a  slight  slope  to  the  west. 

At  station  80  the  river  turns  abruptly  toward  the  north,  aud  flows 
in  the  direction  of  the  greatest  slope.  Between  station  80  aud  the 
mouth  of  tbe  North  Fork  it  has  most  of  its  fall.  On  the  east  side  of  the 
river  the  character  of  the  canon  is  not  materially  changed  until  the 
mouth  of  Smithes  Fork  is  reached.  On  the  west  side,  however,  the 
plateau  ends  abruptly  opposite  station  80,  and  a  hog- back  ridge  of 
stratified  rocks,  dipping  steeply  to  the  west,  forms  the  upper  part  of 
the  west  wall.  This  wall  is  much  loweri^han  that  on  the  east,  and  is  no- 
where more  than  three  miles  thick.  Beyond  it  is  the  broad,  flat  valley 
of  the  Uncom^ahgre,  at  as  low  or  lower  elevation  than  the  Gunnison. 

Between  stations  80  and  81,  the  two  parts  of  the  caiion  are  very 
strongly  marked,  showing  a  canon  wit>hin  a  caiion.  The  caiioa  in 
gneiss  is  merely  a  narrow  cleft  in  the  rocks,  with  smooth,  vertical  sides, 
between  which  the  river  rushes  down,  its  surface  white  with  foam.  At 
the  mouth  of  Smith's  Fork,  the  cailon  i4i  gneiss  is  but  300  feet  deep, 
while  the  stratified  rocks  lise  up  to  nearly  a  thousand  feet.  Just  below 
this  point  it  runs  out  of  the  gneiss,  and  the  rest  of  its  course  is  in  strati- 
fied rocks,  in  which  its  character  is  entirely  different.  It  no  longer 
nishes  madly  along,  but  meanders  about  in  the  broad  bottom  from  one 
wall  to  the  other,  leaving,  now  on  this  side,  now  on  that,  broad  patches 
of  l>eautiful  bottom-land.  This  character  of  caiiou,  similar  to  the  lower 
or  Uuaweep  Canon,  continues  as  far  as  station  83,  where  it  termioates 
abruptly. 

The  appended  list  of  elevations  in  different  parts  of  this  caiion  give 
an  idea  of  its  dimensions: 

Height  of  the  walls  of  the  Grand  Canon  of  Hie  Ounnison^  at  different  poii^ 

A  t  the  head,  near  the  mouth  of  Mountain  Creek : 

F«et 

At  level  of  the  river a  7, 200 

Top  of  plateau  on  north  side  of  the  river t  8,  »00 

Height  of  caiion  wall 1, 6(K) 


GAssETT.j      GEOGEAPny — GRAND   CANON   OF   THE   GUNNISON.  427 

At  the  month  of  /  creek  T 

At  level  of  river est  7,^00 

Top  of  the  gneiss a  8, 000 

Height  of  e«fion  in  gneiss 900 

Top  of  plateau,  east  side /creek a  9,000 

Ileight  of  cafion  wall 1, 900 

Top  of  plateau,  west  side  /  creek a  8, 900 

Height  of  canon  wall 1,800 

At  station  77 : 

At  level  of  river fc  C,  800 

Top  of  gneiss,  north  side  of  river a  8, 600 

Height  of  canon  in  gneiss 1, 800 

Top  of  plateau^  north  side  of  river,  (station  77) a  9, 800 

Height  of  canon  wall 3, 000 

Top  of  plateau,  sonth  side  of  river t  9, 400 

Height  of  canon  wall 2, 600 

At  station  80  r 

At  level  of  river ..., est  6,200 

Top  of  gneiss,  northeast  side  of  river est  7, 200 

Height  of  caiiou  in  gneiss ^ 1, 000 

Top  of  plateau,  northeast  side  of  river,  (station  80) a  8, 500 

Ileight  of  canon,  northeast  side 2, 300 

Top  of  platean,  southwest  side  of  river i . .  #  8, 050 

Height  of  canon 1, 850 

At  mouth  of  Smithes  Fork : 

At  level  of  river .,.,  est  5, 600 

Top  of  plateau,  east  side  of  river,  (station  81) a  6, 437 

Height  of  caiiou,  east  side 837 

Top  of  plateau,  west  side t  6, 700 

Height  of  cafLou,  west  side 1, 100 

At  mouth  of  North  Fork : 

At  level  of  river •. a^5, 400 

Top  of  plateau,  east  side,  (station  82) a  5, 800 

Beight  of  caiion,  east  side 400 

At  foot  of  canon  : 

At  level  of  river a  5, 125 

Top  of  plateau,  (station  83)  a  6, 750 

Beight  of  canon 625 

The  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison  is  its  largest  tributary.  It  drains 
nearly  all  of  that  part  of  the  £]k  Mountains  west  of  Bock  Creek,  which 
consist  principally  of  the  isolated  groups  which  have  been  described 
earlier  in  this  report,  and  of  most  of  the  southern  slope  of  the  great 
plateau.  Those  of  its  branches  which  drain  the  mountains  have  no 
valleys  worthy  of  mention  within  the  mountains,  and  outside  of  them 
are  in  close  caiion.  The  main  stream  heads  against  the  divide  between 
the  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers,  in  longitude  107^  30',  and  drains  a 
very  broad  valley.  It  enters  a  caiion  in  the  rolling  plateau  country,  in 
latitude  39o.4^  and  in  this  caiion  receives  the  branches  known  as  Anthra- 
cite and  Coal  Creeks.  This  caOon  continues  as  far  down  as  the  longitude 
of  station  39,  where  the  stream  comes  out  into  a  valley,  which  is  very 

NcrrK. — bf  barometric  nmasurement ;  a,  aneroid  measnromeDt ;  f,  trignometric  meaa- 
nrement;  eei.f  estimated. 


428       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  TDE  TEBBITOEIES. 

similar  to  that  of  the  Uncompah^e.  This  valley  is  at  tbo  foot  of  the 
sloping  plateau  in  which  is  cut  the  Grand  Caiion  of  the  Gunnison.  This 
stream  enters  a  low  caiion,  just  above  its  mouth,  in  which  it  enters  the 
Gunnison. 

DISTRIBUTION  OF  VEGETATION. 

Vegetation,  in  its  character  and  abundance,  is  modified  by  several 
causes.  Elevation  above  sea-level  is,  perhaps,  the  most  powerful  in 
determining  its  character.  The  nature  of  the  soil,  amount  of  moisture, 
&c.,  are,  of  course,  very  powerful  iu  influencing  it.  The  general  char- 
acter of  the  vegetation  as  influenced  by  hight  is  as  follows:  The  stream- 
bottoms,  up  to  a  height  of  at  least  8,000  feet,  produce  abundantly  oot- 
tonwoods  and  grass.  The  soil  is  deep  and  rich,  and  there  is  abundant 
moisture.  The  lower  bench-land,  up  to  a  height  of  fully  8,000  feet, 
produces  principally  sage  and  greasewood,  piilon  pine,  yucca,  and  eae- 
tus,  with  more  or  less  bunch-grass.  The  soil  is  gravelly,  or  an  alkalioe 
clay,  dry  and  arid.  The  upper  benches  and  lower  mountain  slopes  an 
covered  with  scrub-oak,  piOou  pine,  wild  service-berry  and  other  boshes. 
This  kind  of  vegetation  is  found  at  elevations  from  V,000  to  10.000  feet 
above  sea-level.  The  soil  is  quite  dry,  though  not  as  dry  as  the  last 
From  10,000  to  11,000  or  11,500  feet,  i.  c,  to  timber-line,  on  the  mount- 
ains and  plateaus,  the  characteristic  vegetation  is  iiine  and  spruce,  with 
excellent  grass.    At  these  high  altitudes  the  soil  is  very  well  watered. 

SETTLEMENTS,  TRAILS,  ROADS,  ETC. 

Settlements  west  of  the  Sawatch  range  are  very  few  and  small.  ITii* 
only  practicable  way  of  reaching  the  country  with  wagons  is  by  a  long 
detour  to  the  south,  via  the  San  Luis  Valley  and  Cochetopa  Pass,  as 
none  of  the  passes  in  the  Sawatch  range  are  practicable  for  wagons. 
Besides  the  embryo  town  of  Gunnison,  mentioned  previously  in  this 
report,  settlement  is  confined  to  a  few  mining  camps  in  the  Elk  Mount- 
ains and  the  valley  near  the  head  of  the  Gunnison.  There  are  small 
camps  on  Texas  and  Batty  Creeks  and  in  Union  Gulch,  near  the  hciid 
of  the  uppericaiion  of  the  Gunnison,  working  placer-deposits.  At  the 
head  of  Rock  Creek,  iu  the  south  end  of  Treasury  Mountain,  there  is 
a  camp  of  miners  working  quartz-leads.  Washington  Gulch  has  been 
worked,  but  is  now  abandoned.  A  small  camp  has  been  located  on  0- 
be-joyful  Creek  during  the  summer  of  1874. 

The  whole  of  the  area  west  of  the  one  hundred  and  seventh  meridian 
is  within  the  reservation  of  the  Ute  Indians. 

The  only  wagon-trails  are  from  Gunnison  up  the  Gunnison  River  and 
East  River  to  the  mining  camps  in  Treasury  Mountain  and  the  trail 
made  by  Captain  Gunnison  In  1854,  referred  to  above.  This  trail, 
though  very  rough  and  difficult,  is  occasionally  used  now. 

Trails  are  abundant,  lending  iu  every  direction,  so  tbAt  it  would  be  an 
endless  work  to  particularize  them.  The  main  trail  connecting  th^  Lo8 
Pinos  and  White  River  Indian  agencies  passes  up  Ohio  Creek  to  its  head, 
descends  Anthracite  Creek,  ascends  the  North  Fork,  and  follows 
Divide  Creek,  to  its  mouth,  where  it  crosses  the  Grand.  A  heavy  trail 
follows  the  Gunnison  River  from  the  mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek  to  its 
mouth  on  the  north  side.  The  great  plateau  is  crossed  by  many  trails, 
and  nearly  every  stream  has  a  trail  along  it. 


CHAPTER    II. 


ELEVATIONS. 


Blevations  Lave  LeeD  measured  by  cistern  barometer,  aneroids,  and 
tbe  vertical  circle  of  the*  gradienter.  Most  of  the  mountain  summits 
in  the  western  part  of  tbe  Elk  system  and  on  tbe  great  plateau  were 
measured  trigooometrically  by  the  vertical  circle  of  the  ijradienter, 
based  on  the  barometric  elevatious  in  the  eastern  part  of  tbe  system. 

BEVISION   OF  THE   HEIGHTS  OF  SUMMITS   IN  THE  SA WATCH  AND  ELK 

SYSTEMS. 

• 

¥or  a  more  accurate  determination  of  the  elevations  of  these  monnt- 
ains,  I  have  employed  a  combination  of  the  barometrical  and  trig- 
onometric methods.  By  means  of  the  vertical  angles,  between  the  peaks, 
their  relative  elevation  has  been  determined  with  considerable  accuracy. 
Then  the  heights  of  the  several  peaks,  as  measured  by  barometer,  are 
reduced  to  a  common  point  by  use  of  these  relative  elevations.  The 
mean  of  these  results,  giving  suitable  weights,  gives  a  mean  elevation 
for  this  common  point,  and,  applying  to  it  the  difference  in  elevation, 
gives  the  heights  of  the  other  peaks.  The  accuracy  of  the  results  depends 
on  the  character  of  the  leveling,  the  number  of  barometric  elevations, 
and  situation  of  the  barometric  base  to  which  they  are  referred.  In  the 
iSawatch  range,  within  the  area  over  which  I  worked  during  the  season 
of  1873,  four  peaks  were  measured  by  cistern-barometer.  The  barometric 
observations  on  these  peaks  were  referred  for  a  base  to  those  taken  near 
the  summit  of  Mount  Lincoln,  at  an  elevation  of  14,194  feet.  The  dif- 
ference of  elevation  in  no  case  exceeds  400  feet,  and  the  greatest  distance 
(to  Mount  Princeton)  is  forty-two  miles,  while  the  least  (to  La  Plata 
Mountain)  is  but  twenty-nine  miles. 

In  the  Elk  Mountains  five  peaks  have  been  measured  by  cistern -barom- 
eter, and  referred  to  Mount  Lincoln  as  a  base.  Of  these  the  nearest 
to  Mount  Lincoln  is  Italian  Peak,  forty-four  miles  from  it,  while  the  one 
farthest  off  is  Crested  Butte,  which  is  at  a  distance  of  fifty-five  miles. 
The  greatest  difference  in  elevation  is  more  than  2,000  feet 

The  following  is  a  nummary  of  the  work  of  reduction  of  the  barometric 
elevations  in  these  two  monutainsystems,  with  the  resulting  elevations: 

*  Satca'ch  range. 


1a  Plato  Monntain 

Grir.8l.v  Peak 

Mount  llan'ard  . . . 
llounl  Pnucctou . . 


Relative  ole- 
vatiou. 


Feet. 
0 
— iJ55 

-113 


Elevation  of 
barometer. 


Feet. 
U,3?9 

1  i,  rcw 

14.:i84 


Elf>vation  of 
La  Plata 
Mountalu. 


Feet 
14.303 
1<,3I7 
14,390 
1 1,  :U4 


MeoD  rltfva- 
tiou. 


F4et. 
14.311 
13.050 
14.  375 
14. 11)6 


4*^ 


430 


GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 


In  taking  the  mean  of  the  elevations  of  La  Plata  Monntain,  a  dooUe 
weight  has  been  given  to  the  result  trom  the  barometrical  observadoo 
taken  on  this  mountain,  as  it  does  not  depend  on  vertic^il  angles. 

The  small  range  of  results  on  La  Plata  Monntain  (only  18  feet)  demon- 
strates the  excellence  of  the  Mount  Lincoln  base,  and  the  importance  of 
having  the  base  as  nearly  as  possible  at  the  same  elevation  as  the  points 
measured. 

From  these  points  as  bases  the  following  heights  have  been  measared, 
each  result  being  the  mean  of  a  number  of  vertical  angles  taken  with 
weights  inversely  proportional  to  the  distances: 

Feet. 

Massive  Monntain  (highest  snmmit) 14,298 

Mount  Elbert  (northern  and  highest  summit) *. 14,351 

Mount  Yale 14,  l"** 

Station  75 13,2M 


Elk  Mountains, 


SnowxDass  Moantain.. 

Castle  Peak 

Crested  Bn tte 

White  Bock  Monntaiu 
Italian  PeAk 


Relative  ele- 
ration. 


Feet. 
0 
+145 

— 1,»I8 
— GI3 
—620 


Elevation  of 
barometer. 


Fut. 
13,061 
14. 11)6 
13.014 
13,423 
13.284 


Elevation  of 
Snowmasa 
Moantaio. 


13.961 
13.961 
13,933 
14,036 
13,904 


MeaneleT> 
tioD. 


Fvti. 
13, 9^ 
14,115 

13.^7 
13,3J0 


As  before,  doable  weight  was  given  to  the  direct  barometrical  resalt 
on  the  common  point,  in  this  case  Snowmass  Monntain.  The  resalting 
elevations  show  mnch  greater  range  than  in  the  Sawatch  system,  as 
might  be  expected  from  the  greater  distance  from  the  base,  the  great 
range  in  elevation,  over  2,000  feet,  and  the  fact  that  the  great  Sawatcli 
range  lies  between  these  mountains  and  Mount  Lincoln. 

From  these  peaks  as  bases,  the  following  elevations  have  been  meas- 
ured by  vertical  angles,  each  result  being,  as  before,  the  mean  of  several 
independent  measurements,  giving  suitable  weights : 

ELK  MOUNTAINS. 


EA8TBRK  RANGE. 

Capitol  Mountain 

Maroon  Moantain 

MoQDt  Daly 

Pj'raniiil  Peak 

Sopris  Peak 

Teocalli  Mountain 

Station  63 

Park  Cone 

Snowmass  Monntain 

Castle  Peak 

White  llock  Mountain 

Italian  Peak 

liellovuo  Mountain 


Between  forks  of  Castle  Creek 
Do 


Latitude. 

i 
Longitude.  1 

O       1      II 

O   /   '/ 

39  9  0 

107  4  40 

39  4  30 

106  59  80 

39  11 

107  4 

39  5 

106  57 

39  15  54 

107  9  50 

38  57  4U 

106  53  0 

38  54 

106  30 

38  46 

106  36 

39  7  13 

107  3  44 

39  0  30 

106  38  40 

38  58  30 

106  55  10 

38  56  35 

106  45  0 

39  1 

107  1 

39  13 

107  4 

39  13 

107  3 

39  2 

107  3 

39  3 

107  0 

39  0 

106  53 

39  8 

106  53 

39  4 

106  51 

39  5 

106  51 

39  6 

106  4tf 

Eleratkn. 


13,997 
HOMi 
13.  IW 
13,  e» 
\%&\ 

uin 

13,  «4 

UWl 
UWJ 
14,115 
li.357 
13, 3» 
18.3:0 
13.050 
UOOO 
13.340 
13,030 
U400 
W.1«0 
12.  W 

D.ao 


CSJkNNETT.] 


GEOGR  APIJ  Y — ELEVATIONS. 


431 


SetTreen  CaBtle  and  Maroon  Crcel&a 


1II0DI.£  RAXOC 

Crested  Batto 

Oothic  MonDtain 

StAtionGO 

Xreasury  MouDtain 

Oinnamon  Moantain 

Sod  of  ridge  north  of  last  two  points  . .. . 
Top  of  Kock  Creek  Cafion.  north  side 

WE8TSRN  KAXGK, 

Station  30 


Station  33 

Station  33 

Slate  Moantalu 
Station  ii0 


BCATTSRED  OROUFB. 


Jtfotint  Marcellina 


StatkMiSl 


Station  34 

Station  30 
Station  36 


Latitude. 

Longitodc. 

Elevation. 

Q       1      If 

O      1      II 

Feet. 

30    S 

106  54 

13.150 

30    3 

1C6  46 

12,330 

30    0 

106  47 

13,550 

38  58 

116  47 

12,750 

30    7 

106  50 

13,230 

30    6 

106  f  8 

12.{K)0 

30    2 

1U6  54 

13,150 

30    1 

106  58 

13. 200 

30    0 

106  58 

13,  COO 

38  53 

106  56 

13, 053 

38  57 

107    0 

12, 570 

30    0 

107    4 

12. 203 

30    1 

107    6 

13,800 

30    0 

107    3 

12,600 

30    8 

107  10 

13.750 

30    7 

107    0 

li,470 

30  13 

10?  11 

12,050 

30    5 

107    6 

11.682 

30    4 

107    7 

11,  430 

38  48 

107    3 

11,073 

38  dO 

106  50 

13,300 

38  40 

106  50 

12, 310 

38  40 

106  58 

12,250 

38  40 

106  57  30 

12.  OOi 

36  48 

106  57 

11,547 

38  55 

107    7 

12,060 

:o   S 

107  15 

12,481 

30    4 

107  17 

12.613 

30    3 

107  17 

12,  578 

30    0 

107    6 

12,8<»l 

30    0 

107  10 

11.582 

38  53 

107    3 

12,220 

38  5:5 

107    3 

13.23U 

38  56 

107  14 

11.324 

23  52 

107  16 

12.  176 

38  51 

107  15 

12, 003 

38  51 

107  14' 

12, 312 

38  51 

107  13 

12,2j0 

38  50 

107  13  30 

12,238 

38  43 

107  13 

12. 0.20 

38  4*2 

107  U 

12,841 

38  43 

107  13 

12,  861 

38  43 

107    0 

12.468 

38  45 

107  18 

12,  746 

3d  43 

107  23 

11, 740 

38  44 

107  23 

11,715 

38  40 

107  23 

12,088 

38  45 

107  W4 

10.838 

38  48 

107  31 

ll.;«7 

38  46 

107  33 

10.634 

•i^  41 

107  25 

10,877 

38  47 

107  28 

11,713 

3d  47 

107  20 

11,613 

1 

432 


OEOLOOICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERSITORIES. 


ON  THE  PLATEAU. 


GRKAT  TLATEAU. 

Station  43 

Station  4:) 

6tatiou44 

SUtion43 

JSorlh  end  of  platean 

Soutli  OQil  of  plaiteau 

NOUl  n  MAM  ri^TEAU. 

North  Main 

8ualh  Matu ; 


I'LATKAU  BAXGE. 


Station  50 


LatiXnde. 


30    23 

39    S3 
3Q    )t3 


39  SO 

39  19 

39  18 

39  17 

30  Ifi 

39  16 

*a9  17 


LoDgltadeL 


o 

/    // 

o 

■  f 

30 

0 

107 

45 

30 

8 

107 

40 

39 

3 

107 

41 

39 

1 

107 

40 

39 

4 

107 

M 

39 

5 

lUT 

50 

39 

C 

108 

13 

38 

53 

106 

10 

108 
108 
108 
108 
108 
106 
108 


it 


107  51 

1U7  51 

1(7  55 

107  57 


9 
1 

4 
6 
7 
8 


Fttt 

10^  <e 

11,134 
II,  lie 
11,M 
10, 901 
10.954 
9.800 
9.^3 


10.93 
lOL^n 
10.ttl 
10. 6D 


9.006 
7.M5 
7,M 
7.90 
8.8:5 
8.  OK) 
8,643 


Approximate  latitudes  and  longitudes  of  other  important  points. 


Ten oessce  Pass , 

Lake  Creek  Pass 

Moutli  of  Lake  Creek 

liloiith  of  Cottonwood  Crvek 

Month  of  Eagle  Klvcr 

Mouth  of  Roarinc:  Fork 

Mouth  of  Slate  River 

Month  of  White  Earth  River 

Mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek 

Month  of  Lake  Fork  uf  the  Guouison  River  .. 

Month  of  CebolU  Crock 

Mouth  of  North  Fork  of  the  Guunison  River. 

Mouth  ot  Uncompabsre  River 

Moutli  of  GuDDison  River 

Mouth  of  Plateau  Creek 


Latitodo. 

Longitude. 

o 

1 

o      < 

39 

iM 

IOC   19 

38 

\^ 

106   33 

39 

5 

106   10 

38 

50 

106     7 

39 

'X\ 

107     3 

39 

31 

107   10 

38 

4'i 

106   SO 

38 

29 

107    13 

3b 

sa 

106  he 

38 

97 

107   91 

W 

88 

107   XI 

38 

47 

107   » 

38 

45 

106     5 

39 

4 

lOd   33 

39 

11 

lOd    16 

GRAND  RIVER. 


3Iilea  from 
month  of 
Gnnniaon 
River. 


(;nind  Lake,  Middle  Park 

Mouth  Blue  River,  (homl  of  cafion) 

Fotit  of  caQon  in  Park  range 

Mouth  of  £a;;lo  River 

Mouth  of  a  creek 

Mouih  of  Roaring  Fork 

Mouth  of  rroek , 

Month  of  North  Mam  Creek 

Mouth  of  Guunison  River 


884 

178 

171 

114 

110 

95 

89 

75 

0 


Slevfttion. 


FuL 
8.153 
7. 183 
7,00J 
6.1S5 
6.0UO 
5,TJ4 
5,645 
5,445 
4,583 


Pan  per 
mile. 


FfA 


8L1 

lit 

31-« 

17.  ■; 

14.3 
1&3 


O-AXNXTT.) 


OEOGBAPHY— ELEVATIONS. 


433 


KAGLE  BIVEB. 


Milen  from 
xnoutli. 


TFennesaee  Paaa,  (bead) 

!ldouth  of  Homestako  Creek 

JUCouth  of  Roche  Moutonn6e  Creek 

Iklouth  of  piney  Creek 

^iomh/  creok  (head  of  cafioD) ... 

Jdoath^creek 

SAoaibAcreek 

^outb 


62.0 
b0.0 
4j.O 
41.0 
29.0 
13.0 
6.5 
0 


ElevAtion. 


Feet 
10,418 
8,093 
7,856 
7,70J 
7, 005 
6*601 
0,389 
6,1:25 


Fall  per 
iLile. 


Feet 


143.8 
167.4 
39.0 
52.9 
29.0 
33.6 
40.6 


BOARIKG  FOUK. 


Sead 

"Mout  h  of  Hunter's  Creek . . . 
Mom  h  of  Difficolt  Creek  ... 

Mouth  of  Castle  Creek 

Mouth  of  Fryine-Pan  Creek 

Mouth  of  Bock  Creek 

Mouth 


Miles  from 
mouth. 


64 
55 
48 
43 
25 
12 
0 


Eleration. 


Feet 
11.676 
9,4t0 
8.  '^41 
7, 942 
6.626 
6,000 
5,>734 


Fall  per 
mile. 


Feet 


2:3 

I61) 
60 
73 
4d 
28 


GUNKISON  UIVER. 


Head 

Mouth  of  Pass  Creek 

Head  of  upper  caQon 

Mouth  of  Slato  River. 

Mouth  of  Cochetopa  Creek. . 

At8tatlon71 

At  foot  oren  valley 

Mouth  or  the  White  Earth. .. 

Mouth  of  A  creek 

Mouth  of /7  creek 

Month  Lake  Fork 

Mouth  of  Cebolla  Creek 

Month  North  Fork 

Mouth  of  6  creek 

Month  Uncompahgre  River  . 
Mouth  of  Ronoldeau's  Creek 
Mouth 


Miles  from 
mouth 


200 

185 

176 

157 

141 

13.5 

130 

123 

116 

114 

112 

97 

62 

50 

45 

40 


Elevfttioo. 


Feet 
11, 176 
0.869 
0,570 
a  176 
7.725 
7,':00 
7,638 
7.  4.'iO 
7,:i50 
7,327 
7,213 
6.^0 
5,405 
5, 220 
5,100 
4,925 
4,523 


FaU  per 
mile. 


Feet. 


153.8 
32.6 
73.7 
28.2 
4.2 
12.4 
26.9 
14.3 
11.5 
57.0 
27.5 
39.9 
14.9 
25.2 
35.0 
10.0 


JUNCTION  OF  STREAMS. 

Eli'vntion. 
Feet. 

Mouth  of  Taylor  River.-.l 8,300 

Mouth  of  Deadman*8  Gnlch 9.  GOO 

Mouth  of  Cement  Creek 8,500 

Mouth  of  East  Kiver 8,640 

Mouth  of  Washin^irton  Gulch 9,000 

Month  of  Cascade  Creek 8,970 

Mouth  of  Dyke  Creek 10,840 

Month  of  Ohio  Creek 7,775 

Forks  of  Ohio  Creek 8,400 

Month  of  branch  a  of  Smith's  Fork 6,745 

Month  of  branch  b  of  Smith's  Fork 7,500 

Mouth  of  branch  a  of  North  Fork 5,500 

Mouth  of  branch  5  of  Coal  Creek 7,077 

Mouth  of  branch  ^  of  Rock  Creek 6,000 

Month  of  branch  (  of  Rock  Creek 7,100 

Month  of  branch  0  of  Rock  Creek 8,400 

Month  of  branch /Plateau  Creek 7,682 

Mouth  of  branch  y  Plateau  Creek 6,337 

Month  of  br8.nch  a  Plateau  Creek 5,680 

28  H 


TOPOGRAPHICAL  REPORT  OF  NORTHERN  DIVISION,   1874. 


By  Stort  B.  Ladd,  M.  £. 


Washington,  D.  C,  June  1, 1S76. 

Sib  :  I  have  tlie  honor  to  submit  to  you  the  topographical  report  of 
the  Dortheru  division  of  the  Uuited  States  Geological  and  Geographical 
Survey  of  the  Territories,  to  which  I  was  assigned  as  topographer,  for 
the  season  of  1874. 

The  party,  in  charge  of  Mr.  A.  U.  Marvine,  geologist,  left  the  ren- 
dezvous camp,  near  Denver,  on  the  20th  of  July.  A  camp  was  made 
for  three  days  near  Golden  City,  and  a  detailed  survey  made  of  the 
country  between  Kalston  Greek  and  Mount  Morrison.  We  crossed  the 
Front  or  Colorado  range  by  Berthoud^s  Pass,  and  traversed  the  Middle 
Park  to  our  field  of  work  north  of  the  Middle  Park. 

The  first  station  was  made  on  the  Ist  of  August,  and  the  last  one  on 
the  20th  of  November.  The  wagon-road  from  the  White  River  Indian 
agency  to  Rawlings  Springs  was  taken,  and  Kawlings  was  reached  on 
the  28th  of  November,  and  Denver,  by  railroad,  on  the  30th. 

Mr.  Wm.  S.  Holman,  jr.,  took  the  supplies  for  the  party,  and  a  mercu- 
rial barometer  to  the  White  River  agency,  via  Rawlings,  and  the 
wagon-road  from  that  point.  The  barometric  station  which  he  estab- 
lished there  is  the  base  on  which  the  majority  of  our  altitudes  depend. 

The  plan  of  the  topographical  work  is  exactly  the  same  as  used  the 
year  before,  and  as  aidopted  by  the  other  parties. 

Very  respectfully,  yours, 

STORT  B.  LADD. 

Dr.  P.  V.  HAYDieN, 

United  States  Geologist^  in  charge  of  the  United  States 

Oeological  and  Geographical  Survey  of  the  Territories, 


REPORT. 


The  country  assigned  to  the  northern  division,  to  be  surveyed  during 
the  season  of  1874,  is  north  and  east  of  the  Middle  Park,  in  Golorado. 
The  northern  limit  was  north  latitude  40<^  30^  and  the  southern  the 
Eagle  River  from  its  source  at  the  summit  of  the  Mount  Powell  range 
to  its  junction  with  the  Grand  River,  and  then  the  Grand.  On  the  east 
the  work  was  to  connect  with  that  of  the  previous  year  on  the  western 
and  northern  sides  of  the  Middle  Park,  and  to  the  west  the  work  was 
to  be  continued  as  far  as  the  season  would  allow. 

The  most  western  point  reached  was  nearly  to  longitude  108^,  though 
the  average  limit  is  about  107^  45',  This  arrangement  gave  us  a  narrow 
strip  north  of  Middle  Park,  covering  the  southern  end  of  the  North 
Park,  of  an  average  width  of  about  eleven  miles,  and  extending  from 

435 


436       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

the  summit  of  the  Front  or  Colorado  range  north  of  Long's  Peak,  west 
to  the  Park  range,  which  is  tbe  eastern  limit  of  the  bulk  of  our  work, 
and  has  a  trend  of  north  25<^  west  from  Mount  Powell.  The  dispo^itioD 
of  the  country  made  it  desirable  to  commence  at  the  eastern  end  of  the 
!North  Park  district,  and  to  extend  the  work  to  the  west  toward  our 
supply  depot  at  the  White  Elver  Indian  agency,  and  when,  early  in 
November,  we  reached  the  country  between  the  Mount  Powell  range 
and  the  headwaters  of  the  Eagle,  tbe  storms  and  the  clouds  that  hung 
constantly  around  the  mountains  made  it  igipossible  to  continue  tbe 
work,  and  we  were  obliged  to  leave  that  portion  for  another  season. 

The  total  area  surveyed  is  about  four  thousand  one  huudI^ed  square 
miles  of  mountain  country^  interspersed  with  a  few  wide,  open  valleys. 
The  methods  of  working  are  the  same  as  adopted  by  the  oiher  parties. 
A  line  of  primary  triangulation  stations  bordering  the  country  on  th^ 
east  and  south  and  Dome  Mountain  near  the  center  of  the  district,  lati- 
tude 40O  00'  57/'45,  and  longitude  10iO  04'  40."46,  (approximate,)  were 
the  points  with  which  the  secondary  triangulation  joining  all  the  topo- 
graphical stations  were  connected.  Eighty-six  principal  stations  were 
made,  together  with  some  minor  compass  stations  along  the  lines  of 
travel.    The  average  distance  of  the  stations  apart  was  6.84  miles. 

A  barometric  station  was  established  at  the  White  Kiver  Indian 
agency,  commencing  on  the  17th  of  August,  and  a  meteorological  record 
has  been  kept  from  that  time  to  date.  Different  members  of  the  party 
were  observers  while  the  party  was  in  the  field,  and  since  then  the 
observations  have  been  made  by  Mrs.  E.  H.  Danforth. 

A  portion  of  the  party  was  encamped  at  the  mouth  of  the  Engle 
Eiver  for  twenty-six  days,  and  a  barometric  record  was  kept  there 
during  the  time,  which  gives  the  elevation  of  that  point  very  accurately. 

The  station  at  the  agency  is  the  base  used  in  the  calculation  of  the 
m^ority  of  the  heights ;  for  the  work  done  while  the  smal)  side-party 
was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Eagle,  that  base  was  used  as  being  much 
nearer,  and  the  work  done  in  the  Korth  Park  previous  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  White  Biver  base  depends  upon  the  bases  at  Fairplay  and 
Denver. 

The  southern  end  of  the  Medicine  Bow  Mountains,  which  border  the 
North  Park  on  the  east,  forms  a  high,  precipitous,  granite  ran^e  be- 
tween the  valley  of  the  North  Grand  and  the  Park.  East  of  the  North 
Grand  rise  the  monntiiins  of  the  great  Front  range,  of  the  ^alne  gene- 
ral character  as  they  are  to  the  south,  sharp,  serrated  summits,  with  am- 
phitheaters on  either  side.  The  highest  points  of  these  ranges  rise  to 
a  little  over  13,000  feet,  but  the  general  elevation  is  12,500  feet.  To 
the  north  the  Front  range  loses  its  rugged  Alpine  character  and  changes 
to  a  high,  heavily-timbered  plateau  range,  separated  from  the  Medicine 
Bow  by  the  Big  Laramie  iciver,  and  drained  on  the  ea«t  by  the  Cache 
la  Poudre.  The  tttuge  in  the  other  direction  bears  south  40^  east,  and 
culminates  in  the  highest  mountain  of  the  whole  northern  districts 
Long's  Peak.  The  valley  of  the  North  Grand  is  narrow  and  close,  ex- 
cepting a  portion  of  its  lower  course,  where  it  widens  into  a  broad 
beaver  meadow. 

Grossing  the  Medicine  Bow  range,  we  descend  by  long,  broken  spurs 
to  the  broad  open  prairie-like  basin  of  the  North  Park,  drained  by  the 
North  Platte  River.  Across  the  Park  rises  the  Park  range,  a  broad, 
rounded  mass,  heavily  timbered,  about  twelve  miles  in  width,  and  with 
an  elevation  of  from  10,000  to  10,500  feet.  The  range  retains  this 
character  for  fifty  miles  to  the  south,  and  then  rises  to  the  very  rugged 
precipitous  range  of  Mount  Powell.  To  the  north,  for  ten  miles,  it  re- 
mains the  same,  and  then  changes  to  a  more  mountainous  type,  but  not 


i^ADD.j  GEOGRAPHY GKNEBAL  FEATURES.  437 

as  rough  a  one  as  to  the  south.  The  divide  at  the  head  of  the  Muddy 
Creek  of  Middle  Park  is  very  low,  but  8,772  feet  elevation ;  while  at 
BO  point  is  the  Park  rangre  lower  than  9,000  feet,  except  where  the 
caiion  of  the  Grand  cuts  through  it.  So,  if  this  canon  did  not  exist,  the 
entire  drainage  of  the  Middle  Park  would  flow  through  the  Muddy  Pass 
into  the  North  Platte  Eiver. 

The  main  spurs  or  ridges  between  Park  View  Mountain  and  the  Park 
range,  which,  to  the  south  Irom  the  divides  between  the  Troublesome, 
the  west  fork  of  the  Troublesome,  and  the  Muddy,  have  a  northwest 
and  southeast  trend  parallel  to  the  range. 

Considering  the  country  west  of  the  Park  range  as  a  unit,  the  main 
topographical  feature  is  the  White  River  plateau,  a  lava  capped  mesa, 
irregular,  and  cut  by  deep  canons  and  valleys,  which  olteu  nearly  sub- 
divide it. 

This  western  district  comprises  about  three  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  square  miles,  and  the  drainage  is  divided  into  three 
systems,  the  Yampah  or  Bear  Kiver,  the  White,  and  the  Grand.  The 
Yampah  drains  nearly  the  northern  half  of  the  district,  the  White  the 
western  central,  about  one-quarter,  and  the  Grand  the  southern  third. 

The  Yampah  has  a  northeasterly  and  northerly  course  from  its  source 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  mesa,  which,  situated  in  the  center,  is  a  point 
from  which  the  drainage  radiates,  till  it  reaches  the  Park  range  within 
a  mile  of  our  north  line,  when  it  makes  a  sharp  bend  and  holds  a  course 
due  west  till  it  joins  the  Green  River. 

The  W^hite  River  drains  the  heart  of  the  plateau,  and  the  main  stream 
has  its  source  in  Trapper's  Lake,  which  nestles  in  one  of  the  deep-cut- 
ting valle>s  close  under  the  clifls.  The  South  Fork  of  the  White,  head- 
ing near  Shingled  Mountain,  cuis  a  deep  precipitous  caiion  through  the 
center  of  the  plateau. 

The  Grand  River,  which  issues  from  the  Middle  Park  through  the 
caiion  in  t^e  Park  range,  flows  through  a  broken  series  of  gorges  for 
ninety  miles,  opening  out  occasionally  into  a  small  valley  of  from  one  to 
five  miles  in  length,  but  for  the  greater  part  of  it«  course  in  rough,  often 
impassable  caiious.  The  Eagle  flows  through  an  open  sage-brush  val- 
ley lor  twelve  miles  and  then  through  a  narrow  valley  for  five  miles 
before  it  joins  the  Grand. 

From  the  White  River  plateau,  the  surface  of  which  is  irregularly 
rolling,  there  rise  a  number  of  isolated  mountains.  Shingled  Mountain, 
station  XLI,  and  point  17-XLI,  from  500  to  1,000  feet  elevation  above 
the  general  surface.  These  made  excellent  topographical  stations.  The 
eastern  edges  of  the  spurs,  as  well  as  of  the  main  plateau,  are  tbe  high- 
est, sloping  on  the  west  to  the  edges  of  the  mesa,  and  falliog  off  on  all 
sides  with  abrupt,  high  clifl's,  to  the  long,  sloping  spurs  below.  To  tbe 
east  there  are  a  number  of  ridges  partially  detached  from  the  plateau, 
and  the  highest  points  of  these  are  the  mountains  that  show  so  promi- 
nently from  the  east,  Dome  Mountain  and  Mount  Ornno,  which  stand 
just  south  and  north  of  tbe  head  of  the  Yampah,  the  highest  mountains 
west  of  the  Park  range  in  this  district. 

The  Dome  Mountain  ridge  is  entirely  separated  from  the  [)lateau,  and 
the  Mount  Ornuo  mass  is  connected  by  a  narrow  wall  of  rock,  some- 
what higher  than  the  plateau  at  either  end,  in  places  but  3  feet  in  width, 
and  a  sheer  precipice  on  both  sides  of  from  700  to  800  feet.  To  the 
north  lies  the  valley  of  the  Williams  Pork,  a  large  tributary  of  the  Yam- 
pah ;  to  the  south  the  headwaters  of  the  Yampah  itself.  Standing  near 
the  center  of  this  wall,  which  is  125  feet  in  length,  with  outstretched 
arms,  and  dropping  a  stone  irom  each  hand  simultaneously,  they  fall 
for  100  feet  before  touching  the  sides  of  the  clifl's.    It  was  very  much 


438  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OP   THE   TERRITOBIES. 

cracked  and  sbattered,  and  another  winter  will  probably  denoiolisli  this 
natural  causeway. 

The  eastern  edges  of  the  plateau  and  the  main  spurs  and  ridges  bare 
a  northwest  and  southeast  trend,  parallel  to  the  Park  range. 

West  of  the  Park  range  and  parallel  with  it  is  a  broken  range*  abool 
ten  miles  distant  from  the  axis  of  the  main  one.  Starting  as  a  spar 
from  the  Mount  Powell  mass  it  forms  the  high  ridge  of  station  LXXXI, 
reaching  to  11,000  feet.  The  Grand  has  cut  a  canon  through  the  ridge, 
leaving  a  detached  mountain,  station  LXXX,  north  of  the  Grand. 
Korth  of  station  LXXX  there  is  quite  a  low  saddle  ;  then  it  rises  again 
to  station  LXXVIL  To  the  north  the  Yampah  has  cut  a  small  caiiim 
through  the  range,  but  it  tbere  becomes  lower,  and  soon  falls  off  to  the 
broad,  low  ridge  of  station  XV.  West  of  this  range,  and  between  il 
and  the  spurs  from  the  plateau,  lies  Egeria  Park,  drained  by  the  Yam- 
pah, the  Chimney  Fork,  a  tributary  of  the  Yampah,  and  Bayard  Greek, 
a  branch  of  the  Grand.  It  is  an  open,  terraced  basin,  about  twelve 
miles  long  from  northwest  to  southeast,  and  from  one  to  four  miles  wide 
The  divide  between  the  Yampah  and  Grand  River  waters  is  only  a  veij 
low  gravel  terrace,  scarcely  noticeable. 

The  valley  of  the  Yampah,  between  stations  XVII  and  XV,  forms  a 
small  park  about  ten  miles  long  and  from  one  to  three  wide.  Below 
the  great  bend  of  the  Yampah,  near  station  XV,  tor  seven  miles  the 
valley  is  a  wide,  open  bottom  ;  it  then  closes  into  a  caiion  for  nine  miles, 
and  then  widens  out  into  another  rich  and  fertile  bottom,  extending 
almost  continuously  for  eighteen  miles  down  the  river,  and  bordered  oo 
the  north  and  south  by  low,- rolling  hills.  It  is  in  this  valley  that  the 
new  settlement  of  Uaydenville  is  started,  the  beginning  being  made  in 
November  last. 

Near  the  lower  end  of  the  bottom  the  wagon  road  from  RawlingsP 
Springs  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  to  the  White  River  Indian  agency 
crosses  the  Yampah,  and  a  small  Indian  trading-post,  now  kept  by  Mr. 
Morgan,  is  located  there. 

The  valley  of  the  Yampah  is  the  finest  and  roost  promising  of  the 
whole  district.  This  river  is  bordereci  by  a  growth  of  large  cotton  woods, 
and  the  soil  appears  to  be  very  tertile  and  productive.  It  has  an  eleva- 
tion of  from  0,200  to  0,800  feet.  The  only  valley  that  rivals  it  in  rhe 
least  is  that  of  the  White  River  at  Simpson's  Park,  where  the  agency 
is  located;  this,  however,  is  on  the  Ute  Indian  reservation.  Coal  is 
found  in  a  number  of  localities  along  the  Yampah,  between  it  and  the 
White,  as  well  as  north  of  it,  and  although  it  has  not  been  thoroughly 
explored  and  tested,  yet  it  promises  to  be  very  abundant  and  of  good 
quality,  equal  to  any  in  the  Territory-.  The  (Steamboat  Springs  are 
located  right  at  the  bend  of  the  Yampah,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and 
close  to  the  bank  on  the  north  side.  The  water  is  lukewarm,  of  froQ 
70^  to  720  temperature,  and  is  strongly  saturated  with  sulphur. 

At  the  head  of  a  small  stream,  a  tributary  of  the  Eagle,  draining  the 
valley  southwest  of  station  LXXXII,  there  are  a  few  quite  small  sul- 
phur-springs, and  on  the  banks  of  the  Grand  River,  two  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Eagle,  there  is  another  set  of  sulphur-springs  on  both  sides 
of  the  river.  A  short  distance  below  these  springs  there  is  a  ver^'  large 
one  that  gushes  forth  close  to  the  edge  of  the  river,  so  that  in  the  spring, 
at  high  stages  of  the  river,  it  is  entirely  submerged.  This  spring  h;is 
very  little,  if  any,  sulphur,  though  it  probably  has  some  salt,  with  possi- 
bly  some  other  ingredients. 

North  of  the  White  River  plateau  the  country  is  mountainous  and 
irregular,  with  no  distinct,  well-defined  system. 

The  continuation  of  the  spur,  of  which  6-XLI  is  the  highest  pointy 


x-ii^D.)  GEOGRAPHY — IROADS  AND   TRAILS.  439 

^orms  the  dividing  range  between  the  White  Eiver  and  the  Williams 
H^^ork  and  Waddle  Creek  tribntaries  of  the  Yampah.  It  is  a  broad, 
x^olling,  heavily  timbered  range,  with  several  prominent  cone-sammits, 
SLS  Pagoda  Peak  and  point  9-XXIX,  and  has  three  easy  passes.  An 
old  trail  crosses  between  Pagoda  Peak  and  the  plateaa  from  the  Wil- 
liams Fork  to  the  White ;  a  good  trail  crosses  between  Pagoda  Peak 
siDd  point  9-XXIX  from  the  main  branch  of  the  Williams  Fork  to  the 
"White,  at  an  elevation  of  8,300  feet,  and  the  Government  wagon-road 
caresses  through  Yellow  Jacket  Pass,  west  of  station  XXXI,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  7,493  feet 

The  plateao  continnes  to  the  sonthwest,  forming  the  divide  between 
the  White  And  the  Grand  Eivers,  but  it  loses  the  distinctive  mesa  char- 
acter to  a  great  degree,  and  becomes  more  like  a  high,  rolling  range; 
the  streams  flowing  south  cut  deep,  profound  canons,  while  to  the  north 
sloping  spurs  and  hog-back  ridges  divide  the  tributaries  of  the  White. 

ROADS  AND  TRAILS. 

There  are  two  roads  that  penetrate  this  country,  the  Government 
wagon-road  from  Rawliugs'  Springs,on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  to  the 
White  River  Indian  agency,  and  the  one  known  as  Berthond's  Salt  Lake 
"wagon-road. 

The  first,  starting  from  Rawlings'  Springs,  crosses  the  old  stage-road 
4bo  Salt  Lake  City  just  west  of  Bridger's  Pass,  then  following  the  valley 
of  the  Muddy,  crosses  the  Little  Snake  at  the  settlements,  and,  cross- 
ing to  Fortification  Creek,  follows  that  for  most  of  its  course,  and  fords 
the  Yampah  River  just  below  the  mouth  of  Elk  Head  Creek  and  half  a 
mile  east  of  Morgan's  trading-post.  It  then  follows  a  nearly  straight 
course,  crossing  the  Williams  Fork  and  the  Waddle,  through  Yellow 
Jacket  Pass  to  the  agency. 

The  second,  which  is  a  road  surveyed  by  Capt.  £.  L.  Berthoud,  in 
1861,  from  Golden  City,  Colo.,  to  Provo  City,  in  Utah,  via  Berthond's 
Pass  and  the  Hot  Springs,  in  Middle  Park,  crosses  the  Park  range  at 
Gore's  Pass  at  an  elevation  of  9,590  feet;  then  through  the  small  group 
of  meadows  drained  by  Stampede  Creek,  across  a  low  divide  to  Sarvis 
Creek,  and  down  that  valley  to  the  Yampah.  For  the  last  few  miles  it 
leaves  Sarvis  Creek  and  follows  down  a  small  side-stream.  Within  a 
few  years,  since  the  discovery  of  mines  on  the  Elk  and  Snake  Rivers,  a 
number  of  teams  have  been  through  by  this  route,  and  they  have  broken 
a  road  from  Stampede  Creek  through  to  Egeria  Park,  and  that  is  now 
the  passable  route,  the  former  one  down  Sarvis  Creek  being  but  a  trail. 

Passing  through  Egeria  Park  and  down  the  Yampah  for  seven  miles, 
it  follows  a  nearly  straight  northwesterly  course  across  to  Oak  <ind 
Sage  Creeks,  then  bearing  to  the  west  across  a  low  divide  east  of  sta- 
tion XXIV  to  Skull  Creek,  and  once  more  meets  the  Yampah,  which  it 
follows  down  till  it  joins  the  Rawlins  rocid.  This  is  the  route  that  is 
now  used,  but  Captain  Berthoud's  surveyed  road  divides  on  Sage  Creek, 
one  branch  passing  up  Sage  Creek  and  across  to  the  Williams  Fork, 
and  the  other  leaving  the  present  road  at  Skull  Creek,  passing  up  Skull 
Creek  to  the  Williams,  where  it  joins  the  other  branch,  then  across  the 
hills  to  the  range  east  of  Waddle  Creek,  where  it  joins  the  present  road 
to  Simpson's  Park  and  the  agency.  This  portion  of  Berthoud's  road 
from  long  disuse  has  become  nothing  more  than  a  trail. 

From  Simpson's  Park  the  road  follows  down  the  White  to  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Green,  then  up  the  Uintah  River  and  the  Duchesne  Fork, 
and  down  the  Timpanogos  to  Provo  City,  Utah. 


440       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

The  country  is  traversed  by  a  great  many  well-defined  trails  in  all 
directions.  The  principal  ones  across  the  Park  View  monntain-range, 
from  the  Middle  to  the  North  Park,  are  through  the  Willow-Ci'eek  Pass, 
east  of  Park  View,  at  an  elevation  of  9,683  leet,  and  one  across  the  low 
divide  at  the  head  of  the  Muddy  Creek  at  an  elevation  of  8,772  feet 
This  is  the  pass  crossed  by  Fremont,  in  1844,  on  his  return  journey,  and 
he  speaks  of  it  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful  passes  he  had  ever  seen. 
A  fair  trail  crosses  the  Park  range  about  live  miles  north  of  Babbit 
Ears,  »  mountain  near  the  Muddy  Pass,  capped  with  two  sbarp  points 
of  lava  rock,  to  the  valley  of  the  Yampah,  just  above  the  great  bend. 

The  most  important  trails  in  the  western  district  besides  thoBe  men- 
tioned in  connection  witb  Berthoud's  Bait  Lake  road  are  those  leading 
to  and  from  tbe  Indian  agency.  A  large  Indian  trail  to  the  Cochetopa 
agency  runs  almost  south  from  the  White  River  agency,  crossing  the 
Grand  at  the  pionth  of  Divide  Creek,  thirty-seven  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Eagle,  and  then  south  up  Divide  Creek.  A  trail  to  the 
mouth  of  Eagle  Kiver  follows  up  the  White  for  five  miles,  then  ascends 
the  rolling  plateau  and  crosses  it  in  nearly  a  straight  line  to  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Eagle  and  Grand,  passing  down  the  long  spur  west  of  Caiion 
Creek.  The  trail  then  follows  up  the  Eagle  River  for  twent^'-one  miles, 
and  ascends  the  steep  sides  of  the  canon  of  the  Eagle  to  the  valley 
southeast  of  station  LXXI,  the  highest  point  between  the  Eagle  and 
the  Grand.  It  crosses  this  valley  and  the  ridge  dividing  it  from  the 
Piney  River,  and  passing  along  the  steep  mountain  sides  on  the  east  of 
the  Piney  and  south  of  the  Grand,  it  crosses  the  valley  east  of  station 
LXXXI  and  the  Park  range  through  a  pass  7.5  miles  south  of  tbe 
canon  of  the  Grand  and  just  north  of  point  5 — XLI,  and  joins  the  Blue 
River  trail  in  Middle  Park. 

The  greater  part  of  the  whole  country  is  abundantly  watered,  and  the 
streams,  with  but  few  exceptions,  are  large  and  full.  On  the  western 
edge  the  country  becomes  drier  and  more  barren,  and  soon  merges  into 
the  sterile,  desolate  region  of  Western  Colorado.  Longitude  108°  is 
about  the  eastern  limit  of  the  barren  waste.  The  country  to  the  west  is 
broken  by  low  mountains,  ridges,  and  terraces,  but  there  are  no  com- 
manding points,  and  away  from  the  Yampah,  White,  and  Grand  Rivers 
water  is  very  rarely  found.  Careful  measurements  were  made  of  the 
Grand  and  Yampah  Rivers  so  as  to  give  the  amount  of  water  carried 
by  them.  This  is  an  important  question  in  case  the  country  ever  be- 
comes settled  enough  to  require  irrigation,  in  order  to  utilize  for  culti- 
vation the  dry  plains,  especially  on  the  Blue  and  Muddy  in  the  Middle 
Park  and  along  the  Yampah,  though  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  sup- 
ply is  ample  for  any  possible  demand. 

The  Grand  River  was  gauged  at  the  hot  springs,  in  Middle  Park,  on 
July  31.  The  river  at  that  point  was  84  feet  in  width,  with  a  small  side 
run  12  feet  in  width,  and  the  greatest  depth  was  3  feet.  The  maximnm 
velocity  was  8  feet  per  second,  and  the  amount  of  water  802  cubic  feet 
per  second.  Early  in  November  the  river  was  gauged  again  at  a  point 
ninety  miles  below  the  springs,  and  just  below  tbe  month  of  Eagle 
River,  but  the  Grand  is  so  much  smaller  at  that  time,  it  being  at  its 
minimum,  that  no  direct  comparison  can  be  made  between  the  tffo 
results.  ; 

The  Blue,  the  Muddy,  and  the  Eagle  add  their  waters  to  tbe  Grand 
between  these  two  points,  besides  a  great  many  smaller  streams,  yet  the 
river  measured  only  871  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second.  The  small 
amount  is  dne  to  the  lateness  of  the  season,  the  river  being  then  at  its 
very  lowest  point.  The  width  of  the  stream  was  108  feet,  the  greatest 
depth  3.7  feet,  and  the  maximum  velocity  3.4  leet  i)er  second. 


I-ADO.I  GEOORAPnY — ^ELEVATIONS.  441 

Tbe  Ynmpah  was  ganged  in  the  middle  of  November,  near  the  ford 
"^^here  the  Bawllngs  wagon-road  crosses,  and  this  result  also  gives  tbe 
minimnm  amount  of  water  in  it  at  any  season  of  the  year.  The  width 
wvLS  156  feet,  the  deepest  pl^ce  2.5  feet,  tbe  maximum  velocity  2.4  teet 
per  second,  and  the  amount  of  water  364  cubic  feet  per  second. 

In  the  spring  these  rivers  are  very  high  and  impassable  until  nearly 
July,  and  the  Grand i  below  the  Blue  is  not  fordable  till  August,  and 
tlieu  only  in  a  few  phices. 

Plenty  of  water  is  naturally  accompanied  by  an  abundant  growth  of 
timber,  and  about  one-half  of  the  whole  area  is  so  covered,  though  a 
^reat  deal  of  it  is  small,  and  of  no  value  as  lumber. 

The  Park  range  is  covered  with  good  large  timber,  similar  to  the 
front  range,  mostly  pines,  but  with  aspens  and  small  low  trees  along 
the  lower  edges.  The  Park  View  Mountain  range  and  the  Medicine  Bow 
are  the  same,  the  hillsides  well  covered  with  flat  areas,  jirms  of  the  North 
JPark,  clear  and  open.  These  flat  areas  are  covered  with  tbe  lake  deposits, 
and  wherever  these  basins  exist,  as  in  Egeria  Park,  and  tbe  parks  along 
"Yampah,  they  are  free  from  timber,  with  the  exception  of  the  cotton- 
T^oods  bordering  the  streams. 

The  long  sloping  spurs  from  the  White  Eiver  plateau  and  the  heads 
of  the  valleys  draining  it  are  well  timbered,  especially  on  slopes  facing 
the  north.' 

From  the  southeastern  comer  of  the  plateau,  near  station  XLVII,  and 
the  long  ridge  that,  starting  at  this  point,  runs  southwesterly  from  this 
point  around  to  tbe  east  and  north  to  the  month  of  tbe  South  Fork  of 
the  White,  and  beyond  it  to  station  LV,  the  country  is  well,  and  in 
places  even  heavily,  timbered, coveringaboutTOOsquarerailes.  Tbel)est 
timber,  pine  and  spruce,  grows  on  the  heads  of  tbe  White,  Wflliams 
Fork,  and  Yampah  Rivers,  and  on  the  top  of  the  plafeau  between  Shin- 
gled Mountain  (station  XLII)  and  station  LIX.  Tbe  spruce-trees  grow- 
ing on  tbe  top,  at  an  elevation  of  from  10,500  to  11,000  feet  above  the 
sea,  are  large  and  flue,  often  reaching  3  feet  in  diameter. 

A  list  is  given  of  tbe  elevations  of  the  principal  points  and  places. 
A  few  are  calculated  trigonometrically  and  those  are  marked  with  a  f, 
and  a  few  that  are  dependent  upon  an  aneroid  barometer  are  marked 
with  an  a;  the  rest  are  all  obtained  from  a  mercurial  barometer. 

Lint  of  elevations. 

MOUNTAINS. 

Elevation, 
feet. 

Station  T,  Front  range 12, 000 

Station  LX,  (from  '73,)  )                                        i     12, 513 

Station  II >  Medicine  Bow  range ..  }    12,  761 

Station  V >                                        ( f  13, 060 

Park  View,  (from  73,) 12,433 

Station  VII ..    11^906 

Rabbit  Ears...   )                          (....  10,710 

Point  3-LXXIV,  south  of  Gore's  Pass . .  [  Park  range ..  ^  ....  HO,  620 

Point5-XLlI )                          (....  <11,240 

Station  LXXXI tll,26I 

Station  LXXl 11,336 

Station  LXXVII ^10,430 

Station  XVII 8,774 


442  GEOLOQICAL   SURVEY    OP   THE   TERRITORIES. 

WHITS  RIVER  PLATEAU. 

ElevatioD, 
feet 

Station  LII,  northeastern  edge f  11, 210 

MountOrnuo tl2,lS) 

Dome  Mountain 12, 498 

Mount  Derby....    : tl2,253 

Shingled  Mountain,  station  XLII 12,072 

.  Point  2-XLII n2,276 

Station  XLVI,  southern  edge 11,367 

Station  XLI 12,030 

Poiutl7-XLI m,957 

Station  LV 10,116 

Pyramid  Peak,  station  LI 1 1,  Gil 

Pagoda  Peak 11,251 

Point  9-XXIX til, 044 

Station  XXXI,  east  of  Yellow  Jacket  Pass 9, 431 

PASSES  AND  DIVIDES. 

S3J £J  is,  1  '^  «■»  """I"  <»  «■«  ''»'"■  P"". ! ; :  l^. 

Gore's  Pass,  Park  range 9, 590 

Divide  south  of  station  LXXXII,  west  of  Piney  Creek a  8, 422 

Pass  from  Skull  Creek  to  Williams  Fork  ...   a  7, 797 

Pass  from  main  branch  of  Williams  Fork  to  White  River 8, 300 

Yellow  Jacket  Pass a  7, 493 

ELEVATIONS  OF  PARKS,  VAXLBYS,  ETC. 

Valley  of  the  jS^orth  Grand 8,841 

North  Park,  southeast  corner ' 9, 053 

North  Park,  southern  edge 8, 596 

Head  of  the  Yanipah  or  Bear  River 10,  COO 

Egeria  Park,  northern  end 7, 500 

Yampah  Valley,  near  station  XV 6, 781 

Yampah  Valley  at  Haydensville,  mouth  of  Skull  Creek *  6,382 

Yampah  Valley  at  Morgan's  trading- post 6, 229 

Valley  of  Sage  Creek 6,948 

Valley  of  Williams  Fork,  south  of  station  XXVII 6, 047 

Valley  of  the  Waddle,  foot  of  Yellow  Jacket  Pass 6, 654 

Valley  of  the  White,  eleven  miles  above  luouth  of  South  Fork.  7, 592 

Valley  of  the  White  at  mouth  of  South  Fork 6, 972 

White  River  Indian  agency 6, 491 

South  Fork  of  White,  at  lower  end  of  canon 7, 551 

Head  of  South  Fork  on  plateau 10,9(K) 

Lake  on  plateau  below  station  LVIII 10, 337 

Grand  River,  below  caiion  in  Park  Range 7, 000 

Grand  River,  mouth  of  Hughes'  Creek 6, 919 

Grand  River,  near  station  LXIX 6, 618 

Grand  River,  in  valley  one  mile  above  Shingle  Creek 6, 307 

Grand  River,  mouth  of  Eagle  River 6,116 

Eagle  River,  at  bend  in  caiion 6, 790 


MEANS  OF  COMMUNICATION  BETWEEN  DENVER  AND  THE  SAN 

JUAN  MINES. 


By  A.  D.  Wilson,  Topographer  directing. 


Tfae  Denver  and  Bio  OraDde  Railroad  is  now  running  daily  trains  to 
Colorado  Springs,  Paeblo,  and  Gaiion  City.  Persons  wishing  to  reach 
the  new  mining  district  may  take  the  train  to  either  of  the  three  previ- 
ously mentioned  places,  and  at  these  points  they  will  have  to  provide 
themselves  with  animals,  except  by  way  of  Canon  City.  From  this 
place  there  was  during  last  summer  a  regular  line  of  stages  running 
to  Saguache  and  Del  Norte,  but  from  these  latter  places  there  is  not  at 
present  any  public  conveyance.  I  mention  the  three  points  of  starting, 
as  they  are  all  more  or  less  traveled. 

Colorado  (Springs  is  situated  some  seventy-six  miles  south  of  Denver 
on  the  Denver  and  Bio  Grande  Baili'oad.  Leaving  the  railroad  at  this 
point,  the  traveler  is  obliged  to  procure  his  own  conveyance,  as  there  is 
not  at  present  any  public  conveyance  from  there  to  Saguache  or  Del 
ICorte.  The  road  from  here  leads  by  way  of  Manitou  up  the  Fontaine 
qui  Bouille,  crossing  South  Park  at  its  southern  end,  passing  by  the 
Salt- Works;  thence  down  Trout  Creek  to  the  Arkansas  Biver,  which  it 
follows  down  some  miles  to  the  South  Arkansas.  At  this  point  the  road 
joins  with  the  one  from  Canon  City,  and  then,  following  up  Puncho 
Creek,  leads  through  a  pass  of  the  same  name,  to  San  Luis  Valley,  thence 
skirting  this  valley  along  its  western  border  to  Saguache.  This  road 
is  somewhat  longer  than  the  others,  but  a  very  good  and  pleasant  one  to 
travel,  especially  during  the  warmer  portions  of  summer.  The  distance 
by  this  route  from  Colorado  Springs  to  Saguache  1  estimated  at  one 
hundred  and  seventy  miles. 

The  next  route  south  is  by  way  of  Cafion  City,  This  place  is  situated 
on  the  north  bank  of  the  Arkansas  Biver,  near  where  it  emerges  from 
the  mountains,  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  from  Denver  by  rail. 

The  road  from  Canon  City  passes  around  the  first  cation  by  keeping 
some  distance  to  the  north  of  the  river,  then,  swinging  south,  crosses  the 
river  and  again  leaves  it  passing  through  the  north  end  of  Wet  Mount- 
ain Valley,  where  it  again  turns  to  the  north  and  strikes  the  river  in 
Pleasant  Valley  5  thence  following  up  the  river  until  it  joins  the  Colo- 
rado Springs  road,  where  it  crosses  the  South  Arkansas.  It  is  ab«>ut 
one  hundred  and  ten  miles  by  this  road  from  Canon  City  to  Saguache. 
Pueblo  is  situated  also  on  the  Arkansas  Biver,  about  thirty-five  miles 
below  Canon  City,  and  one  hundred  and  eighteen  miles  by  rail  from 
Denver.  The  road  leading  out  from  this  place  crosses  the  plains 
toward  the  southwest  and  strikes  the  Huerfano  Biver  at  Badito.  At 
this  point  the  road  forks,  one  following  up  the  river  and  crossing  the 
Sangre  de  Cristo  range  through  the  Mosca  Pass,  thence  crossing  the 
San  Luis  Valley  to  Del  Norte.  The  other  branch  of  this  road  crosses 
the  river,  and  keeps  farther  to  the  south,  crossing  the  range  through 
the  Sangre  de  Cristo  Pass,  strikes  the  valley  at  Fort  Garland,  and  cross- 
ing from  there  to  Del  Norte.    Both  branches  have  to  contend  with  the 

443 


444       GEOLOGICAL  SUEVEY  OP  THE  TERHIT0RIE8. 

great  sand-drifte  wbicli  bave  accumalated  on  the  eastern  edge  of  the 
San  Luis  Valley ;  the  one  by  way  of  Mosca  Pnss  being  probably  the 
shortest  by  some  miles,  but  at  the  same  time  having  more  sand  to 
contend  with.  With  the  exception  of  the  sand,  this  is  a  very  good  road. 
I  estimated  the  distance  from  Pueblo  to  Del  l^orte  by  Mosca  Pa»8  to 
be  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  I  merely  mention  briefly  these  dif- 
ferent roads  to  Saguache  and  Del  Norte  to  give  the  traveler  some  idea 
how  to  reach  these  'points,  as  they  are  the  last  places  of  any  note  on 
the  way.  Saguache  is  located  on  a  small  stream  of  the  same  name, 
where  it  leaves  the  mountains  and  enters  the  San  Luis  Valley.  The 
enterprising  citizens  of  this  place  have  already  gone  to  considerable 
expense  in  building  a  wagon-road  which  is  to  connect  this  place  with 
tbe  San  Juan  mines.  But  I  fear  it  will  take  more  labor  and  money  to 
make  it  a  good  road  than  tiiey  at  present  can  afford  to  expend  on  it. 
This  road  is  only  approximately  located  on  tbe  accompanying  map, 
owing  to  its  unfinished  condition  when  we  passed  through  that  portion  of 
the  country.  The  construction  party  was,  when  we  passed  them,  August 
12,  nearly  up  to  the  junction  of  Godwin  Creek  and  Lake  Fork.  The^  had 
brought  their  supplies  over  the  road  in  wagons,  but  there  were  many 
)>1aces  where  mucb  labor  would  be  required  to  make  it  practicable  for 
heavily-loaded  wagons.  From  this  point  on  they  will  meet  their  great- 
est obstacles.  As  I  understood  them,  tbc^y  intended  following  approx- 
imately tbe  course  of  tbe  trail — that  is,  up  Lake  Fork.  By  this  route 
they  can  get  a  very  good  grade,  but  only  with  considerable  ex^ieose, 
until  nearing  the  pass,  where  the  mountains  rise  quite  abruptly,  and  it 
will  be  very  difficult  to  construct  a  good  road  over  this  pass,  as  it  is 
quite  steep  on  either  side.    This  pass  is  12,540  feet  above  sea-level. 

Tbe  trail  over  this  pass  strikes  Animas  River  near  its  head,  where 
many  silver-bearing  lodes  have  already  been  located.  From  thii« 
point  it  follows  down  the  river  to  Howardville,  a  distance  of  about  nine 
miles,  a  portion  of  the  way  being  over  very  steep  and  loose  cf^&m  sloiies, 
over  which  it  will  be  difficult  to  construct  a  road.  The  distance  by  this 
road  from  Saguache  to  Howardville  will  be  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  wiles.  There  is  also  a  trail  from  Saguache,  which  is  a  much  shorter 
route  for  pack  or  riding  animals  than  the  road,  but  a  small  connecting- 
link  is  wanting,  which  any  one  can  easily  supply  by  taking  the  accom- 
panying map  on  which  tbe  trail  is  indicated. 

From  Los  Pinos  agency  the  trail  follows  up  one  of  the  branches  of 
Cochetopa  Creek,  thence  crossing  over  to  the  White  Earth,  which  it  fol- 
lows up  until  nearing  the  divide  between  it  and  the  Rio  Grande.  Here  it 
turns  to  the  south  and  descends  to  Antelope  Park.  Bnt  the  traveler 
wishing  to  go  to  San  Juan  must  keep  <m  in  a  westerly  direction,  and  he 
will  soon  strike  a  trail  which  leads  him  down  to  San  Cristoval  Lake, 
where  he  will  strike  the  Lake  Fork  trail,  formerly  described.  The  dis- 
tance by  this  trail  from  Saguache  to  Howardville  is  about  one  hundred 
and  ten  miles. 

Del  Norte  is  located  on  tbe  southern  bank  of  the  Rio  Grande,  near  the 
foot- bills  on  the  west  side  of  San  Luis  valley,  about  thirty  miles  soath 
of  Saguache.  This  being  the  nearest  place  to  the  mines,  it  is  from  here 
that  the  miners  procui*e  tbeir  supplies  at  present.  The  wagon-road  from 
Del  Norte  follows  up  the  river  along  its  southern  bank,  meeting  with  no 
obstacles  of  note  until  reaching  Wagon-  Wheel  Gap.  At  this  point,  owing  to 
a  loose  slide,  the  owners  of  the  road  were  compelled  tochange  it  by  bnildiog 
a  bridge  over  the  river.  This  bridge  was  nearly  complete  when  we  passed 
there.  The  road  only  crosses  to  recross  again  vei^  soon,  and  continaes on 
the  southern  bank  until  nearing  Bristol  Head.    Here  it  crosses  to  the 


witso2f.l  GEOGRAPHY — ^MEANS   OP   COMMUNICATION.  445 

northern  bank ;  then,  soon  leaving  the  river,  and  skirting  the  foot  of  the 
inountain,  crosses  a  low  spar,  and  descends  to  Antelope  Park.  This 
point  is  about  fifty-five  miles  from  Del  Norte.  So  far  the  road  is  very 
good,  having  no  heavy  grades,  and,  passing  as  it  does  over  the  gravelly 
bottoms,  it  is  naturally  solid  and  qaite  smooth  for  a  moan  tain-road.  At 
this  point  the  road  again  leaves  the  river,  following  up  Crooked  Creek 
for  about  eight  miles ;  reaches  a  high  pleateau,  which  it  crosses,  bear- 
ing again  toward  the  river ;  descends  a  high  and  quite  steep  bluff;  crosses 
and  recrosses  the  river,  when  it  again  leaves  the  river  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, coming  upon  its  bottoms  once  more  at  the  Half-way  House.  So 
far  the  road  is  passable  for  lightly  loaded  wagons ;  but  from  hereon  it 
is  of  no  use  in  its  present  condition,  as  it  is  about  all  they  can  do  to  get 
an  empty  wagon  over  it.  From  the  Half-way  House  the  road  follows  up 
the  river  for  some  distance,  when  it  turns  to  the  right,  and  ascends  quite 
a  steep  slope,  winding  its  way  along  to  the  pass.  It  is  at  this  point  that 
the  greatest  difiSiculty  is  met  with,  owing,  first,  to  the  sudden  descent  of 
the  slope  from  the  pass  to  Baker's  Park,  the  whole  distance  being  some 
fear  miles,  with  a  descent  of  2,900  feet,  and  in  the  first  two  miles  a  de- 
scent of  about  2,300  feet ;  and,  secondly,  owing  to  the  very  rocky  and 
bluffy  charater  of  the  slopes,  it  will  be  very  difficult  to  give  the  road 
swing  enough  to  get  anything  like  a  good  grade.  Still  this  appears  to 
be  the  most  practicable  route  at  present,  as  there  is  a  good  road  for  so 
much  of  the  way. 

The  trail  from  Antelope  Park  does  not  follow  the  same  course  as  the 
road ;  it  more  nearly  follows  the  river,  and  crosses  a  pass  about  one  mile 
farther  south,  near  the  head  of  Cunningham  Creek.  This  pass  is  a  few 
feet  lower  than  the  one  through  which  the  road  goes.  Height  of  trail- 
pass  above  the  sea-level,  12,090  feet. 

The  distance  by  the  road  from  Del  Norte  to  Howardville  is  about 
ninety-five  miles.  There  is  a  trail  leading  from  Howardville  down  the 
Animas;  also  another  leading  out  to  the  northwest  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  San  Miguel  and  Dolores.  Both  of  these  trails  have  been  described 
by  Mr.  Khoda. 

The  accompanying  map  gives  the  drainage  in  detail  of  the  country 
immediately  surrounding  the  San  Juan  mines,  with  all  the  im()ortant 
mountain-peaks,  roads, 'trails,  and  other  features  of  the  country  that 
.could  be  represented  within  the  limited  time  at  my  disposal.  The  lower 
portion  of  the  liio  Grande  was  located  preliminarily  in  order  to  show 
the  route  of  the  wagon-road  from  Del  Korte. 

The  heights  of  many  of  the  important  peaks  and  valleys  are  given  on  the 
map ;  and  there  will  be  a  list  giving  the  heights  of  all  the  higher  peaks  and 
other  important  points,  with  an  explanation  of  the  method  used  in  their 
determination  by  Mr.  Ehoda,  who  has  worked  them  up  with  great  care. 

The  small  contour  map  of  Baker's  Park  and  vicinity  will  give  an  idea 
of  the  character  of  the  country  which  we  were  engaged  in  working  up 
the  past  season.  It  will  also  give  some  idea  of  the  care  with  which  this 
region  has  been  surveyed.  Owing  to  the  want  of  time,  I  was  not  able 
to  get  more  of  the  country  drawn  finally  for  this  report. 

Mr.  Ehoda  has  written  quite  a  detailed  description  of  the  country. 
Therefore  I  will  refer  the  reader  to  his  chapter  for  any  information  that 
may  be  sought  in  i^gard  to  the  appearance  or  character  of  this  region. 
Dr.  Endlich  has  also  written  a  geological  and  miueralogical  report  of 
the  region  surveyed. 


446 


GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OP   THE   TEBBIT0BIE8. 


Fall  of  the  Bio  Grande  from  Cunnifigliam  Paas  to  Del  Norte,  oommeneiug  aipan. 


To  the  moatb  of  Pole  Creek. 
Tbence  to  Lost  Trail  Creek  . 

Thence  to  Antelope  P«i-k 

Thonoe  to  Del  Korte 


Dittaaee. 


JTOm. 

8i 
60 


FUL 


FseL 

1.30O 

l.WO 

600 

1,100 


F^per 


ML  I 

* 


Fall  of  iAa  Animaefrom,  itivide  letween  it  and  east  branch  of  Uneompo^fpre  to  the  hncer  rwi 

of  AnimoM  Park, 


To  upper  end  of  Baker'n  Park 

Tbeuce  to  lower  end  of  park 

Th«Qce  to  mouth  of  Cascade  Creek.. . 

Thence  to  head  of  Animan  Pnrk  

Thence  to  lower  end  of  Animas  Park 


Distance. 


jroes. 


8 

8 

17 

10 

14 


FaU. 


FmL 
8,000 

SM 
1,700 

800 

aoo 


FaUpe 
mila. 


3» 

as 

100 

ft 

tL4 


Fall  of  Lo8  Pinoefrom  Wetninuche  Pan,  commencing  at  summit  of 


To  point  where  tmil  leaves  stream 

Thence  to  west  branch 

Thence  to  Valleoito  Creek 

Thenoe  to  Biff  Bend 


Distanoe. 


MiU9. 


ft 
0 

12 
6 


FaU. 


FetL 

7t3 

1.S0O 

1,000 

400 


FaU 


■iiia. 


1313 
S13 


FaU  of  VaUedio  Creek  from  divide  between  it  and  Rio  Grande,  commencing  at  divide. 


To  janctlon  of  south  branch 
Thenoe  to  Los  Pinos 


Distance. 


Fsa 


ira0f. 


5 
21 


FeeL 
9,400 
S,800 


FaU  per 


Fall  of  Rio  San  Miguel,  commendag  at  Bear  Creek  Pase. 


To  ralley  below  pass 

Thence  down  stream 

Do 

Thence  to  Junction  of  east  branch 


Distanceh 


JfilM. 


8 
4 
9 
6 


FalL 


9,400 
600 
800 

1.100 


F^lpcr 
Bite. 


4W 
IAS 


Fall  of  Unoompahgre  from  divide  between  it  and  Mineral  Creek,  commencing  at  iNcidie. 


To  small  valley 

To  lower  end 

To  lower  end  of  oafion 

To  Junction  of  wcttt  branch 


Distant 


JTOff 


4 

9 

4 

14 


FalL 


1.400 

900 

1.S00 

1.000 


Fdlpsr 


S39 

7L4 


^wiuaoN.* 


OEOOBAPHT — ^FALL   OF   STREAMS. 


447 


Fall  of  Lake  Fork,  oommendng  at  divide  west  of  Bandie^s  Peak, 


To  valley 

Tlieoce  tojanotion  of  aoath  branch 

Thence  to  month  of  Godwin  Crock 

Tbeuce  to  point  where  road  strikes  creek 


Distance. 

Fall. 

MUet, 

Feet 

8i 

3.S0O 

H 

1,S00 

15 

1,900 

21 

800 

Fall  per 
mile. 


Fat 
880 
SIS 
80 
3a9 


Fall  of  Godwin  Creek,  commencing  ai  divide  between  it  and  Unoompahgre, 


To  Jnnctioo  with  north  branch 
Tlieoce  to  Lake  Fork 


Distance. 


MUet. 


74 

10 


Fall. 


Feet 

8.800 
1,000 


Fall  per 
mile. 


Feet 


374 
100 


COMPARISONS  OF  ANEROIDS  WITH  THE  MERCURIAL  BAROMETER. 

The  following  table  gives  the  comparisons  of  the  aneroids  with  the 
mercurial  barometer  at  different  altitudes,  ranging  from  5,000  to  over 
14y000  feet  above  sea-level.  These  comparisons  were  made  very  care- 
fally,  and  as  often  as  practicable,  hoping  thereby  to  have  a  good  check 
on  any  heights  which  were  dependent  on  the  aneroids;  and  at  the  same 
time  wishing  to  see  if  there  was  any  regularity  in  the  movements  of  the 
aneroids.  But  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any  regularity  in  the  changes 
which  they  undergo.  Generally,  in  going  up  or  down  any  considerable 
height  in  a  short  time,  the  aneroids  would  not  change  fast  enough; 
therefore  would  make  the  difference  between  points  too  small,  while  at 
the  same  time  they  always  indicated  too  great  an  absolute  height,  always 
reading  less  than  the  barometer. 

In  the  tables  given  below,  the  readings  of  the  barometer  are  reduced 
to  32^  Fahrenheit.  The  aneroids  are  sup[H)sed  to  be  compensated  for 
temi>erature. 

The  corrections  to  be  applied  to  the  aneroids  are  placed  in  separate 
(lolumns,  with  the  sign  prefixed,  which  in  this  case  is  always  plus,  as  the 
aneroids  constantly  read  lower  than  the  barometer. 

The  instruments  used  were  Green's  cistern-barometer,  and  the  small 
watch-aneroids  by  the  same  maker. 


Location. 


Camp  IS. 
Camp  13. 
Station  3 
Station  3 
Stations 
Camp  . . . 
Station  6 
station  7 
Station's 
Camp  80. 
Camp  S3. 


Time. 


3  p. m.... 
7  a.  m.... 

3p.m 

1  p.  m . . . . 

13. 49  p.m. 

6  p.  m . . . . 
3  p.  m . . . . 

10  a.m.... 
3p.  m 

7  a.  m . . . . 

11. 50  a.m. 


Date. 


•Tnly 
July 
JToly 
Jnly 
Aug. 
Aug. 
Ang. 
Aug. 
Aug. 
Ang. 
Ang. 


39,1874 

30.1874 

30, 1874 

31, 1874 

1, 1874 

1.1874 

3.1874 

4,1874 

0.1874 

7,1874 

7,1874 


an 


a 

^if2 


& 


81.854 
31. 717 
18.633 
10. 177 
ttf.083 
30.608 
31.375 
31. 753 
1&934 
83.134 
31. 010 


I 

« . 


31.13 


1&10 
1&60 
18.40 
19.83 
30.48 
31.00 
18.34 
31.37 

sa7i 


I 


m 


a 


81.10 
90.86 
17.80 


I 
s 


80.10 
17.00 


80.15 


+  .784 


.533 
.577 
.683 
.788 
.705 
.753 
.584 
.864 
.900 


9 

St? 


e 


+  .754 
.857 
.833 


g 

n 


+  .000 
1.617 
1.633 


1.400 


448 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 


Looation. 


Camp  31 

Station  9 

SUtiou  10 

Camp  24 

StatfoD  11 

Camp  25 

Cnmp26 

Station  13 

Camp  27 

Station  14 

Camp  28 

Pass 

ilniroas 

Station  16 

Camp  29 

Paas 

Camp  30 

Camp  31  

Camp  31 

Camp  33 

Station  31 

Camp  33 

Camp  34 

Camp  36 

Camp  38 

Silverton 

Camp  39 

Station  29 

Camp  41 

Paaa 

Camp  39 

Camp  42 

Station  30....... 

Camp  43 

San  Miguel  Lake 

Camp  44 

Camp  45 

Station  33 

Camp  46 

Sution35 

Camp  47 

Station  37 

Camp  46 

Pa88 

SutionSB 

Camp  52 

Camn.'>3 

Camp  54 

Station  40 

Camp  55 

Camp  55 

Camp  56 

Station  44 

Camp  57 

Camp  57 

Station  47 

Camp  58 

Camp  59 

Station  50 

Camp60 

Station  51 

Station  53 

Station  54 

Station  58 

Station  62 

Station  63 

Camp  73 

By  Station  64.... 
Camp  74 


Time. 


m 


7  p.  m . . . 

8  a.  m . . . 

1  p.  m . . . 
9.  ;J0  a.  m 
7  a.  m 

t2m 

7  p.  m... 
7  n.  m... 

2  p.  m . . . 
7  n.  m... 

1  p.  m. .. 

7  a.  m... 

9  a.  m . . . 

2  p.  m... 
11.30  a.  m 

4. 30  p.  m 
11.30  a.  m 

6  a.  m . 

8  p.  m. 

7  a.  m. 
7  a.  m. 
1  p.  m. 
7  a.  m. 
7  a.  m. 
7  a.  m. 
7  p.  m. 
6  p.  m. 
6  p.  m. 
Sp.  m. 

6  a.  m. 
9.30  a. 

1  p.  m . 

7  a.  m. 

2  p.  m . 
7  a.  m. 

13m... 

4  p.m. 
6  p.  m. 
2  p.  m. 
6  a.  m. 
2p.  ro. 

6  a.  m. 

1  p.  m. 
7a.  ro. 

2  p.m. 

3  p.  m . 
6. 30  a.  m 
a  30  a.  m 

7  a.  m . . . 
13m 

5  p.  ra . . . 
7  a.  m . . . 
7  a.  m . . . 
1  p.  m . . . 
6. 30  p.  m 
6. 30  a.  m 

4  p.  m. . . 
6. 30  a.  m 
6a.  m... 

13. 30  p.  m 
7  a.  m... 

10. 30  a.  m 

10a.  m... 
3.30p.  m 

12m 

II  a.  m... 

13. 20  p.  m 
7  a.  m . . . 

9  a.  m . . . 

6  p.  m . . . 


Date. 


7, 


8. 


Ang. 
Ang. 
Ang.  10, 
Aug.  11, 
Ang.  II, 
Aug.  12, 
Ang.  12, 
Ang.  14, 
Ang.  14, 
Ang.  }!>, 
Aug.  IS, 
Ang.  16, 
Aug.  16, 
Aug.  16, 
Ang.  17, 
Ang.  17, 
Aug.  18, 
Aug.  19, 
Aug.  19, 
Aug.  SO, 
Aug.  22, 
Ang.  23, 
Aug.  2.3, 
Ang.  24. 
Aug.  28, 
Aug.  29, 
Aug.  31, 
Kept.  2. 
Sept. 
Sept. 
Sept 
Sept 
Sept. 
Sept 
Sept 
Sept 
Sept 
Sept 
Sept  10, 
Sept  13, 
Sept.  13, 
Sept.  14. 
Sept  15, 
Sept  16, 
Sept  19. 
Sefit  30, 
S«'pt  21, 
Sept.  3-2, 
Sept  23, 
Sept  23, 
Sept  2:). 
Sept  24, 
Sept.  26, 
Sept  2(), 
Sept  27, 
Sept.  28, 
Sept  28, 
Sept  29. 
Sept.  30, 


Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct 
Oct. 
Oct 
Oct 


1 

2. 

6. 

8, 

9, 
12, 
15, 
16. 
". 
17, 
18. 


1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1814 
1874 
1K74 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1814 
1H74 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1H74 
1874 
1874 
1H74 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1J^74 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 
1874 


eft 

IS 

o  ffi  ^ 
too 

^  S  P 


& 


19. 667 
18.U39 
18.657 
21.200 
22.  133 

20.  563 

2i.coa 

21.  .^79 

19.  017 
20.876 
18.213 

20.  465 
19.210 
20, 262 
1&  5.32 

21.  207 
19.4G1 
19. 924 
80.186 
20.203 
20.502 
I  a  343 
20.514 
19. 919 
19.  906 
21.  .^94 
21.  518 

21.  307 

la  (Mi's 

30.816 
20.202 
81. 345 
2t  146 
iai95 
20.424 
21. 132 
21. 841 
80.663 
17.865 
81.913 
17. 815 
20.397 
19.008 
30.686 
20. 576 
]a663 
30.977 
81.879 
83.557 

22.  116 

23.  C78 
2:J.  725 
23.452 
22.  :.03 
23.927 
24. 006 

21.  856 
23.123 

22.  577 
22.873 
21.453 
19.065 
20.874 
19.088 
32.271 
38.021 
81.872 
24. 854 
23.046 
34.633 


8 

c 
«  e 


19.00 
17.47 
17.97 

'31.*  18 
19.70 
20.73 
20.60 

laso 

30.00 
17.55 
19.  (K) 
ia40 


17.83 


19.09 

19.' 30 
19.  60 

"i9.38 
19.01 
19.04 
80.54 
20. 5U 
20. 31 
17.90 
19.88 
19.30 
80.39 
30.15 
17.45 
19.48 


19.70 
17.20 

ii.io 
'iai3 

19.64 
19..'50 
17.85 
19.90 
20.73 
82. 4:% 
21.  C9 


88.70 
'31.40 

"n'oo 

80.87 
31 13 
81.60 
81.80 
S0.4.i 
IK'.a 
19.90 
la  85 
81.80 
20.95 
20.83 
23.31 
22.60 
83.62 


o 

o 

a 
o 


o 


.2 

P4 


ia7o 


19.95 
2t09 


20.57 
20.52 


19.8a 


19.33 
If.  10 


ia37 


19.06 
19.42 
17.14 
19.  32 

laeo 
la  73 


30.10 

19.61 
19.07 
30.10 
19. 94 


19.30 


20.63 
19.44 


19.24 
17.79 
19.50 
19.37 


19.80 
80.63 
23.49 


22.72 
22.39 

22.93 
23.03 


22.16 
81.59 

•  •      ■  -  * 

80.31 


2.3.80 


c 

t 

s 

o    . 

c  o 

o 


17.90 
16.40 

i9.  40 
20.37 


19.90 
19.82 


10.  G5 


]a68 
17. 4« 
ia30 


19.40 
17.76 
ia20 

ia45 
ia46 
ia73 

16.53 


lais 
iao4 

19.81 


.9.56 

19,' ii 

ia47 

19.54 
19.43 


ia56 
19.17 
19.04 
la  85 


20.08 
16.01 
18.64 
17.80 

laso 
ia7i 


19. 10 

19.98 
81.78 

81,76 
31. 95 
31.66 

■  •••••  I 

32.18 
38:35 


21.49 
2a  80 

'19.76 


«l9S 


• 
a 


.067 
.5t9 
.687 


.810 


.702  ! 


.r03 
.903 


1.134 
.909 
.  866 


1.018 
.397 
.788 
.936 
.903 

1.055 
.996 
.745 
.944 


.963 
.665 


.715 

"".'878' 
1.046 
1.016  t 
.813  I 
1.077 
1. 149 
1. 107  I 
t026 


1.085 


1.103 


1.006 


a 
^^ 

t  ^« 

I. 

o 


.967 


I.2.'jO 
1.04J 


LIS! 

i.o;» 


9.'k3 
.863 
.96:1 
.979 

.717  i 

.876  I     1.076 

.663  I 

.  773       1. 135 


I.IIU 


1.091 


1.143 
1.089 
1.803 
1.194 
1.119 
1. 176 


1.207 


1.806 
1. 1:» 
1.245 
1.206 


1.824 


1.211 
1.2S3 


1.157 

1.818 
1.  186 
1.206 


1.177 
1. 34  J 
1.06T 


1.005 
1.0(^ 


.997 
.9S6 


.993 

.977  t 

1.07J  I 

L023  I 

.974 
.838 
1.071 

1.071  i 

1.04-i  ! 

1.044  I 

1.046  I 

L013  I 


.963 
.987 

1.143 


1.054 


e2 

«  3 


s 


1.69 
L8» 


1.7J8 


1.7S 
I.»S 


i.9r 
i.Tn 
i.7di 
1.73S 
1.743 
1.WI 
I.S23 


1.79 
L7S4 


L74; 


1.166 
1-73J 
l.?4t5 
1.716 


1.8i»4 
1.9G2 
1.901 
Lel3 


1.933 
1.773 
L757 

1.796 
1.866 


i< 


1.8» 
1.CJ7 


1.918 
1.775 
1.1U 


J.7fi 
1.63i 


1.133 
1.777 

1.603 


L7U 


'ITILSOK.] 


DISCUSSION    OP   ANEROIDS. 


449 


Location. 


Camp  1 

Camp 8 

Cainp  3 

Caiup  4 

Camp  5 

Camp  6 

Camp  8 

Station  1 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp » 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Camp 

Station  59 

Station  67 

Station  73 

Station  76 

Stations? 

Camp 

Station  89 .' 

Station  90 

Station  94 

Station  05 


Time. 


6 
6 
6 
6 
7 
6 
6 
0 
7 
6 
1 
6 
7 
5 
7 
6 
5 
7 
5 
7 
6 
6 
7 
6 
6 
7 

12 
9 
9 

U 
6 
7 
5 
2 

to 

3 


p.m 

a.m 
p.  m 
a.m 
p.  ui 
a.m 
p.  m 
a.m 
p.ro 
a.m 
p.  m 
p.  m 
p.  m 
a.  m 
p.  m 
a.m 
a.m 
p.  m 
a.  ra 
p^m 
a.  m 


ro 
m 
m 
m 
m 


P- 

P- 
a. 

P- 

p. 
m. 

a.m 

a.m 

a.  m 

p.ni 

a.m 

p.m 

p.  m 

a.m 

p.  m 


Date. 


Jaly 
July 
July 
July 
Jnly 
July 
July 
July 
Jnly 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
July 
Julv 

July 

Aug. 

Aug. 

Aug. 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Oct. 


3.1873 
4, 1873 

4,  1673 
5,1873 

5,  1871 
6,1873 
7, 1873 
8,1873 
8,1873 

10,  187:i 
10, 1873 
10, 1873 

11.  ler? 

14,  1873 
14, 1873 
16, 1873 
17. 1673 

17,  1b73 

18,  Ib73 

19,  If  73 
21,  1873 
22, 1873 

3, 1873 

5,1873 

8,1873 

11,1873 

5, 1873 

11,1873 

14,  lb73 

17, 1813 

25, 1873 

26,  lf7J 

28, 1873 

20,  187  J 
2,1H73 
2,1873 


.J.  c  - 

Ian 


24.371 
24.4% 
22.251 
23.254 
2i.2C0 
23.237 
21.  181 
21.035 
21.  850 
24. 347 
21. 260 
22.733 
32.625 
23. 515 
23.288 
23.  447 
24.611 
25.036 
25.r69 
23.  813 
22.527 
23.673 
22.0L7 
22.539 
22.0:)8 
30. 542 
19. 706 

21.  3*1 5 
23. 689 
21.232 
22.006 

22.  4J1 

20.  50i» 

21.  094 
21.117 
£2.280 


«» 

6 

o    . 

a 

a«j 

ct*i 

og 

M   . 

CfO 

srs 

•'-  .»■ 

12 

•s  o 

ce  M 

Qi 

9) 

p; 

P2 

9 

0 

a    . 
e  * 


24.01 
24.17 
31.94 
31.96 
21. !  0 
81.05 

20.  ra 

80.70 
31.  43 
18.41 
16.25 
17.70 
17.55 
18.14 
17.90 
18.10 
10.21 
19.60 
19.61 
17.30 
17.10 
17. 15  I 


33.10 
23.23 
21.11 
21.10 
21.04 
21.10 
20.06 
10.90 

"22.08 
20.07 
31.40 
31. 25 
22.  13 
21.89 
23.08 
23.14 
33.62 
23.68 
21.55 
21.29 

26.' 50 
21.  02 
20.50 
19.10 
18.39 
20.00 
21. 10 
19.99 
20.57 
SO.  91 
19.18 
19.70 
19.75 
20.76 


Location. 

i£5 

a  «*^ 

£38. 

Camp - 

81. 103 
18.  OO.'! 
21.  072 
20.812 
18.322 
20.   47 

Station 

Camn *.... 

^:::::::::::;:. .::..::::.:::::::::: 

Sution 

Camp 

I>o 

20.003 
18.190 
21. 034 
30.145 
18.  570 
20.134 
10. 613 
17. 934 
20.986 
20.020 

17.  946 
20.C64 
10. 708 
18. 127 
20.  724 

18.  t)58 

20.  572 
20.283 
18.114 

20.  r.e 

10.  424 

21.  749 
ID.  400 

Station 

Camp 

Do 

Station ' 

Camp 

Do 

Station 

Camp 

Do 

Station 

Camp 

Do 

Station 

Camp 

8tUtK>Q 

Camp 

Do 

Stition 

Camp 

Siatien 

Camp .* 

Station 

20.04 

18.43 

80.90 

20.73 

18.18 

20.525 

10. 775 

If.  00 

£0.70 

19.99 

18.34 

19.98 

i7.79 

20.65 

19.775 

17.74 

19.  55 

19.45 

17.89 

20.20 

18.30 

20.10 

19.  89 

17.775 

19. 775 

1&90 

21.  33 

19.08 


80.  .S9 
18.80 
20.50 
20.  :iO 
17.80 
30.11 
80.36 
17.50 
30,33 
1!).  45 
17.  8T 
19.44 
18.96 
17.18 
20.85 
19.30 
17.28 
19. 18 
19.06 
17.35 
19.81 
17.70 

19.49 
17.29 
19.  L'4 
18.64 


80.05 
18.48 
20.  CO 
80.66 


20.53 
20.  70 


10.88 


10.86 
Garc'ner's 
17.15 


18.04 
17.04 
18.81 

iaa7 

17.  14 
10.36 
17.53 
No.  3. 
10.  9:» 
18.03 


.361 

.326 

.311 

.294 

.300 

.287 

.251 

.335 

.420 

4.037 

5.010 

5.033 

5^075 

5.375 

5.3e8 

5.347 

5.401 

5. 436 

5.458 

5.513 

5.487 

5.523 


6 

p 

2  • 

|S 

o 
o 


1.271 
1.266 
1.141 
1. 1.~>4 
1.160 
1.137 
1. 121 
1.135 


1.387 
1.190 
1.333 
1.375 
1.385 
1.3r8 
1.3<.7 
1.471 
1.416 
1.3-8 
1.263 
1.  i97 


1.507 
1.519 
1.538 
1.  442 
1.376 
1.375 
1.  :.to 
1.  '^42 
l..'S26 
1. 5il 
1.329 
1.  :W4 
1.367 
1.529 


Cont?ction  tonne 
roid,  No.  4. 

Correction  toane 
roid,  0. 

■ 

a 

e    . 
en 

eo 
.!» 

0 

.163 

.513 

.153 

.175 

.405 

.125 

ATi 

.578 

.173 

.082 

.518 

.153 

.142 

..522 
.637 

.  197 

■  .e-.s 

.643 

.213 

.190 

.:a4 

.600 
.804 

.155 

.695 

.265 

.230 
.154 

.700 
.604 

.874 

.653 

Oardoer  iin. 

.144 

.754 

.784 

.336 

.736 
.639 

•  .244 

1.089 

.206 

.666 

.{'06 

,  .514 

.8f<4 

I.2.S4 

.348 

.TJ8 

1.1C8 

.237 

.777 

.0f7 

.  .024 

.914 

1  364 

.358 

.868 

1.128 

.472 

No.  3. 

.  :.9J 

.793 

.333 

.339 

.824 

.0214 

.4i)l 
.434 
.  4':9 

.836 

.784 

.389 

1 

:29  u 


-) 


REPORT  ON  THE  TOPOGRAPHY  OF  THE  SAN  JUAN  COUNTRY. 


By  Franklin  Rhoda,  Assistant  Topographer. 


In  the  following  report  I  have  adopted  the  very  common  system  of 
describing  the  country  in  the  order  of  our  travels  through  it.  The 
system  is  a  very  faulty  one,  but  seemed  to  be  the  best  possible  under 
the  cireumstauces.  In  describing  a  river  or  a  simple  range  of  mount- 
ains, the  order  of  sequence  is  laid  down  in  nature;  all  you  have  to 
do  is  to  commence  at  one  end  of  the  line  and  follow  it.  The  mount- 
ains in  the  so-called  San  Juan  country,  however,  are  very  compli- 
cated, and  present  no  definite  lines  that  may  be  followed  in  a  descrip- 
tion without  leaving  much  uutold.  They  appear,  not  in  a  single  range, 
nor  in  a  succession  of  ranges,  but  as  a  great  mass.  It  was  thought  best 
to  intersperse  here  and  there  in  the  description  of  topography  such 
personal  adventures  of  members  of  the  party  as  might  throw  light  on 
any  features  of  the  country  or  its  climate. 

We  started  from  Colorado  Springs  on  the  14th  of  July,  1874,  taking  the 
road  leading  up  the  Fontaine  qui  Bouille,  and  over  Ute  Pass  iuto  South 
Park.  It  would  have  been  much  shorter  to  have  gone  to  Pueblo  by  rail, 
and  thence  on  horse  or  mule- back  around  the  southern  end  of  the  Green- 
horn MouTitains,  through  Huerfano  Park  and  Mosca  Pass,  and  across 
San  Luis  Valley  to  Del  Norte.  But  at  this  time  of  the  year  we  knew 
that  along  the  low  plains  the  heat  would  be  intense  and  the  grass  and 
water  scarce.  As  it  was  we  had  a  delightfully  cool  trip  all  the  way, 
with  plenty  of  grass  for  our  animals.  Our  road  lay  across  South  Park, 
thence  down  the  Arkansas  Eiver  and  across  the  range  at  Puncho  Pass 
into  the  San  Luis  Valley.  We  reached  Saguache  on  the  24th  of  July,  and 
made  inquiries  of  different  persons  as  to  the  nature  of  the  country  for 
which  we  were  bound ;  but  although  they  were  all  deeply  interested  in  the 
prospects  of  the  new  mines,  nobody  could  give  us  any  definite  information. 
We  could  not  even  find  out  whether  the  country  was  made  up  of  rugged 
mountains  or  only  high  plateaus.  Two  days  after  leaving  this  place  we 
reached  the  Los  Pinos  agency,  where  the  Southern  Qtes  receive  such 
supplies  as  are  apportioned  to  them  by  the  Government.  This  point 
was  in  the  extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  district  surveyed  in  1873, 
and  was  the  point  of  beginning  the  past  summer. 

Our  first  station  was  made  on  a  peak  which  had  been  occui)ied  in 
1873  as  station  34.  It  is  a  low  point,  a  few  miles  northwest  of  the 
agency;  and  is  less  than  12,000  feet  in  elevation.  Having  a  most  beauti- 
ful day,  and  plenty  of  time  at  our  disposal,  we  found  it  very  pleasant  to 
study  the  couutry  that  appeared  in  the  southwest,  in  which  our  sum- 
mer's work  was  to  be.  We  could  see  none  of  the  very  rugged  masses 
of  mountains  which  beset  our  path  and  taxed  our  energies  in  the  months 
following.  What  did  appear  to  us  was  as  follows:  A  little  to  the  west 
of  south,  and  not  more  than  fifteen  miles  distant,  rose  up  the  high  group 
in  which  station  33  of  1873  was  situated,  and  containing  several  peaks 
ranging  in  height  from  13,500  to  near  14,000  feet.  Farther  around  to  the 
west,  but  much  more  distant,  appeared  a  high  pyramidal-shaped  peak, 

451 


452  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OP   THE   TERRITORIES. 

which  is  situated  sonth  of  the  Eio  Grande,  and  is  marked  on  the  map  as 
Kio  Grande  Pyramid.  A  little  farther  to  the  right,  and  still  more  dv$r 
taut,  was  a  double- topped  peak,  afterward  occupied  as  station  23,  and 
named  Mouut  Oso.  Still  farther  around,  auother  distant,  high  |)euk 
appeared  to  be  the  culmiuation  of  a  high  mountain  mass;  this  is  Mount 
^olus  on  the  map.  Nearly  in  the  same  direction,  but  much  nearer, 
there  appeared  a  high  plateau,  extending  over  many  degrees  of  the 
horizon.  Being  more  than  twenty  miles  distant  from  us,  and  lying 
wholly  above  timber-line,  it  was  a  very  interesting  feature  in  the  land- 
scape. At  our  distance  it  seemed  to  be  covered  with  grass;  but  this  we 
afterward  found  was  not  the  case.  Our  subsequent  experience  showed  us 
that  in  this  part  of  the  country  these  high  super-timber-line  plateaus  ar« 
very  common.  Immediately  beyond  this  area  was  a  high  mass  of  red- 
colored  mountains,  afterward  the  scene  of  some  interesting  electrical 
experiences.  A  few  miles  northwest  of  this  group  Uncompahgre  Mount- 
ain appeared,  presenting  on  its  north  side  the  peculiar  precipice  which 
distinguishes  it  from  all  the  surrounding  peaks.  North  of  this  a  series 
of  ri<lges  and  plateaus  extends  from  the  high  mountains  to  the  Gunnisou 
Kiver. 

Having  made  profile  sketches  of  the  mountains  and  drainage  sketches 
of  the  water-courses  in  the  vicinity,  and  having  taken  angles  to  every 
prominent  peak,  bluff,  and  stream  junction  visible,  we  started  for  camp. 
The  next  morning  found  us  on  our  way  to  the  great  San  Juau  country, 
of  which  we  had  heard  so  much  and  found  out  so  little.    Our  course  at 
first  lay  to  the  southwest,  along  the  Ute  trail,  which  leads  from  Los 
Pinos  over  to  the  Kio  Grande.     We  ascended  one  of  the  peaks  in  the 
small  group  containing  station  33  of  the  previous  season,  and  had  a 
good  view  of  the  deep  and  rugged  caiions  leading  outward  from  the 
center  of  the  mass.    In  the  several  succeeding  days  we  made  stations 
3,  4,  and  5  on  the  high  plateau  already  mentioned.    From  this  plateau 
we  got  the  grandest  view  of  Uncompahgre  obtained  from  any  station 
during  the  summer.    The  full  height  of  the  great  precipice  stood  out  in 
clear  profile.    Its  striking  resemblance  to  the  profile  of  the  Matterhorn 
gave  us  a  wholesome  dread  of  it,  for  as  yet  it  had  never  been  ascended 
by  any  one,  and  we  felt  that  to  reach  the  summit  might  be  beyond  the 
range  of  the  possible.    The  plateau  upon  which  we  stood  ranges  in  ele- 
•vation  from  12,400  to  12,700  feet  above  the  sea,  and  covers  an  area  of 
about  fifteen  square  miles.     We  rode  over  it  on  our  mules,  to  make  the 
station,  and  found  it  covered  with  loose  rock,  which  in  some  places  was 
so  rough  as  to  necessitate  long  detours  in  going  from  one  point  to 
another.     As  in  many  other  cases  which  occurred  subsequently,  ire 
found  this  plateau  covered  with  puddles  of  water,  and  wherever  there 
was  soil  it  was  always  boggy.    On  the  west  and  north  sides  it  was  ter- 
minated by  bluffs,  rauging  in  height  from  1,000  to  2,500  feet,  the  last 
200  to  500  feet  being  nearly  vertical.     On  the  west  side  of  the  plateau 
the  bluff  terminates  below  in  rolUng,  timbered  land,  which  extends  a 
little  over  a  mile  to  the  bed  of  Lake  Fork.     The  totul  fall  from  the  top 
of  the  bluff  to  the  stream  is  4,000  feet,  in  a  horizontal  distance  of  one 
and  a  half  miles. 

Having  finished  this  part  of  the  country,  we  traveled  down  the  White 
Earth  to  the  point  at  which  it  emerges  from  the  upper  cafion.  Here 
the  new  road  from  Saguache  crosses  it  at  a  small  angle,  and,  swinging 
far  up  to  the  north  to  avoid  the  high  bluff's,  it  finally  turns  up  Liike 
Fork  at  a  point  about  twelve  miles  from  the  crossing  of  the  White 
Earth.  Thence  our  course  lay  up  stream,  and  we  traveled  along  }nst 
west  of  our  plateau  stations  and  nearly  under  the  bluff's.     From  a  camp 


RHODA.]  GEOGRAPHY — SAN   JUAN   MOUNTAINS.  453 

just  below  the  junction  of  Godwin  Creek  and  Lake  Fork  we  mnde  sta- 
tion 8  on  a  point  about  five  miles  east  of  Dneompabfyre  I*eak.  Tho  next 
station  to  be  made  wa^  on  tbe  great  peak  itself.  In  order  to  accomplish 
this,  it  became  necessary  to  move  with  our  pack-train  about  five  miles 
up  Godwin  Greek,  to  a  point  where  it  is  joined  by  a  small  stream  com- 
ing in  from  the  north.  Leaving  the  train  at  this  point,  and  taking  an 
extra  mule  with  us  to  carry  our  blankets  and  food,  we  rode  with  great 
difficulty  np  the  side  gulch,  and  camped  at  an  elevation  of  11,900  feet, 
near  the  timber-line.  We  started  out  early  the  next  morning,  expecting 
to  have  a  very  difficult  climb.  We  were  terribly  taken  aback,  however, 
when,  at  an  elevation  of  over  13,000  feet,  a  she  grizzly,  with  her  two 
cubs,  came  rushing  past  us  from  the  top  of  the  peak.  Contrary  to  all 
expectations,  we  found  the  ascent  very  eas.y,and  arrived  on  the  summit 
nt  7.30  a.  m.,  hsiving  been  two  hours  and  a  half  in  climbing  np  2,400  feet. 
We  found  that  l:he  bears  aforesaid  had  been  all  over  the  summit  of  the 
peak,  though  how  they  got  up  over  one  or  two  short  but  steep  passages 
iu  the  ascent,  puzzled  us  not  a  little.  The  summit  of  the  mountain  is 
quite  smooth,  and  slopes  from  the  brink  of  the  great  pi-ecipice  toward 
the  south.  It  is  composed  of  several  successive  Hows  of  lava,  in  hori- 
zontal position,  which  gives  it  a  stratified  appearance,  and  causes  the 
slope  to  the  south  to  appear  terraced  in  profile.  On  the  north  the  edge 
is  sharp  and  definite,  and  the  precipice  so  perfectly  vertical,  that  by 
dropping  a  stone  a  few  feet  from  the  edge  it  lell  1,000  feet  before  strik- 
ing an  obstacle,,  as  we  determined  by  timing  the  descent.  The  bluff 
surrounds  the  peak  on  all  sides  except  the  narrow  strip  on  the  south  end, 
and  is  about  the  same  height  all  around,  but  not  so  nearly  vertical  as 
on  the  north  side. 

From  here,  for  the  first  time,  we  were  able  to  see  the  great  massive 
ness  of  the  mountains  iu  our  district.  To  the  south  the  peaks  appeared 
in  great  numbers,  and  in  the  <listauce  appeared  a  group  of  very  scraggy 
mountains,  about  which  the  clouds  were  circling,  as  if  it  was  their  home. 
Subsequently  we  found  that  they  were  most  of  the  time  thus  enveloped. 
The  high  mountains  near  us  covered  the  horizon  from  the  east  around 
by  the  south  to  tbe  west.  Nearly  due  west  of  us  appeared  a  very  high, 
sharp  peak,  which  was  afterward  ascended  as  Mount  Snefiels,  and  just 
to  the  south  of  it  another  high  mass,  bearing  iii  its  center  a  large,  flaring 
patch  of  snow.  The  culminating  point  of  this  was,  later,«tation  35,  or 
Mount  Wilson.  Southeast  of  us,  and  about  eight  or  ten  miles  distant, 
was  a  mass  of  peaks,  filling  the  whole  space  between  Lake  Fork  and 
Godwin  Creek,  all  of  a  bright  red  color.  The  highest  of  these  points  is 
over  14,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Ten  or  fifteen  miles  to  the  southwest 
was  another  smaller  mass  of  lower  peaks  of  the  same  color,  while  in 
various  places  appeared  mountains  of  white,  yellow,  and  blue,  all  the 
colors  being  very  well  defined  and  clear  They  were  caused  by  the  oxi- 
dization of  iron  and  other  ingredients  of  the  rocks.  To  the  north  the 
mountains  fall  very  suddenly  down  to  the  bed  of  the  Gunnison  ;  in  fact, 
the  peak  is  situated  on  the  extreme  north  line  of  the  Uucompahgre 
Mountains.  Just  before  we  left  the  summit,  clouds  came  along,  qnd  we 
were  soon  enveloped.  It  was  at  this  time  that  we  expi  rienced,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  season,  the  electrical  phenomena  which  later  intorfered 
so  much  with  the  topographical  work.  As  at  this  time  these  phenom- 
ena were  not  very  marked,  and  as  our  experience  on  all  the  peaks  was 
very  similar,  the  detailed  account  of  them  is  reserved  tor  another  place. 
^Ve  made  the  entire  descent  that  evening  from  the  summit  to  Godwin 
Creek,  where  the  packtrain  had  left  us,  getting  the  benefit  of  a  rain  be- 
fore reaching  camp.    Up  to  the  second  day  before  this  the  weather  had 


454       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEEBITORIES. 

been  very  fine,  but  from  this  time  till  fall,  rain  commenced  early  evefy 
afternoon,  and  continued  into  the  night  Moving  up  Godwin  Creek. 
Dr.  Eudlich  made  a  special  examination  of  some  of  the  highly -colored 
peaks  aheady  mentioned,  while  Wilson  and  I  rode  up  to  the  head  of  the 
cauon  and  out  upon  a  high  and  pretty  extensive  plateau,  which  extends 
from  a  hijuh,  sharp  pinnacle  a  few  miles  west  of  Uncompahgre  Peak 
around  tlie  heads  of  (Godwin  Creek  and  Lake  Fork  to  the  head  of  the 
Animas.  It  forms  the  divide  between  these  three  streams  and  the  Un- 
compahgre River.  An  area  of  fifteen  or  twenty  square  miles  is  alwvc 
tlie  timber-line.  Ten  or  fifteen  square  miles  have  an  elevation  of  over 
12,000  feet.  The  timber  line  here  ranges  from  11,500  to  11,900  feet 
•  above  tlie  sea.  This  w^hole  area  is  covered  with  a  very  short  growth  of 
grass,  which  is  almost  entirely  unfit  for  feed  for  animals.  This  is  com- 
mon with  all  the  grass  growing  high  up  on  the  mountains;  it  is  not  nn- 
tritious.  Unlike  the  plateau  east  of  Lake  Fork,  this  is  not  snrroonded 
by  bluffs-.  Instead  of  being  smooth  and  nearly  level,  like  the  former,  it 
is  rolling  and  cut  up  by  gulches.  The  sloi>es  down  to  the  surrounding 
streams  are  steep,  but  bluffs  are  very  nire.  The  ground  is  not  very 
rocky,  but  like  all  the  soil  at  this  elevation,  is  very  damp  an<l  bogg^'.  A 
number  of  small  lakes  are  dotted  here  and  there  over  it,  and  in  many 
places  springs  of  ice-cold  water  gush  out  from  the  rocky  prominences, 
fed  by  the  banks  of  eternal  snow  which  are  scattered  about  in  considw- 
able  numbers.  In  crossing  this  elevated  region  a  strong  west  wind  was 
blowing,  and,  the  temperature  being  below  the  freezing-point,  riding  was 
very  disagreeable  both  for  our  beasts  and  ourselves.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances we  were  not  so  observant  as  w^e  should  otherwise  have  been. 
Still,  there  were  so  many  new  and  interesting  things  about  us  that  we 
could  not  fail  to  notice  some  of  them. 

The  eastern  half  of  the  plateau  drains  out  through  a  canon  leading 
northward  and  westward  into  the  Uncompahgre  Kiver.  We  crosse<l  its 
bead  on  our  tramp,  and  noticed  that  it  fell  very  suddenly,  till  within 
about  two  miles  of  us  it  became  a  deep,  narrow  canon,  at  which  point 
the  stream  turned  abniptly  to  the  west.  From  this  fact  we  were  en.v 
bled  to  get  a  good  broadside  view  of  the  north  bluff  of  the  canon,  and 
we  saw  it  weathered  out  most  curiously,  being  worn  into  almost  all  cou- 
cei\able  fantastic  shapes,  the  general  appearance  being  that  of  a  great 
wall  covered  with  niches  and  statuary.  Time  would  not  permit  us  to 
go  closer  and' make  h  more  careful  examination  ;  so  we  had  to  content 
ourselves  with  a  distant  view.  From  the  headwaters  of  this  creek  we 
crossed  a  divide  running  laterally  across  the  i>lateau,  and  for  some  dis- 
tance the  drainage  was  into  Godwin  Creek,  until,  near  the  peak  upon 
which  we  made  our  station,  the  water  again  flowed  to  the  north.  From 
station  10  the  canon  of  the  Uncompahgre  Kiver  appeared  in  all  its  rug- 
gedness.  From  here  we  got  a  fine  view  of  Mount  Sneftels  and  its  sur- 
roundings. We  could  see  no  possibility  of  ascending  the  peak  from  the 
east  side,  as  it  was  cut  up  by  rugged  canons  and  innumerable  bluffs  aud 
pinnacles ;  these  latter  ornamenting  all  the  ridges  leading  down  from 
the  great  peak  and  its  near  neighbors. 

In  some  i)laces  numbers  of  the  pinnacles  massed  behind  one  another 
presented  the  appearance  of  church-spires,  only  built  after  a  much  grand- 
er style  of  architecture  than  most  of  our  modern  religions  edifices,  in 
some  places  two  systems  of  vertical  pillars  w^ere  separated  by  a  narrow 
strip  of  horizontal  lava- flow,  and  served  to  heighten  the  fantastic  appear- 
ance of  the  rock-forms.  The  fact  that  we  stood  on  a  peak  four  or  five 
miles  distant  from  the  scene  described,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  great 
size  of  these  pinnacle  forms.    A  month  later  we  had  another  muchnearer 


BHODA.I  GEOGRAPHY SAN   JUAN   MOUNTAINS.  4ft 5 

and  finer  view  of  this  same  curious  group  from  a  peak  several  miles 
southwest  of  us.  Beyond  this  we  saw  nothing  of  interest  that  eanuDt 
be  better  described  in  the  sequel. 

The  next  day  found  us  retracing  our  steps  down  Godwin  Creek. 
After  can)i)ing  a  night  at  the  junction,  we  moved  up  Lake  Fork,  making  a 
station  bv  the  way  on  a  low  point  near  the  stream.  A  few  miles  above 
the  junction  we  came  to  a  beautiful  lake  bearing  on  Mr.  Front's  map  the 
name  "San  Cristoval."  This  is  by  far  the  finest  of  the  many  little  lakes 
we  saw  during  the  summer.  It  is  in  the  bed  of  the  canon,  and  has  been 
formed  by  a  slide  from»the  east  side  of  the  stream.  Judging  from  the 
growth  of  X)ines  over  this  slide  we  concluded  that  it  had  taken  place  in 
very  recent  times,  but  how  recent  we  could  not  determine.  The  lake  is 
about  one  mile  and  a  half  in  length,  and  in  some  places  as  much  as  a 
cjnarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  Several  very  small  islets  covered  with 
willows  add  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene.  A  thick  growth  of  pine 
timber  surrounds  it  on  all  sides.  To  the  east  there  is  a  tolerably  easy 
slope  back  to  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  of  the  high  plateau.  On  the  west 
side  the  high  mass  of  red  mountains  rises  abruptly  from  the  water's  edge. 

It  was  near  the  lower  end  of  this  lake  that  the  Randolph  party  of 
artists  discovered  the  bodies  of  five  men  the  day  after  we  passed  them 
at  this  i)oint.  They  are  supposed  to  have  been  murdered  by  white  men 
for  their  money.  The  canon  of  Lake  Fork  is  nowhere  so  rough  as  that 
of  Godwin  Creek,  and  the  trail  is  quite  good  for  the  greater  part  of  the 
distance  to  the  head  of  the  stream.  After  camping  a  short  distance 
above  the  lake,  and  getting  a  good  night's  rest,  we  took  an  early  start 
on  one  of  the  most  curiously  interesting  and  strangely  dangerous  trips 
of  the  season.  We  had  to  ride  up  the  creek  several  miles  before  making 
the  ascent  of  the  peak  for  which  we  were  traveling.  From  this  fact  we 
were  thrown  late  and  got  ciiught  on  the  summit  in  one  of  the  afternoon 
storms.  Intermingled  with  other  unusual  drawbacks,  we  had  a  fair  share 
of  the  common  but  not  less  disagreeable  climbing  over  loose  rocks  and 
through  fallen  timber;  neither  were  events  of  the  chase  wanting  to  add 
to  the  great  variety  of  incidents  encountered  during  this  eventful  day. 
The  object  in  view  was  to  make  a  station  on  the  highest  point  of  the  red 
mass  above  mentioned.  In  order  to  accomplish  this,  wo  had  to  follow  up 
a  ridge,  along  which  patches  of  loose  rock  alternating  with  tinjber  made 
the  riding  very  difficult.  It  soon  became  impossible  to  follow  the  ridge 
any  farther,  and  we  had  to  cross  the  gorge  on  our  left,  going  down  300 
or  400  feet,  and  up  again  more  than  a  thousand  feet  to  the  sumuiit  of 
the  next  ridge.  liiding  was  out  of  the  question,  so  we  had  to  lead  our 
mules.  After  getting  out  of  the  canon  the  ground  became  smoother, 
and  near  the  timber-line  we  rode  along  without  difficulty,  the  land  being 
very  open  and  covered  with  grass.  It  was  here  that  a  considerable  herd 
of  mountain-sheep  appeared  in  the  distance.  We  saw  them  before  tliey 
saw  us,  and,  leading  our  mules  out  of  sight,  slipped  through  the  timber 
with  the  utmost  care;  but  before  we  could  get  in  position  the  sentinel 
of  the  herd,  posted  on  a  prominent  point,  gave  the  alarm,  and  they  all 
instantly  took  to  flight.  Wilson  succeeded  in  shooting  one  on  the  run. 
As  we  had  had  no  fresh  meat  for  two  weeks,  the  result  of  the  shot  was 
very  gratifying  to  us  all. 

For  the  rest  of  the  ride  the  ground  was  covered  with  a  short  growth 
of  grass,  but  devoid  of  trees,  as  we  had  passed  the  timber-line.  At  an 
elevation  of  13,000  feet  the  soil  ended  abruptly,  and  from  that  point  on, 
all  was  loose  rock.  Here  we  hitched  our  mules  to  stones,  and,  taking 
the  note-books  and  instruments,  continued  the  ascent  on  foot.  This  part 
of  our  work  was  quite  easy,  although  the  height  we  had  to  climb  wiis 


456       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TEERIT0EIE8. 

nearly  a  thousand  feet  vertical.  Before  reaching  the  sammit  of  the  first 
high  point  on  the  ridge,  we  noticed  stray  clouds  wandering  ap  and  down 
the  neighboring  canons,  as  if  only  waiting  for  us  to  reach  the  top  betm 
commencing  the  attack. 

Seeii]g  that  it  would  be  imi>os8ible  to  reach  the  main  peak  before  the 
storm  would  burst  upon  us,  we  made  our  station  on  the  first  point.  The 
maiu  peak  is  41  feet  higher  and  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  being  connected 
wiih  it  by  a  long  unbroken  ridge.  Had  time  permitted,  we  should  prob- 
ably have  occui)iod  both  points  as  stations,  but  we  were  unfortunately 
prevented  from  doing  this  by  the  peculiar  circumstances  to  be  described. 
Station  12,  the  southern  and  lower  of  these  two  points,  is  situated  in  the 
upi)er  bend  of  Lake  Fork,  where,  from  flowing  in  a  southeasterly  direc- 
tion, it  swings  around  to  the  east.  Near  the  base  of  the  peak  Lake  Fork 
receives  its  principal  tributary  from  the  south  side,  which  on  Mr.  Proul  8 
map  bears  the  name  of  Snare  Creek.  This  peak  is  the  most  southerly 
of  tlie  red  group  included  between  Godwin  Creek  and  Lake  Fork.  Its 
lieif>ht  is  J3,9(>7  feet  above  the  sea.  On  the  north  and  feast  sides  the 
slopes  are  quite  steep  but  regular,  while  on  the  south  and  west  the  sides 
are  very  precipitous,  with  a  fall  from  the  summit  to  the  valley  below  of 
4,400  feet  in  a  horizontal  distance  of  one  mile. 

On  arriving  at  the  summit,  Mr.  Wilson  hastily  made  a  rough  sketch 
of  the  surrounding  drainage,  and  then  set  up  the  instrument,  while  I 
proceeded  to  make  a  profile  sketch  of  the  mountains  south  and  west  of 
us.     VVe  had  scarcely  got  started  to  work  when  we  both  began  to  feel  a 
peculiar  tickling  sensation  along  the  roots  of  our  hair,  just  at  the  edge 
of  our  hats,  caused  by  the  electricity  in  the  air.    At  first  this  sensation 
was  only  perceptible  and  not  at  all  troublesome;  still  its  strength  sur- 
prised us,  since  the  cloud  causing  it  was  yet  several  miles  distant  to  the 
southwest  of  us.     In  the  early  part  of  the  storm  the  tension  of  the 
electricity  increased  quite  slowly,  as  indicatifd  by  the  eflfect  on  oar 
hair.    By   holding  up  our  hands  above  our  heads  a  tickling  sound 
was  produced,  which  was  still  louder  if  we  held  a  hammer  or  other 
instrument  in  our  hand.    Tbe  tickling  sensation  above  mentioned  in- 
creased quite  regularly  at  first,  and  presently  was  accompanie  I  by  a 
peculiar  sound  almost  exactly  like  that  produced  by  the  frying  of  bacon. 
This  latter  phenomenon,  when  continued  for  any  length  of  time,  becomes 
highly  monotonous  and  disagreeable.    Although  the  clouds  were  yet 
distant,  we  saw  that  they  were  fast  spreading  and  already  veiled  many 
degrees  of  the  horizon.    As  they  approached  nearer,  the  tension  of  the 
electricity  increased  more  rapidly,  and  the  extent  of  our  horizon  obscured 
by  them  increased  in  nearly  the  same  ratio;  so  that  the  rapid  increase 
in  the  electric  tension  marked  also  an  increased  velocity  in  recortling 
angles  and  making  sketches.     We  felt  that  we  could  not  stop,  tbougb 
the  frying  of  our  hair  became  louder  and  more  disagreeable,  for  certain 
parts  of  the  drainage  of  this  region  could  not  be  seen  from  any  other 
peak,  and  we  did  not  want  to  ascend  this  one  a  second  time. 

As  the  force  of  the  electricity  increased,  and  the  rate  of  increase 
became  greater  and  greater,  the  instruireut  on  the  tripod  began  to 
click  like  a  telegraph-machine  when  it  is  made  to  work  rapidly;  at 
the  same  time  we  noticed  that  the  pencils  in  our  fingers  made  a  simi- 
lar but  finer  sound  whenever  we  let  them  lie  back  so  as  to  touch  tbe 
flesh  of  the  hand  between  the  thumb  and  forefinger.  This  sound  is  at 
first  nothing  but  a  continuous  series  of  clicks,  distinctly  separable 
one  from  the  other,  but  the  intervals  becoming  less  and  less,  till  finallj 
a  musical  sound  results.  The  eflect  on  our  hair  became  more  aad 
more  marked,  till,  ten  or  flfteen  minutes  after  its  first  appearance,  there 


RHODA.]  GEOGRAPHY — ELECTRICAL   PHENOMENA.  457 

was  sodden  and  instantaneous  relief,  as  if  all  the  electricity  bad  In^en 
suddenly  drawn  from  us.  After  the  lapse  of  a  few  seconds  the  cause 
became  apparent,  as  a  peal  of  thunder  reached  our  ears.  The  light- 
ning had  struck  a  neighboring  peak,  and  the  electricity  in  the  air  had 
been  discharged.  Almost  before  the.  sound  reached  us  the  tickling 
and  frying  in  our  hair  began  again,  and  the  same  series  of  phenomena 
were  repeated,  but  in  quicker  succession,  at  the  same  time  the  sounds 
becoming  louder.  The  clouds  now  began  to  settle  into  tbe  Great 
Canon  of  the  Lake  Fork,  and  boiled  about  in  a  curious  manner;  here 
and  there  a  patch  of  cloud  would  separate  from  the  main  mass  and 
move  about  by  itself.  In  passing  over  a  thick  cluster  of  pines  down 
near  the  bed  of  the  canon,  the  lower  parts  would  get  caught  and  drag 
through  with  the  greatest  seeming  diflBculty.  Tbe  different  parts  seemed 
to  be  affected  by  different  currents  in  the  air,  and  at  times  two  little 
masses  of  cloud  would  pass  each  other  less  than  a  mile  apart,  but  would 
soon  turn  aside,  or  rise  up,  or  lose  themselves  in  the  great  Cloud  that 
pretty  nearly'filled  the  Great  Oaiion  and  its  branches.  At  times  a 
portion  of  the  mass,  moved  by  an  upward  current,  would  rise  several 
hundred  feet  above  the  general  level,  and,  the  force  ceasing,  would  top- 
ple over  and  slowly  fall  back  and  lose  itself  in  the  general  mass.  The 
whole  moved  about  m  a  chaotic  manner,  producing  a  curious  effect. 
When  you  consider  that  the  top  of  the  cloud  was  not  less  than  2,000  feet 
below  us,  you  can  form  some  idea  of  the  strange  scene  that  presented  itself 
to  our  eyes  in  those  exciting  times.  Tbe  clouds  soon  begaii.  to  rise  up 
and  approach  us.  As  they  did  so,  the  electricity  became  stronger  and 
stronger,  till  another  stroke  of  lightning  afforded  instantaneous  relief: 
but  now  the  relief  was  only  for  an  instant,  and  the  tension  increased 
faster  and  faster  till  the  next  stroke.  By  this  time  the  work  was  getting 
exciting.  We  were  electrified,  and  our  notes  were  taken  and  recorded 
with  lightning  speed,  in  keeping  with  the  terrible  tension  of  the  storm- 
cloud^s  electricity.  The  cloud  reached  us,  coming  on  like  a  fog,  looking 
thin  and  light  near  us,  but  densely  white  at  a  short  distance.  All  the 
phenomena  before  mentioned  increased  in  force  a'ter  ea<5h  succeeding 
stroke  of  lightning,  while  the  intervals  between  strokes  became  less  and 
less.  When  we  raised  our  hats  our  hair  stood  on  end,  the  sharp  points 
of  the  hundreds  of  stones  about  us  each  emitted  a  continuous  sound, 
while  the  instrument  outsang  everything  else,  and  even  at  this  high 
elevation  could  be  heard  distinctly  at  th<^  distance  of  fifty  yards.  Tbe 
points  of  the  angular  stones  being  of  different  degrees  of  sharpness, 
each  produced  a  sound  [>ecnliar  to  itself.  The  general  effect  of  all  was 
as  if  a  heavy  breeze  were  blowing  across  tbe  mountain.  Tbe  air  was 
quite  still,  so  that  the  wind  could  have  played*  no  part  in  this  strange 
natural  concert,  nor  was  the  intervention  of  a  mythological  Orpheus 
necessary  to  give  to  these  trachytic  stones  a  voice.  Having  completed 
a  rough  sketch  of  as  much  of  the  sarrounding  country  as  was  not  ob- 
scured by  clouds.  I  hastily  took  up  the  mercurial  barometer,  hoping  to 
get  a  reading  before  we  should  be  compelled  to  leave  tbe  summit ;  but, 
alas!  too  late  lor  success.  The  lightning-strokes  were  now  coming  thicker 
and  faster,  being  separated  by  not  more  than  two  or  three  minutes  of 
time,  and  we  knew  that  our  peak  would  soon  be  struck.  As  I  took  tbe  ba- 
rometer out  of  its  leather  case,  and  held  it  vertically,  a  terrible  humming 
commenced  from  the  brass  ring  at  the  end,  and  increased  in  loudness  so 
rapidly  that  I  considered  it  best  to  crawl  hastily  down  the  side  of  the 
peak  to  a  point  a  few  feet  below  the  top,  where,  by  lying  low  between 
the  rocks,  I  could  return  the  instrument  to  its  case  with  comparative 
safety.    At  the  same  time  Wilson  was  driven  from  his  instrument,  and 


458       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

we  both  crouched  down  amoDg  the  rocks  to  await  the  relief  to  be  given 
by  the  next  stroke,  which,  for  aught  we  knew,  might  strike  the  instru- 
ment which  now  stood  alone  on  the  summit.    At  this  time  it  was  pro- 
ducing a  terrible  humming,   which,  with  the  noises,  emitted   by  the 
thousands  of  angular  blocks  of  3tone,  and  the  sounds  produced  by  oar 
hair,  made  such  a  din  that  we  could  scarcely  think.    The  fast-increasing 
electricity  was  suddenly  discharged,  as  we  had  anticipated,  by  another 
stroke  of  lightning,  which,  luckily  for  us,  struck  a  point  some  distance 
away.    The  instant  he  felt  the  relief,  Wilson  made  a  siidden  dash  for  the 
instrument,  on  his  hands  and  knees,  seized  the  legs  of  the  tripod,  and 
flinging  the  instrument  over  his  shoulder  dashed  back.    Although  all 
this  occupied  only  a  few  seconds,  the  tension  was  so  great  that  be  re- 
ceived a  strong  electric  shock,  accompanied  by  a  pain  as  if  a  sharii- 
pointed  instrument  had  pierced  his  shoulder,  where  the  trii>od  came  in 
contact  with  it.    In  his  haste  he  dropped  the  small  brass  cap  which 
protected  the  object-glass  ot  the  telescope;  but,  as  the  excitement  and 
danger  had  now  grown  so  great,  he  did  not  trouble  himself  to  go  back 
after  it,  and  it  still  remains  there  in  place  of  the  monument  we  coald 
not  build  to  testify  to  the  strange  experiences  on  this  our  station  1± 
We  started  as  fast  as  we  could  walk  over  the  loose  rock,  down  the 
southeast  side'of  the  peak,  but  had  scarcely  got  more  than  30  teet  from 
the  top  when  it  was  struck.    We  had  only  just  missed  it,  and  felt  thank- 
ful for  our  narrow  escape. 

We  could  not  follow  down  the  ridge  we  came  up,  as,  in  the  prei^ent 
state  of  affairs,  it  was  highly  dangerous  to  cross  any  prominent  |>oiut, 
even  though  it  should  be  much  lower  than  the  i)eak  itself.  Ilail  and 
sleet  began  to  fall  freely,  and  as  we  de8cende<l  to  a  lower  level  ihev 
were  exchanged  for  rain,  with  which  we  were  well  drenched,  even  before 
reaching  the  mules. 

We  found  Dr.  Endlich  waiting  for  us,  having  just  returned  from  the 
ascent  of  a  lower  point  of  the  main  peak,  where  he  had  experienoeti 
similar  phenomena  to  those  already  described,  only  dififeriug  from  them 
in  degree.  He  said  he  had  seen  the  lightning  strike  our  peak,  and  at 
first  thought  that  we  might  have  been  caught,  till  finally  he  saw  us 
coming  down  the  mountain. 

Our  mules  seemed  glad  to  see  us,  not  because  they  cared  one  straw 
for  us  personally,  but  because  our  arrival  was  the  signal  for  the  retara 
to  camp.  Whether  they  had  been  pestered  by  the  electricity,  we  could 
not  tell,  but  they  were  doubled  up  into  the  most  compact  shape  that 
mules  are  capable  of  assuming,  and  did  not  seem  to  appreciate  at  all  the 
romance  connected  with  a  cold  rain-storm  at  a  high  altitude. 

Hastily  putting  on  the  saddles,  we  started  down  the  mountain-side. 
By  this  time  the  clouds  enveloped  us  entirely,  and  rain  fell  almost  with- 
out intermission  till  long  after  we  reached  camp. 

On  our  way  we  loaded  one  of  the  mules  with  the  meat  of  the  sheep 
killed  on  our  way  up,  but  as  it  was  a  very  difiicnlt  npatter  to  tie  the 
whole  animal  securely  across  the  saddle,  it  gave  us  a  great  deal  of 
trouble,  as  in  going  down  steep  places  it  would  slip  forward,  and  in 
going  through  brush  it  would  be  pulled  back.  To  go  back  the  way  we 
came,  was  such  a  very  difficult  task  that  Wilson  concluded  to  take  a 
short  cut  for  camp,  though  this  involved  the  risk  of  coming  to  bluflfs  or 
impassable  slides.  We  had  to  lead  our  mtiles  the  whole  way,  which  w«is 
very  steep,  and  composed  of  loose  reck  mixed  in  among  the  thin,  straight 
stems  ot  the  quaking-asp  trees.  Here  and  there  we  came  to  lai^ 
patches  of  loose  d^is  without  any^trees,  and  were  compelled  to  fall 


»HODA.]  GEOGRAPHY CAMP   INCIDENTS.  459 

l)ack  and  take  a  new  tack.  The  rain  was  still  falling  heavily  whenAhe 
sun  set  and  darkness  commenced. 

In  these  high  altitudes  there  is  scarcely  any  twilight,  and  darkness 
quickly  follows  sunset.  I  will  not  go  through  all  the  details  of  our 
descent,  as  nothing  occurred  beyond  what  hus  happened  in  the  experi- 
ence of  every  mountain-climber.  We  reached  camp  late  in  the  night, 
thoroughly  drenched,  and  had  to  eat  supper  in  the  rain,  which  was  any- 
thing but  pleasant. 

If  I  could  end  the  history  of  the  adventures  of  this  remarkable  day 
by  describing  how  we  were  pleasantly  housed  in  dry,  comfortable  quar- 
ters, and  how  we  contentedly  '*  wrapped  the  drapery  of  our  couch  about 
us  and  lay  down  to  pleasant  dreams,^!  would.  But,  alas  !  how  the  ro- 
mance would  be  taken  out  of  the  story  if  1  should  tell  hovt  we  crawled 
iuto  our  low,  short,  and  narrow  little  tents,  with  the  water  running 
under  at  the  edges,  and  leaking  through  at  the  top,  and  how  we  had  to 
lie  as  still  as  possible  lest  we  might  disturb  the  pools  of  water  gradually 
collecting  on  our  blankets,  and  precipitate  them  into  the  inner  recesses 
of  our  bed  clothes.  All  this  and  more  shall  I  leave  untold,  and  cease 
to  disturb  the  several  members  of  the  party,  placidly  snoring  away  in 
the  bal>e-like  innocence  of  their  slumbers.  And  while  they  thus  replen- 
ish their  wasted  energies  with  the  nocturnal  balm  of  sleep,  may  the  un- 
wearied mind  of  the  reader  wander  like  a  restless  ghost  up  and  down 
this  interesting  caiion,  and  observe  with  care  the  high  and  picturesque 
walls  of  trachyte  which  extend  from  the  creek-bed  to  the  summit  of 
ever- memorable  station  12,  and  wonder,  it  may  be,  at  the  pine-trees  scat- 
tered here  and  there  in  the  cracks  in  the  rock,  2,000  feet  above  him, 
having  scarce  a  root-hold,  and  looking  so  diminutive  as  to  suggest  the 
idea  that  some  Japanese  had  been  there  and  applied  their  wonderful 
urt  to  §tunt  them  to  their  apparent  pigmy  stature.  If,  too,  he  extends 
Lis  observations  up  the  scarcely  less  imposing  caiion  of  Snare  Creek, 
ho  will  find  many  more  things  wonderful  in  their  nature,  but  too  varied 
to  tind  a  phtce  in  such  a  hasty  sketch  as  this.  If  the  reader,  after  hav- 
ing satiated  his  curiosity  with  the  many  wonders  of  nature  here  laid  out 
before  him,  will  return  from  his  wanderings  to  the  camp  he  left  the  night 
before,  an  interesting  scene  will  soon  present  itself  to  his  eyes.  If,  a 
little  before  the  break  of  day,  he  observe  closely  the  tents  of  the  sev- 
eral sleepers  before  mentioned,  he  will  soon  observe  a  movement  in  the 
one  occupied  by  our  huge  black  cook.  That  little  circumstance  marks 
the  dawn  of  the  next  fiscal  day,  even  though  the  first  object  emerging 
from  the  tent  be  as  black  as  night.  In  all  countries  it  is  a  recognized 
fact  that  the  darkest  part  of  the  night  comes  just  before  the  dawn,  and 
the  present  case  tends  to  confirm  the  truth  of  the  adage.  The  morn- 
ing is  bright  and  clear,  but  all  things  not  under  close  cover  are  wet, 
and  wood  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  The  cook  searches  about  under 
trees  and  bushes  till  he  has  collected  together  an  armful  of  tolerably 
dry  branches,  and  then  makes  the  fire.  The  fire  burns,  and  another  era 
in  the  cook's  exigence  has  commence<l.  He  takes  four  sheet-iron  pots, 
all  of  different  sizes,  and  starts  for  the  creek.  A  man  of  less  muscle 
would  content  himself  with  uvo.  He  soon  returns  with  all  the  vessels 
filled  with  water,  and  places  some  of  them  on  the  coals  to  heat,  one  for 
the  coffee,  the  others  for  cracked  wheat,  hominy,  or  other  articles.  At 
this  stage  of  the  proceedings  there  is  some  commotion  in  another  tenr, 
and  presently  the  two  packers  emerge  from  their  cover  fully  equipped 
lor  the  day.  One  immediately  starts  out  to  hunt  up  the  mules,  while 
the  other  puts  the  packs  and  aparejos  in  order.  The  cook  proceeds  to 
bake  his  bread  in  a  Dutch  oven,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  still  snoi-e 


460       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  QF  THE  TEREIT0RIE8. 

ou.  In  tbe  intervals  of  bis  cooking  be  opens  tbe  me>s8-boxe8,  sets  tbeni 
about  four  feet  apart,  opens  out  tbe  leaves,  and,  placing  a  support  un- 
der tbe  middle,  spreads  bis  clotb,  and  tbe  table  is  ready.  A  short  time 
before  everytbing  is  ready  be  rings  the  first  bell  for  breakfast,  by  yell- 
ing out,  in  tbe  barbarous  mountain  dialect,  '^  Grub  pileP  or  sometimes 
simply  '^  grub,"  for  sbort.  At  tbis  tbere  is  great  commotion,  and  the 
rest  of  tbe  crew  ^'  pile  out "  in  all  i^^orts  of  sbapes  and  in  all  states  of 
nudity.  Tbey  burry,  for  tbere  is  no  driver  like  hunger,  and  they  noir 
feel  a  yearning  in  tbe  inner  man  that  Ciinnot  be  repressed,  and  their 
love  of  sleep  itself  gives  way.  A  general  rush  for  the  nearest  water 
soon  takes  place.  In  a  few  seconds  all  are  washed,  and  immediately 
commence  tbe  attack  on  tbe  breakfast- table.  Thev  make  short  work  of 
it,  and  at  7  o^clock  all  are  in  their  saddles  and  off. 

Following  tbe  trail  np  tbe  creek,  we  found  it  very  rough,  but  at  a 
point  west  of  station  12  the  bed  of  tbe  canon  widened  out,  and  from 
tbere  our  riding  was  quite  easy.  Leaving  a  notice  on  a  tree  near  tbis 
place,  for  the  train  to  encani]),  we  ascended  a  low  peak  to  the  south  and 
west  of  tbe  creek.  From  tbis  point  we  succeeded  in  clearing  up  some 
])oii)ts  in  the  topography  which  bad  been  unavoidably  missed  from  sta- 
tion 12.  Two  miles  west  of  it  was  a  very  higb,  massive  mountain,  with 
a  great  horizontal  baud  of  white  running  across  the  face  of  a  high 
bluff'  on  tbe  northeast  side  of  the  peak.  Tbis  mountain  bears  en  the 
map  tbe  name  of  Handie's  Peak,  and  was  ascended  the  day  after  this 
as  station  14. 

From  station  13  we  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  red  mass  to  the  north 
and  east,  station  12  being  the  nearest  of  all  tbe  x>eaks.  The  last  2,000 
feet  in  height  was  composed  wholly  of  dull-red  dSbris^  with  very  few 
bluffs.  Here  appeared  some  of  the  finest  mountain  forms  any  of.us  had 
ever  seen.  From  our  distance,  whicb  was  several  miles,  the  ind'ividual 
stones  were  all  lost  to  tbe  eye,  and  tbe  slopes  appeared  as  if  they  were 
made  of  red  sand,  but  of  course  having  the  forms  which  naturally  result 
from  coarse  debris.  The  tops  of  the  ridges  were  nowhere  jagged,  but 
were  invariably  formed  of  gracefully-flowing  curves,  while  mountain- 
lines  could  scarcely  be  more  beautiful  than  tbe  magnificent  sweeps  of 
tbe  curves  formed  by  tbe  long  debris  slides.  Except  on  the  south  and 
west  sides  of  station  12,  these  curves  were  nowhere  broken  by  any  con- 
siderable bluff's.  Having  readied  tbis  station  early  in  tbe  morning,  we 
were  not  troubled  with  storms  during  our  work. 

Several  large  silver-bearing  veins  crossing  tbe  ridge  near  this  station 
gave  us  the- first  intimation  of  onr  approach  to  the  mining  region.  We 
descended  to  camp,  which  we  found  just  at  the  base  of  the  i>eak, 
and  arrived  quite  early  in  the  afternoon.  Tbe  next  day,  August  14, 
we  moved  up  stream,  leaving  directions  with  tbe  packers  where  to  make 
camp.  We  rode  up  a  small  creek  coming  in  from  tbe  south,  which 
drains  tbe  basiu  between  station  13  and  Handie's  Peak.  Tbe  ground 
most  of  tbe  way  was  very  miry,  and  tbe  brush  and  timber  very  difficult 
to  pass  through.  After  passing  the  timber-line,  the  only  difficulties  in 
our  way  were  tbe  boggy  ground  and  rocks.  One  or  two  very  steep 
slopes,  along  whicb  we  bad  to  ride,  were  very  disagreeable ;  but  much 
less  so  for  us  than  for  tbe  poor  donkeys.  At  an  elevation  of  nearly 
13,000  feet  we  found  a  grassy  patch  of  ground,  which  was  large  enough 
and  level  enough  for  our  mules  to  stand  on  without  much  danger.  Hav- 
ing secured  them  to  the  rocks,  we  climbed  up  the  peak,  which  we  found 
a  very  easy  matter,  as  tbe  total  lise  was  scarcely  a  thousand  feet  and 
tbe  slope  quite  gentle.  A  short  distance  below  tbis  summit,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  about  13,500  feet,  we  found  some  shallow  prospect-holes  sunk 


BHODA.]  GEOGRAPHY SAN   JUAN   MOUNTAJNS.  461 

Oil  a  vein  which  cat  transversely  across  the  ridge.  As  yet  we  had  seen 
none  of  the  miners,  but  these  holes,  with  accompanying  notices  writ- 
ten on  a  stake,  indicated  their  presence  somewhere  in  the  vicinity.  We 
soon  leacbed  thesninmitof  Handie's  peak,  and  found  it  not  near  so 
acute  as  most  mountain-suramits  in  this  region.  This  peak  is  very 
massive,  with  high  bluffs  on  the  east  side,  which  continue  along  the  east 
ridge  around  to  station  13.  Between  the  two  stations  is  a  deep  basin, 
amphitheatrical  in  form.  To  the  south  and  west  the  slopes  are  steep,  but 
not  precipitous. 

To  the  west,  and  several  thousand  feet  below  us,  we  saw  several  little 
lakes  of  a  bright  emerald-green  color.  We  had  no  opportunity  to  make 
any  investigations  as  to  the  cause  of  the  color,  but  from  observations 
later  in  the  season  we  concluded  it  must  be  due  to  vegetation  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  lakes.  The  white  band  already  mentioned  as  appearing  on 
the  east  bluff  was  found  to  be  coniprsed  of  volcanic  ash.  Here,  again, 
we  saw  a  band  of  sheep,  but  having  left  our  guns  at  the  mules  we  could 
not  shoot  them. 

Early  in  the  day  we  noticed  the  clouds  hovering  about  the  quartzite 
peaks,  as  we  had  seen  them  so  often  before.  They  never  completely 
veiled  all  the  peaks  of  the  group,  but  early  each  day  began  to  circle 
about  them  in  a  restless  sort  of  a  way,  like  so  many  mighty  lions  about 
their  lair.  To  us  this  apparent  restlessness  suggested  a  consciousness 
of  their  terrific  destructive  power,  which  only  awaited  a  mandate  from 
the  ** God  of  storms"  to  be  set  in  motion.  We  even  now  held  those 
peaks  in  awe,  as  there  seemed  to  be  established  somewhere  in  their 
midst  a  regular  "manufactory  of  storms."  Our  subsequent  experience 
among  them  never  completely  obliterated  this  idea.  About  1  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  the  clouds  again  came  on,  accompanied  by  hail  and  elec- 
tric phenomena  similar  to  that  previously  described.  We  could  detect 
the  electricity  in  the. air  long  before  the  clouds  reached  us  by  holding 
our  hands  high  in  the  air,  when  a  faint  clicking  was  audible. 

The  phenomena  were  precisely  similar  to  those  experienced  on  station 
12,  but  having  reached  the  summit  earlier  in  the  present  ca«e,  we  were 
able  to  leave  before  it  became  very  dangerous.  Just  before  leaving 
the  top  I  slung  the  strap  of  the  tripod  over  my  shoulder,  and  experi- 
enced a  sharp  pain  at  the  two  points  where  the  tripod  touched  me. 
Otherwise  the  phenomena  were  much  the  same  as  on  the  previous  sta- 
tion. This  peak  is  13,907  feet  above  the  sea,  and  30  feet  above  station 
12.  Alter  the  hail  and  rain  commenced,  and  fell  incessantly  till  far  into 
the  night.  The  following  day  we  crossed  the  pass  from  the  head  of 
Lake  Fork  to  the  Animas.  The  elevation  of  this  pass  is  12,640  feet. 
The  ground  up  to  that  point  is  very  boggy  and  the  riding  disagrex^able. 
The  rise  in  the  last  mile  of  distance  is  more  than  1,000  feet.  How 
the  people  of  Saguache  ever  expect  to  bring  a  wagon-road  up  this 
I  cannot  see.  On  account  of  the  surrounding  bluffs  there  is  very  little 
opportunity  to  wind  the  road  up  it,  while  the  miry  nature  of  the  soil 
will  require  vast  sums  of  money  to  be  spent  after  the  grade  is  obtained 
before  the  road  can  be  made  passable.  The  fall  from  the  pass  down  to 
the  Three  Forks  of  the  Animas  is  very  sudden.  Leaving  the  train  to 
proceed  to  Ilowardville,  wherever  that  might  be,  we  climbed  up  a  peak 
on  the  north  side  of  the  trail.  This  point  commands  the  headwaters 
of  the  Animas,  and  is  13,675  feet  in  height.  We  succeeded  in  getting 
a  few  of  the  most  necessary  details  of  the  typography,  but  as  we  had 
traveled  a  considerable  distance  since  morning,  it  was  late  before  we 
reached  the  summit,  and  about  the  usual  time  the  electric  storms  again 
commenced.    By  this  time  the  romance  C(>nnected  with  these  pheuom- 


462       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES, 

ena  had  all  disappeared ;  and  at  tliis  time  and  thereafter,  whenever 
our  hair  began  to  fry,  we  generally  disappeared  at  pretty  short  notice. 
We  never  waited  again  so  long  as  we  had  done  on  station  12.     As  we 
were  working  on  the  peak,  peculiar  sounds  reached  our  ears  from  the 
depths  of  the  Animas  Canon,  2,500  (eet  below.    They  resembled  very 
much  the  whistle  of  a  locomotive  when  heard  from  a  great  distance. 
By  listening  carefully  and  looking  through  our  glasses,  we  formed  a 
shrewd  surmise  that  this  strange  sound  was  the  last  indrawn  note  of  the 
plaintive  bray  of  the  jackasses  used  by  the  miners  in  bringing  the  ore 
down  from  the  mines.    The  harsh  lower  notes  had  all  been  dissipated 
before  they  reached  us,  leaving  nothing  but  the  refined  essence  of  the 
sound  behind.    We  considered  this  as  a  conclusive  evidence  of  ttie  pres- 
ence of  white  men,  and  immediately  descended  to  our  mules.    The  trail 
down  to  the  Animas  was  quite  steep,  notwithstanding  it  wound  arouod 
a  great  deal.     For  the  last  part  of  the  distance  the  fall  w^as  very  suddeo 
down  to  the  Three  Forks.    The  total  fall  from  the  pass  is  1,400  feet 
in  two  miles.    At  what  is  called  the  Three  Forks,  or  the  junction  of  the 
three  creeks  which  form  the  head  of  the  Animas,  we  found  several  cabins 
with  a  number  of  miners  about,  who  kindly  showed  us  specimens  of  ore 
from  their  various  mines.    As  Dr.  Endlich  will  give  a  detailed  description 
of  the  mines,  1  will  refer  the  reader  to  his  accompanying  report.    A 
very  short  distance  below  the  forks,  the  great  bluffs  of  the  Animas 
Canon  commence,  at  first  more  or  less  broken  up  by  slides  and  by  gorges 
formed  by  streams  from  the  mountains.     A  little  while  after  leaving  the 
forks  the  trail  crosses  the  Animas,  and  follows  across  the  great  ix>ck- 
slides  which  come  down  to  the  water's  edge  on  the  east  side  of  the 
stream.    These  extend  many  hundred  feet  above  the  trail,  and  are  ter- 
minated above  by  a  series  of  high  bluff^ij,  one  receding  behind  the  other 
and  separated  usually  by  small  debrin  slides,  siuular  to  the  great  one 
below:  sometimes  very  steep  grassy  slopes  form  the  connection  between 
the  bluff's.     Above  all,  a  long  slope,  more  or  less  steep,  <x)nnects  the  last 
and  highest  with  the  mountain-peaks  above,  which  are  from  3,000to  4,0(iO 
feet  above  the  stream-bed,  but  seldom  ever  visible  from  the  trail,  as  the 
near  precipices  cut  off'  the  view.    The  bluffs  on  the  west  side  are  for 
a  long  distance  much  less  broken  than  on  the  east,  and  instead  of  having 
slopes  at  their  bases,  rise  abruptly  from  the  bed  of  the  canon,  in  many 
places  a  thousand  feet,  nearly  vertical.     But  the  series  of  perfectly  inac- 
cessible bluff's  often  rise  from  2,000  to  3,000  feet  above  the  stream,  and 
are  connected  with  the  mountain-peaks  by  steep  grassy  or  rocky  slopes. 
In  some  places  the  bluff's  form  the  abrupt  termination  of  what  from 
above  are  seen  to  be  sharp,  rocky  ridges,  leading  down  from  the  peaks. 
In  the  upper  end  of  the  caiion  I  he  only  gorge  cut  through  the  western 
wall  is  that  of  Eureka  Gulch.    Near  its  junction  with  the  Animas  this 
is  very  narrow,  but  a  short  distance  back  it  widens  out  into  a  considera- 
ble  basin.    A  very  interesting  thing  in  connection  with  these  bluffs  is 
the  fact  that  many  little  streams  run  over  the  top  and  reach  the  bed  of 
the  canon  by  a  succession  of  little  falls.   These  give  a  picturesque  appear- 
ance to  these  otherwise  bare  bluff's.     Still  more  important  is  their  hear- 
ing on  questions  connected  with  the  working  <»f  the  mines.    A  fall  of 
from  1,000  to  2,000  feet  could  be  easily  obtained.     It  can  scarcely  he 
doubted  that  there  is  a  never-failing  hydraulic  power  continued  in  tliese 
little  streams  sufficient  to  work  all  the  machinery  that  can  ever  he 
brought  into  these  mines.     All  that  is  required  is  to  apply  it  proi>eily. 
In  making  this  general  assertion,  1  do  not  refer  simply  to  those  streams 
which  fall  over  the  bluff's  of  the  main  canon  of  the  Animas,  tor  it  must 
be  remembered  that,  up  Cunningham,  Arastra,  and  other  gulches,  there 


RHODA.1  GEOGRAPHY BAKER's   PARK.  463 

are  bundreds  of  other  similar  streams  that  can  be  usi^d  just  as  well,  if 
Dot  even  better  than  these. 

While  crossing  the  great  slide  on  the  trail,  we  could  see  miners  at 
work  against  the  blufPs  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  Curious-looking 
zigzag  trails  led  up  to  these  mines.  Others  were  tunneling  from  the 
bed  of  the  stream,  and  seemed  to  be  in  a  poor  position  in  case  of  a  great 
spring-thaw,  as  all  their  work  would  then  be  wasted.  At  one  place  we 
saw  an  ice-bridge  over  the  stream,  which  struck  us  as  a  novelty,  for  the 
middle  of  August,  at  an  elevation  of  ouly  10,000  feet,  in  this  latitude. 
At  a  point  about  five  miles  below  the  Three  Forks  the  steep  slide  across 
which  we  were  riding  abruptly  euded,  and  we  came  out  into  a  thick 
clump  of  trees  in  which  were  several  log  cabins,  bearing  on  a  flaring 
sigu-boiird  the  word  "  Eureka,"  evidently  intended  for  the  name  of  a 
town  that  was  expected  to  be,  though  what  had  been  found  here  to  sug- 
gest the  name  was  not  immediately  apparent.  It  is  not  impossible, 
however,  that  the  first  settler  coming  up  the  Animas  here  found  his  far- 
ther upward  progress  barred  by  the  great  rock-slide.  At  this  point  the 
bed  of  the  caiion  suddenly  widens  out  to  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  more  in 
breadth,  forming  the  upper  end  of  Baker's  Park.  A  great  portion  of 
the  level  ground  is  here  covered  by  willows  and  swale  grass,  cut  through 
and  through  by  old  beaver-ditches.  After  leaving  Eureka,  the  ground 
is  very  uneven,  and  quite  devoid  of  timber,  except  up  the  sides  of  the 
caiion. 

The  bluffs  on  the  west  side  become  more  and  more  precipitous,  and 
less  broken  up  by  gorges;  while  on  the  east  the  few  bluffs  which  pre- 
sented themselves  farther  up  stream  are  exchanged  for  steep  rocky 
mountain-slopes,  with  few  bluff's.  At  a  point  about  three  miles  below 
Eureka  the  Animas  is  joined  by  Cunningham  Creek,  a  considerable 
tributary,  coming  in  from  the  east  side.  Howardville,  containing  at  the 
l)reseut  time  some  eighteen  or  twenty  log  cabins,  is  situated  on  both 
sides  of  this  stream  near  its  mouth.  This  is  the  first  settlement  in 
Baker's  Park,  and  among  its  other  attractions  can  boast  of  a  store,  a 
butcher-shop,  assay  oflQce,  shoemaker  shop,  and  post-office.  Although 
as  yet  there  is  no  regular  mail-communication  with  the  outside  world, 
it  is  expected  that  a  regular  mail-route  will  soon  be  established  by  the 
Post-Office  Department.  All  mail  is  now  brought  in  from  Del  Norte  by 
occasional  travelers,  and  letters  cost  ten  cents  besides  the  regular  United 
States  postage. 

From  this  position  a  splendid  view  of  some  of  the  silver- veins  can 
be  obtained.  The  face  of  the  high  bluff's,  west  of  the  town  and  across 
the  river,  is  covered  with  a  net- work  of  yellow  veins,  extending  from 
the  bed  of  the  stream  up  as  far  as  we  could  see.  Later  we  found  that 
these  same  veins  cropped  out  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  indi- 
vidual veins  being  continuous  the  wtiole  distance.  We  found  some  of 
them  crossing  the  highest  point  of  the  ridge  at  an  elevation  of  13,500 
feet,  thus  giving  a  vertical  depth  for  the  outcrop  of  3,800  feet,  while  the 
horizontal  distance  was  not  less  than  the  thickuess  of  the  ridge,  a 
length  of  from  three  to  four  miles.  How  much  farther  they  may  have 
extended  horizontally,  we  could  not  make  out  in  our  limited  time. 

At  a  point  nearly  west  of  Howardville  the  bluff's  end,  and  steep  grassy 
and  rocky  slopes  take  their  place  and  continue  to  the  lower  end  of  the 
park. 

On  August  16,  the  day  after  our  arrival  at  the  town,  we  crossed  the  river 
and  ascended  a  peak  northwest  of  Ilow^ardville,  but  not  quite  visible 
from  that  place  on  account  of  the  intervening  bluffs.  The  slopes  were 
all  grassy,  but  so  steep  that  we  could  ride  but  a  small  part  oi  the  dis- 


464  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

tance.  Wo  came  npon  the  top  of  the  ridge  near  u  little  sharp  point  on 
the  spar,  which  I  believe  is  the  one  designated  by  the  name  of  ''  King 
Solomon's  Mountain."  Just  a  little  below  the  top  of  this  point  we  fooDd 
a  level  patch  of  ground  about  20  feet  square,  where  we  concluded  to 
leave  our  mules,  as  such  level  places  seemed  to  be  rare  in  this  vicinity. 
Looking  about,  we  saw  only  one  stone  of  sufficient  size  to  hitch  oar  ani- 
mals to,  and  that  was  an  oval  one;  but  as  no  alternative  presented 
itself,  we  tied  the  ropes  of  the  two  mules  together,  and  then  fastened 
them  as  well  as  we  could  to  the  stone.  The  result  of  this  will  be  seen 
on  our  return. 

The  main  peak  was  about  half  a  mile  to  the  north  of  us,  but  as  the 
ridge  was  easy  to  walk  over,  we  had  little  difficulty  in  reaching  the  top. 
On  this  peak  we  made  station  16.  Its  elevation  is  13,54L  feet,  as  deter- 
mined from  the  mean  of  twenty -three  readings  with  a  mercurial  barom- 
eter. This  point  is  not  very  sharp,  but  is  simply  the  culminating  point 
of  several  rocky  ridges.  From  herea  splendid  view  of  the  vicinity  of  Ba- 
ker's Park  may  be  obtained,  although  only  a  small  part  of  the  park 
itself  is  visible.  In  order  to  understand  rightly  the  situation  and  pecu- 
liar position  of  this  very  interesting  park,  it  will  be  necessary  to  give  now 
a  general  description  of  it,  leaving  the  minor  details  to  be  filled  in  in  onr 
future  travels.  From  this  point  we  can  see  nearly  the  whole  of  the  great 
depression  of  which  Baker's  Park  forms  the  most  important  part.  Just 
to  the  east  of  us  the  Animas  runs  along,  its  deep  canon  nearly  4,000  feet 
below  our  present  position,  but  the  high  bluffs  bordering  on  the  west 
succeed  in  completely  hiding  the  stream  from  view.  Howard ville  is  also 
shut  out  from  the  sight  by  the  same  obstruction,  although  it  almost 
comes  within  the  field  of  view.  The  fall  from  the  summit  of  this  peak  to 
the  stream  near  Howardville  is  4,001)  feet  in  9,500  horizontal.  Just 
across  the  river,  Galena  Mountain  has  a  fall  to  the  Animas  of  3,700  in  a 
horizontal  distance  of  7,000  feet,  while  down  to  the  nearest  point  on 
Cunningham  Creek,  the  fall  is  3,500  feet  in  5,000  feet  honzontal.  On  the 
southwest  side  of  Cunningham  Gulch  the  fall  is  even  greater  than  this. 
These  cases  are  not  unusual  specimens,  but  I  have  selected  them  becanse 
the  i>eaks  are  well  known  and  can  be  easily  found  on  the  map.  I  could 
instance  many  others  where  the  fall  was  full  as  great  and  even  greater. 
From  station  16  we  had  a  good  view  up  Cunningham  Gulch,  from  the 
fact  that  the  continuation  of  the  direction  of  the  stream  passed  almost 
exactly  through  the  station. 

Along  the  east  side  of  the  Animas  a  line  of  high  peaks  extends,  from 
its  head  down  to  the  lower  end  of  the  great  c;inon,  a  distance  of  thirty 
miles.  At  the  north  end  of  the  line,  but  draining  into  Lake  Fork,  is 
Handie's  Peak,  with  an  elevation  of  13,997  feet.  Next  come  two  name- 
less peaks,  the  first  having  an  elevation  of  13,830  feet  and  the  second 
13,770  feet  above  the  sea;  then  Galena  Mountain,  with  an  elevation  of 
13,290  feet,  and  next.  Mount  Kendall,  13,380  feet  above  sea-level.  Be- 
low this  for  some  distance  lower  points  continue  the  chain,  till  we  come 
to  the  group  of  quartzite  peaks,  ranging  in  height  from  13,000  to  14,0r4 
feet,  wbere  the  line  culminates  in  Mount  iEolus  and  Pidgeon's  Peak, 
and,  falling  off  suddenly  to  the  south,  soon  loses  itself  in  the  plains  of 
Southern  Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  The  great  and  important  feature  of 
this  region  is  the  far  famed  Baker's  Park.  Small  in  area  and  quite  nn- 
important  in  itself,  it  would  be  utterly  disregarded  if  situated  in  other 
parts  of  Colorado;  but,  located  as  it  is,  surrounded  on  all  aides  by  the 
most  rugged  mountains  in  the  Territory,  if  not  in  the  whole  Rocky 
Mountain  system,  this  little  area  of  flat  land  becomes  an  object  of  curi- 
osity and  interest.    When  looked  at  as  the  center  of  the  great  mining 


ODA.]  GEOGRAPHY — BAKEE'S   PARK.  465 


cllstrict,  it  becomes  an  object  of  great-practical  importance.    But  not  till 

one  has  crossed  over  the  several  passes  leading  out  of  it  can  he  feel  a 

13 roper  regard  for  this  little  spot,  so  carefully  guarded  by  nature  from 

t^be  invasion  of  man.    In  itself,  it  is  nothing  more  than  the  bed  of  the 

deep  cu&on  of  the  Animas,  spread  out  at  the  lower  end  to  a  width  of  a 

xnile  or  two.    It  extends  from  the  little  town  of  Eureka,  already  men- 

-fcioned,  down  the  Animas  to  the  base  of  Sultan  Mountain,  a  distance  of 

Cbbout  nine  miles.    It  is  divided  into  two  parts,  the  upper  of  which  is 

oontained  between  Eureka  and  Howardville,  a  distance  of  about  three 

miles,  and  is  quite  rolling,  so  much  so  as  to  be  scarcely  worthy,  the 

name  of  park.    Below  Howardville  the  caiion  again  contracts  till  within 

about  three  miles  of  the  base  of  Sultan  Mountain,  when  the  cauonbed 

^widens  out  into  a  beautiful  level  piece  of  land,  about  three  miles  long, 

in  the  direction  of  the  stream,  and  having  a  width  of  from  one  to  two 

niiles.    It  contains,  in  all,  from  2,000  to  3,000  acres.    This  is  the  true 

Saker's  Park ;  but  the  division  between  the  two  portions,  as  we  have 

described  them,  is  not  important,  and  in  nature  not  well  defined.    The 

^wide  part  above  Howardville  tapers  almost  insensibly  into  the  narrow 

part  below  it,  but  the  line  between  this  narrow  part  and  the  true  park 

below  is  quite  definite.  « 

The  new  town  of  Silverton,  at  present  containing  about  a  dozen  houses, 
is  situated  near  the  center  of  the  level  area,  on  the  south  side  of  Cement 
Creek,  a  stream  flowing  into  the  Animas  from  the  west,  and  passing 
through  the  park.  Bounding  Baker's  Park  on  the  south  is  Mineral 
Greek,  which,  flowing  from  the  west,  highly  impregnated  with  iron,  sul- 
phur, and  other  ingredients,  hugs  closely  the  foot  of  Sultan  Mount- 
ain, and  joins  the  Animas  near  the  entrance  of  the  lower  or  Great  Canon. 
Almost  all  the  water  in  this  country  is  as  pure  as  any  in  Colorado,  but 
this  stream  is  so  strongly  impregnated  with  mineral  ingredients  as  to 
be  quite  unfit  for  drinking.  The  elevation  of  Silverton  is  9,400,  and  of 
Howardville  9,700  feet.  From  our  present  position,  looking  down  the 
valley,  it  seems  to  be  completely  closed  up  by  Sultan  Mountain,  and  the 
exit  of  the  river  is  iiot  visible.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  park  the  Ani- 
ihas  swings  around  toward  the  southeast,  and  for  about  seventeen  miles 
cuts  a  most  terrific  canon,  ranging  in  depth  from  2,000  to  4,500  feet  in 
depth,  through  quartzite  rock  almost  as  hard  as  steel.  It  might  have 
been  expected  that  in  the  beginning  the  stream  would  have  selected  its 
course  somewhere  near  the  junction  of  the  trachyte  and  sandstone  with 
the  quartzite.  It  se^ms,  however,  to  have  been  turned  by  some  agency 
another  v/ay,  and  so  cut  its  course  through  the  harder  rock  this  long 
distance,  without  being  at  any  point  more  than  three  miles  distant  from 
the  softer  material. 

In  order  to  get  a  true  conception  of  the  isolation  of  Baker's  Park  from 
the  rest  of  the  world,  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  passes  leading 
out  of  it  is  necessary.  First,  let  me  say  that  the  ruggedness  of  the 
Great  Caiion  below  the  park  is  such  that  travel  through  it  must  long  be  a 
matter  of  great  difficulty,  though  it  is  said  that  some  miners  have  passed 
up  from  the  plains  on  the  south  into  Baker's  Park  by  that  route.  The 
trail  at  present  most  traveled  by  persons  passing  between  Baker's  and 
Animas  Parks  crosses  over  the  southeast  slope  of  Sultan  Mountain.  At 
the  divide  this  trail  has  an  elevation  of  10,460  feet,  but  the  highest  point 
is  several  bundled  feet  higher  than  this.  This  route  is  the  roughest  and 
most  dangerous  of  any  leading  out  of  the  park,  and  even  in  the  best 
summer  weather  is  unsafe  for  pack  or  riding  animals. 

The  next  pass  is  tbe  one  on  the  southwest  side  of  Sultan  Mountain, 
which  has  an  elevation  of  11,570  feet  above  the  sea,  and,  though  not 

30  H 


466       GEOLOOtCAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES, 

dangerous  like  the  preceding^  is  very  disagreeable,  from  the  bogs,  falks 
limber,  and  rock-slides  which  beset  one's  way.    Another  Is  ibe  Bear 
Greek  Pass,  leading  firom  the  head  of  Bear  Creek  to  the  head  of  tbe 
San  Miguel,  on  the  west  side  of  the  mountains.    Its  elevation  is  12,696 
feet.    On  the  east  a  long  stretch  of  fallen  timber  in  a  hogj  throngii 
which  the  trail  passes,  makes  travel  very  difficult.    On  the  west  a  gresit 
rock-slide,  over  which   the  trail   leads,  is  scarcely  less  disagreeable. 
Two  passes  lead  over  to  the  head  of  the  Uncompahgre  Biver,  but,  a^ 
the  box-caiion  of  the  latter  bars  all  egress,  they  require  no  description 
here.    To  the  east  of  our  present  position  are  the  two  passes  at  present 
mostly  used  by  persons  passing  to  and  from  the  mines.    The  first,  from 
the  head  of  Lake  Fork  to  the  bead  of  the  Animas,  having  an  elevation 
of  12,540  feet,  has  been  alrendy  described.    The  other,  the  pass  from 
Cunningham  Gulch  to  the  Bio  Grande,  has  an  elevation  of  12.900  feet 
at  the  highest  point  of  the  trail.    Over  this  has  passed  almost  every- 
thing  that  has  been  brought  into  the  park.    The  trail  is  very  steep, 
and  in  the  best  weather  is  muddy,  and  after  a  rain  it  becomes  perfectly 
horrible.    When  it  is  remembered  that  the  height  of  a  great  part  of  tlvp 
park  is  only  9,400  feet,  it  will  be  seen  thAt  the  usceut  from  the  valley 
to  each  of  the  five  passes  at  present  used  will  l)e,  in  teet^  as  follows: 
1,300,  2,200,  3,200, 3,140,  and  2,690.    This  gives  some  idea  of  the  way 
this  little  valley  is  isolated  from  the  outside  world.    This,  then,  is  the 
far-famed  park,  named  otter  that  daring  leader  of  his  little  band,  who 
lost  his  life  within  its  bounds.    This  is  the  cul  de  sac  into  which  he  and 
his  men  were  mercilessly  driven  by  the  Indians  in  1862.    How  many 
fell  in  the  massacre,  how  many  starved  or  froze  to  death,  seems  even 
yet  to  be  veiled  in  mystery.    But  how  the  present  survivors  ever  escape<l 
might  well  remain   a  mystery  when  we  consider  the   great  depth  of 
snow  that  must  then  have  covered  these  high  mountain-passes,  and 
that,  at  that  date,  the  country  was  perfectly  unknown.    From  our 
station  16  only  the  lower  end  of  the  park,  including  Silverton,  is  visible. 
The  view  of  the  mountains,  however,  is  very  extensive,  all  the  high 
oeak  stations  made  up  to  this  time  being  plainly  visible,  except  the 
irst  one  south  of  Los  Finos  agency.    Mount  Sneffels  stands  out  boldly, 
ibout  fifteen  miles  to  the  northwest  of  us,  while  about  an  equal  distance 
o  the  east  of  us  appears  the  high  peak,  called,  from  its  shape  and  loca- 
ion,  the  Eio  Grande  Pyramid.    Just  a  little  east  of  south  the  quartzitc 
)eaks  again  stood  out  in  their  peculiar  ruggedness.    From  this  i>oint 
»ve  also  h£id  a  good  view  of  Arastra  Gulch.    Its  upper  end  is  a  rocky 
imphitheater,  between  12,000  and  13,000  feet  in  elevation.    In  it^  center 
was  a  little  lake.    At  the  lower  end  of  the  amphitheater  there  is  a  very 
ibrnpt  fall  of  from  1,000  to  2,000  feefc  down  to  the  bed  of  the  creek. 

Having  reached  the  summit  of  this  peak  unusually  early,  we  bad 
)lenty  of  time  to  study  the  topography  carefully.  Just  as  we  were  fin- 
shiug  up  the  work  of  the  station,  and  had  commenced  building  a  small 
nouumeut  out  of  the  few  stones  in  the  vicinity,  the  well-known  tickling 
sensation  about  the  roots  of  our  hair  again  commenced,  and  we  could 
;ee  its  cause  in  the  shape  of  a  heavy  rain-cloud  which  was  slowly  drift- 
ug  up  the  canon.  We  could  see  long  dark  streaks  extending  from  the 
iloud  to  the  valley  below,  indicating  heavy  rain.  All  rainstorms  in 
his  country,  when  seen  from  a  distance,  present  this  appearance.  A 
toutinuous  mist-like  connection  extends  from  the  cloud  to  the  eartb, 
jut  through  this  are  streaks  much  blacker  than  the  rest.  To  a  person 
macquainted  with  those  storms,  these  streaks  would  appear  as  bands 
.>f  vapor,  a  little  thicker  than  the  rest.  In  truth,  however,  the  part  that 
seems  like  thin  mist  is  heavy  rain,  while  the  black  streaks  are  almost 


ODA]  GEOGEAPHY — MOUNTAIN   CLIMBING.  467 

tinbrokeD  streams  of  water.    These  are  what  are  nsu'ill^'^  known  in  tbe 
moantaius  as  water-sponts.    Wo  left  tbe  snmmit  before  the  electricity 
became  very  tronblesome,  bnt  tbe  rain  which  followed  we  could  not 
avoid.    Packing  up  oar  books  and  instruments,  we  walked  down  to  the 
place  where  the  males  ought  to  have  been,  bat  where,  to  onr  amaze- 
tnent,  they  were  not.    Looking  over  the  ridge,  we  saw  the  mules,  still 
bitched  together,  standing  on  the  steep  east  slope,  about  forty  yards 
from  the  summit,  bnt  the  round  stone  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.    A  heavy 
farrow  through  the  snow-bank,  near  tbe  top  of  the  ridge,  with  several 
deep  indentations  in  the  soil  below,  told  a  carious  tale.*   It  seems  that  as 
tbe  storm  came  on,  a  strong.cold  wind  arose  from  the  west,  which,  with 
tbe  accompanying  rain,  made  the  mules  feel  very  uncomfortable,  as 
they  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  ridge.    In  order  to  better  themselves, 
they  moved  over  to  the  other  side,  slowly  dragging  the  stone  after  them, 
till,  renehing  the  brink,  tbe  steep  slope  animated  the  otherwise  inert 
stone  with  a  considerable  power,  and  it  in- turn  took  the  mules  in  tow. 
l>f  course,  as  soon  as  they  foand  themselves  pulled  they  drew  back, 
but,  finding  tbe  stone  inexorable,  one  of  them  moved  up  a  step  and 
found   herself  relieved  of  tbe  strain,  and  commence<l  nibbling  the  short 
^rass  to  be  found  in  this  vicinity.    But  what  one  gains  the  other  loses. 
The  whole  weight  of  the  stone  now  pulls  on  the  second  mule;  but  it  is  not 
iu  the  nature  of  tbe  beast  to  resist  for  a  long  time  a  steady  and  unre- 
laxing  strain  when  unaccompanied  by  swearing.  Bhe  moves  a  step  forward, 
and,  finding  relief,  goes  to  grazing.    Thefirst  by  this  timehas  forgotten  all 
about  the  stone,  and,  finding  herself  suddenly  jerked,  her  whole  asinine 
obstinacy  is  aroused,  and  she  braces  herself  for  resistance,  but  after 
a  minute  or  so,  finding  the  pulling  force  unalteced,  and  hearing  no  oaths 
proceed  from  the  stone,  she  slowly  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  this  is 
Dot  a  human  contrivance,  and  moves  up.    Thus  by  slow  degrees  the 
stone  pulls  them  down  the  slope,  over  the  little  snow-bank  and  some 
distance  beyond,  disputing,  of  course,  each  step  of  the  way,  for  such, 
alas  I  have  we  too  often  found,  to  our  sorrow,  to  be  the  nature  of  the 
beast.    After  reaching  a  short  distance  from  tbe  top  of  the  ridge,  the 
rope  evidently  slipped  off  the  stone,  and  the  latter,  rolling  faster  and 
faster,  could  have  found  no  obstruction  to  its  course  for  fall  3,000  feet 
down  the  mountain.     What  tbe  mules  themselves  thought  of  their  mys- 
terious leader  they  never  revealed ;  nor  did  we  wait  long  in  the  cold 
rain  to  bear  their  story,  but  hurriedly  patting  on  the  saddles,  dragsred 
them  down  that  mountain  much  faster  than  the  stone  did ;  but  they 
moved  on  joyfully,  for  they  knew  as  well  as  we  that  they  were  going  to 
camp  and  to  gra«s.    Their  shriveled  fohrms  and  backs,  curve<l  up  when 
we  first  found  them,  indicated  clearly  the  fact  that  they  were  disgusted 
with  the  country,  especially  all  of  it  above  13,000  feef  in  elevation. 
Tbe  rain  now  fell  in  torrents,  and  the  grass  being  thoroughly  wet,  the 
walking  was  very  disagreeable,  but  tbe  slope  was  very  steep  and  riding 
on  oar  tired  beasts  very  slow,  so  we  walked  most  of  the  way  and  dragged 
our  mules  after  us.    Reaching  Howardville,  Mr.  Wilson  found  that  the 
expected  supplies  had  not  arrived,  so  he  concluded  to  finish  the  piece  of 
country  east  of  Howardville  and  down  the  Bio  Grande  as  far  as  might 
be  convenient.    The  next  day,  August  18,  we  started  eastward  up  Cuu- 
niogbam  Gulch,  up  which  a  well-marked  trail  leads  over  to  the  Rio 
Grande.    This  is  by  far  the  most  interesting  of  the  secondary  cailous  of 
the  Animas  system.    After  passing  the  main  bend,  which  is  about  two 
miles  east  of  Howardville,  the  side-slopes  become  steeper  and  steeper, 
and  finally  end  altogether  in  becoming  nearly  vertical  bluffs.    These  are 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  high  as  those  along  the  upper  course  of  the  Ani- 


468       GEOLOQICAL  8UBVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Dias,  already  described.  On  the  west  side,  these  bluffs  are  rather  more 
precipitous  thau  ou  the  east,  and  come  down  closer  to  the  stream-bed. 
These  consist  usaally  of  a  series  of  bluffs  one  above  the  other,  receding 
from  the  view.  Over  the  last  tier,  which  is  from  1,000  to  2,000  feet  above 
the  stream,  numeroQs  small  streams  of  water  pour,  and  passiDg  over 
the  sacceeding  bldffs  in  falls  nnd  cascades  present  a  beautiful  spectacle. 
In  the  early  spring,  when  the  snow  is  melting  and  they  are  swollen  to 
considerable  streams,  the  sight  must  be  magnificent.  A  namber  of 
mines  are  located  high  up  the  slopes  wherever  they  are  not  too  steep  to 
be  ascended.  Here  and  there  a  little  low  hut  is  visible  on  the  east 
slope.  Near  the  head  of  the  galch.  the  trail  i»  very  muddy  and  badly 
cut  up  by  travel.  The  upper  part  of  the  ciiuou  ends  abruptly  wiiL 
steei),  high  bluffs  ou  all  sides,  except  the-  narrow  strip  up  which  the 
trail  winds  to  the  pass.  Several  lodes  are  located  at  the  head  of  the 
gulch.  The  amphitheatrical  form  of  the  head  of  the  caiiqn  with  the 
great  bluffs  are  very  characteristic  of  volcanic  formations,  and  all  over 
the  SSan  Juan  region  they  are  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception.  Nev- 
ertheless, the  sudden  termination  here  of  the  great  Cunningham  Gulch 
is  exceedingly  interesting.  The  stream  falling  over  these  bluffs  serves 
to  heighten  the  effect. 

The  trail  now  leaves  the  creek  and  ascends  the  east  slope.  It  is  very 
steep  and  always  muddy  and  slippery.  The  grade  may  be  appreciated 
by  calling  to  mind  the  fact  that  from  the  bed  of  the  stream  to  the  pass 
the  rise  is  about  1,500  feet  in  one  and  a  half  miles  horizontal. 

The  incessant  travel  over  this  trail  by  the  miners,  with  their  horses, 
mules,  and  burros,  keeps  it  ip  a  bad  condition.  Although  it  can  scarcely 
he  said  to  be  dangerouSv  still  its  slipperiness  adds  much  to  the  labor  of 
the  already  overwrought  beasts  of  the  miners.  The  really  bad  part  ot  the 
trail  is  only  a  small  part  of  the  .whole  distance.  Ou  the  summit  the 
ground  is  gently  rolling,  and  the  trail  parses  betweeu  low  hills  which 
form  the  principal  part  of  the  country  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  The 
elevation  of  the  pass  above  the  sea,  as  determined  by  a  single  reading 
of  the  mercurial  barometer,  is  12,C90  feet. 

We  made  station  17  on  a  table  a  short  distance  southwest  of  the  pa8& 
From  this  vicinity  a  good  view  of  a  number  of  the  most  rugged  of  the 
quartzite  i)eaks  may  be  had.  Those  that  appear  range  in  height  from 
13,600  to  13,800  feet.  After  camping  overnight  on  the  head  of  the  Bio 
Grande,  the  next  day  we  made  station  18  on  a  peak  between  Pole  and 
Lost  Trail  Creeks,  whose  elevation  is  13,656  feet.  From  this  pe«dc  we 
had  a  good  view  of  the  country  south  of  Lake  Fork.  In  this  vicinity 
are  scattered  a  number  of  pretty  high  peaks,  but  they  are  generally  iso- 
lated from  each  other,  and  have  none  of  the  massiveness  of  the  mount- 
ains about  the  head  of  Lake  Fork  and  the  Animas.  In  ruggedness 
they  cannot  compare  with  many  that  will  be  described  further  on.  To 
the  east  the  slopes  begin  to  be  more  gentle,  and  at  a  distance  of  a  few 
miles  appears  a  pretty  extensive  plateau  surrounded  by  high  blnffiB. 
The  next  day,  in  passing  down  the  Bio  Oraude,  we  noticed  a  very  peca- 
liar  formation  consisting  of  a  very  bright-green- colored  rock  weathered, 
into  little  needles  and  spires.  It  is  situated  against  the  south  side  of 
station  18.  After  camping  near  the  junction  of  Lost  Ti^fkil  Greek  wit^ 
the  Eio  Grande,  we  made  two  stations  on  the  high  plateau,  just  to  the 
east  of  the  camp.  The  climb  was  very  difficult  on  account  of  the  great 
masses  of  fallen  timber  we  encountered  and  the  bluffs  that  came  in  our 
way.  Once  on  the  top  of  the  plateau,  the  riding  was  very  easy.  It  was 
covered  with  loose  rock,  (trachyte,;  but  not  so  much  so  as  to  serionsly 
impede  our  course.    There  being  no  prominent  point,  we  were  compeileii 


BHODA]  GEOGRAPHY — aA.N   JUAN   MOUNTAINS.  469 

to  make  two  stations.    Ko.  19  was  made  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  north 
edge,  No.  20  on  the  west.    This  plateaa  may  be  said  to  cover  aboat  five 
square  miles ;  the  elevation  of  most  of  this  is  over  12,000  feet.    The 
eastern  part  slopes  off  quite  gradually,  while  on  the  northwest  and  south 
the  plateau  terminates  in  nearly  vertical  bluffs  which  in  many  places 
are  several  hnndi^d  feet  in  height.    To  the  east  of  this  the  ground  )je- 
coaies  more  and  more  even,  till  at  a  distance  of  about  fifteen  miles  down 
the  river  Bristol  Head  rises  abruptly  to  an  elevation  of  12,800  feet. 
From   this  position  it  appears  in  profile.    From  station  2,  a  series  of 
high  plateaus  extends  southward  all  above  timber-line,  and  ranging  in 
height  from  about  11,500  at  the  lowest  point,  a  few  miles  north  of  Bris- 
tol Head,  to  about  13,000  feet,  near  station  2.    Southward  from  the  low- 
est point,  the  plateau  slowly  rises  till,  after  culminating  in  the  bald  sum- 
mit of  Bristol  Head,  it  falls  suddenly  4,000  feet  down  to  the  Eio  Grande, 
and  so  terminates.    From  station  19,  a  grassy  slope,  which  we  afterward 
found  to  be  Antelope  Park,  seemed  to  extend  to  the  bluffs  of  Bristol 
Head,  but  after  looking  with  the  field-glasses  we  saw  that  a  caiion  inter-, 
vened.    But  look  at  it  as  much  as  we  wonld^  there  was  a  peculiar  ap-' 
pearance  about  it  we  could  not  then  explain.    From  station  20  we  had 
a  splendid  view  of  the  Eio  Grande  Pyramid,  which  was  eight  miles  dis- 
.  tant,  and  across  the  river  from  us.    This  is  probably  the  finest  view  that 
can  be  had  of  this  beautiful  mountain.    Its  pyramidal  form  is  almost 
perfect,  while  at  the  same  time  there  is  just  enough  bloff  intermingled 
with  tihe  dibris  slopes  to  give  relief  without  the  usual  accompaniment  of 
coarseness. 

We  left  the  plateau  quite  early,  as  we  had  a  long  distance  to  travel 
before  reaching  camp.   The  pack-train,  according  to  orders,  had  traveled 
np  the  creek  which  comes  into  the  Rio  Grande  from  the  south,  a  little 
l>elow  the  mouth  of  Pole  Creek.    We  proceeded  without  delay  to  fol- 
low them.    At  first  the  riding  was  quite  easy.    We  passed  several  salt- 
licks, which  were  tramped  full  of  tracks  of  deer  and  mountain-sheep. 
Soon  the  canon  narrowed  in  and  traveling  became  very  difficult.  -  We 
found  no  trails,  tracks,  or  signs  of  any  kind  to  indicate  that  anybody 
had  ever  gone  up  the  creek  before  us.  At  several  points  the  traveling  was 
very  dangerous;  at  one  place  that  I  now  recall  to  mind  it  was  espec- 
ially so.    The  creek  at  that  time  was  a  considerable  stream,  and,  from 
the  great  fall  it  had,  was  a  )>erfect  torrent.    The  bed  was  filled  with 
large  stones,  and  among  these  the  water  boiled  and  foamed  terribly. 
At  this  point  we  had  to  slide  our  mules  down  a  very  steep,  rocky  slope 
of  about  100  feet  in  height ;  at  the  bottom  there  was  scarcely  room 
enough  for  a  man  to  stand  conveniently  between  the  slide  and  the  stream. 
Just  above  this  point  was  one  of  those  deep  pools  where  the  big  trout 
love  to  dwell,  while  at  its  lower  end  tlie  water  rushed  through  between 
several  large  rocks  like  a  mill-racei    Now  the  only  way  to  cross  was  jnst 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  pool,  where  the  water  was  shallow ;  below,  the 
current  was  dangerously  swift ;  above,  the  water  was  6  or  7  feet  deep. 
Lea\ing  the  mules  and  instruments  with  me,  Wilson  scrambled  across 
•to  the  other  side,  and  I  threw  him  his  mule's  rope,  and  while  he  hauled 
I  whipped  the  beast  behind.    After  a  few  minutes  of  this  treatment, 
with  the  asinine  obstinacy  fbr  which  this  particular  mule  was  famous, 
she  leapt  out  into  the  pool  and,  swimming  up  to  the  head,  tried  to  climb 
up  a  smooth,  wet  rock,  but  did  not  succeed.    After  a  thorough  stoning 
she  finally  returned  to  me,  and  we  repeated  the  experiment,  this  time 
with  better  success.    Next,  my  mule,  *'  Bones,"  was  taken  in  hand. 
Having  passed  through  the  Valley  of  humiliation  the  year  before,  and 
probably  having  taken  mental  notes  on  the  disgraceful  failure  of  her 


470       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

comrade's  first  attempt,  sbe  <'  made  the  riffle"  with  little  trouble.     Other 
experiences  of  a  little  less  exciting  nature  served  to  heighten  onr  dislike 
for  thiH  creek.    Having  climbed  over  2,000  feet  in  the  morning,  and 
made  two  stations,  we  felt  very  tired,  and  oar  males  walked  slowly. 
Alter  a  while  darkness  began  to  come  on,  and  camp  did  not  appear. 
^*  Bones"  began  to  take  on  that  pitiful  look  engendered  by  her  horror  of 
having  to  stay  out.    Every  time  that  such  a  contingency  seemed  prob- 
able her  lower  lip  would  fall  and  hang  down  in  a  strangely  sorrowful 
way.    )She  seemed  to  recall  that  awful  night  in  the  Greenhorn  Afouo- 
tnins,  in  1873,  when  she  slept  out  away  from  her  companions^  and  wherp, 
sifter  several  months  of  nnceasing  labor,  that  one  night  broke  her  dowo 
and  made  her  lip  hang  down  as  it  never  hung  betbre  and  never  did 
»gain.    Soon,  J;iowever,  we  came  again  upon  the  tracks  of  the  traio.  and 
her  long  ears  pricked  up  and  she  became  so  excited  over  it  that  I  could 
fe'Ciircely  keep  her  in  a  walk.     When  the  camp-fire  appeared  and  she  got 
the  scent  of  her  companions,  she  seemed  pertectly  happy  and  conteoted, 
u»  we  were  also.    For  some  distance  below  camp  the  stream-bed  bad 
'widened  out  into  quite  a  little  valley,  which  continued  above  camp  up 
to  the  head  of  the  stream. 

The  next  day,  August  22,  we  made  the  ascent  of  the  Kio  Grande 
Pyramid.    The  day  was  beautiful  to  its  close,  a  remarkable  circumstance 
tor  this  season  of  the  year  iu  these  mountains.    As  we  were  camped  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  we  had  plenty  of  time.    Wishing  to  give  the 
mules  a  little  rest,  Mr.  Wilson  directed  Ford,  one  of  the  packers,  4o  fol- 
low after  and  bring  them  back  to  camp.    We  rode  up  the  west  slope  of 
the  mountain  to  near  13,000  J'eet  elevation.    Taking  off  our  instrumeots, 
we  threw  the  stirrups  over  the  saddles,  and  fixed  the  bridles  and  ropes 
so  that  they  could  not  get  caught  in  the  timber.    We  then  tried  to  start 
the  mules  back  to  camp  by  throwing  stones  at  them.    They  would  move 
off  a  little,  but  if  we  tried  to  drive  them  farther  they  would  dodge  back. 
The  reason  seemed  to  be  that  they  had  noticed  that  camp  always  was 
made  in  a  different  place  each  day,  and  they  were  afraid  of  getting  loat 
if  they  strayed  off.    Their  great  horror  of  gating  lost  was  very  notice- 
able iu  many  cases.    In  every  case  where  we  had  to  hunt  for  the  camp 
after  dark,  they  seemed  to  give  up  entirely  and  put  their  whole  trust  in 
their  riders.    Often  have  we  left  them  loose,  at  elevations  ranging  Irom 
12.000  to  13,000  feet,  tar  above  the  timber-line,  but  they  never  at- 
tempted to  stray  away,  although  they  would  crop  whatever  grass  they 
could  find  near.    At  times  when  they  could  not  be  tied  so  as  to  get 
enough  grass,  we  would  take  oft' saddle  and  bridle,  and  leave  them  per- 
fectly lo  He,  but  it  seemed  to  make  no  difference. 

The  climb  on  foot  was  quite  easy,  and  was  not  more  than  aboat 
1,000  feet  vertical.  On  the  top  we  found  a  nicel^^-built  monument 
of  stones,  which  we  increased  in  height  to  about  6  feet.-  Some 
enterprising  climber  seems  to  have  taken  a  just  pride  iu  leaving  his 
mark  on  this  beautiful  t>eak.  The  fact  that  the  monument  was  on  the 
ifue  snmmit  indicated  the  fact  that  its  builder  was  something  else  than 
a  common  miner.  The  height  of  this  ijeak  (station  21)  is  13,773  feet . 
above  the  sea.  The  view  from  here  is  very  fine.  The  whole  mass  of 
the  quartzite  peaks,  so  often  mentioned  as  prominent  features  in  the 
views  from  previous  stations,  from  here  stand  out  clearer  than  from 
any  point  yet  visited.  Almost  all  of  the  higher  points  are  clearly  vis- 
ible, but  they  are  massed  together  in  such  a  way  that  from  this  point 
the  drainage  of  the  system  cannot  be  made  out  at  all.  In  one  place, 
to  the  south  of  us,  we  coul.d  see  low  rolling  country,  indicating  that  we 
were  near  the  southern  termination  of  the  high  mountains.    To  tbe 


BuoDA.]  ^  GEOGRAPHY QUABTZITE   PEAKS.  471 

east  the  view  was  ver^'  extensive,  maiiy  poiuts  of  the  Sangre  <le  Ciisto 
range,  east  of  San  Luis  Valley,  being  clearly  visible  at  a  distance  of  one 
Landred  and  ten  miles.  In  the  desciBnt  nothing  of  special  interest  trans- 
pired. The  next  da^v  camp  was  moved  np  near  the  timber-line,  at  the 
bead  of  the  creek,  while  the  three  of  us  followed  up  a  branch  coming 
in  oo  the  east  side,  and,  crossing  the  naitioual  divide,  made  station  2^, 
on  the  southern  point  of  a  granite  ridge,  at  an  elevation  of  about 
13,000  feet.  The  divide  here  is  very  near  tl>e  boundary  between  the 
trachyte  and  quartzite.  This  line  marks  a  sudden  and  decided  change 
in  the  nature  of  the  topography.  Station  22  is  on  granite,  the  first  we 
had  yet  come  across  in  the  district,  but  it  only  appears  here  in  a  small 
area.  Before  leaving  we  were  again  visited  by  an  electric  hail  and  rain 
storm,  which  soon  cut  short  all  work.  Although  surrounded  by  high 
peaks,  rising  several  hundred  feet  above  us,  the  phenomena  seemed 
quite  as  marked  as  at  any  previous  time.  The  whole  mass  of  peaks  west 
of  us  was  soon  veiled  inclouda.  Just  as  we  were  leaving  the  little  knob 
on  the  end  of  the  ridge  which  had  formed  our  station,  we  all  felt  a 
heavy  shock  as  if  from  an  electric  battery.  Being  unaccompanied  by 
thunder,  we  concluded  that  we  had  been  subjected  to  a  miniature  stroke 
of  lightning.  This  is  the  last  station '  where  we  felt  any.  electricity, 
although  we  were  often  caught  on  the  peaks  in  rain  and  hail  storms. 
The  next  day  we  had  a  storm  almost  exactly  similar  to  this  one,  onl^' 
it  was  entirely  unaccompanied  by  electricity.  The  date  of  this  station 
(station  22)  was  August  23.  The  rain  cootiuned  falling  during  our  ride 
to  camp,  which  we  found  located  in  a  clump  of  pines,  at  the  junction  of 
two  small  streams.  Like  all  the  trees  near  the  timber-line,  these  had 
few  branches,  and  furnished  us  little  protection  from  storms. 

Next  morning  the  sky  was  pretty  clear,  so,  without  moving  camp,  we 
crossed  the  divide  south  of  us,  and  ascended  the  high  quartzite  mountain 
east  of  the  Yallecita  This  quartzite  rock  is  very  hard,  and  breaks 
off  in  angular  fragments  with  almost  polished  faces.  Where  d^bris-slideB 
are  formed  of  these  fragments  it  is  found  that  the  rocks  slip  and 
slide  on  each  other  very  easily.  Sometimes  we  would  step  on  a  stone 
weighing  several  tons;  it  would  tip  up,  as  if  delicately  balanced,  or  slip 
from  under  us.  These  seem  to  be  universal  characteristics  of  quartzite 
dibris^  so  that  in  climbing  over  it  great  care  is  required.  This  peak  was 
very  steep  and  difficult  to  climb ;  in  fact,  more  so  than  any  which  we 
had  yet  ascended.  When  we  had  nearly  reached  the  summit,  and  at  an 
elevation  of  13,600  feet,  a  small  grizzly  bear  suddenly  jumped  up  a  few 
yards  in  front  of  us  and  rushed  down  the  steep  slide  on  the  south  face 
of  the  peak.  Of  course,  in  a  climb  as  long  and  difficult  as  this,  our  instru- 
ments and  books  were  all  we  cared  about  bringing  with  us,  and  for  this 
reason  our  guns  were  leit  behind.  We  were  .much  surprised  to  see  an 
animal  in  this  place.  It  is  ever  thus ;  when  you  feel  you  are  treading 
a  path  never  trod  by  a  living  thing  before,  and  your  imagination  begins 
to  build  for  itself  a  romantic  picture,  if  some  such  vile,  worldly  thing  aH 
a  paper  collar  or  a  whisky-bottle  does  not  intrude  itself  on  the  sight,  some 
beastly  quadruped  needs  must  break  the  precious  solitude  and  scatter 
your  airy  castle  to  the  winds.  To  show  onr  utter  disgust  for  all  animate 
things  that  could  not  live  below  this  altitude,  we  yelled  and  threw  stones 
after  the  bear  till  he  finally  was  lost  to  slight  far  down  the  mountain- 
side, lu  our  hate  we  even  wished  he  migbt  have  been  in  a  position 
whence  we  could  have  rolled  rocks  down  on  him.  As  we  passed  on  we 
saw  several  places  where  he  or  others  of  his  breed  had  scraped  out  be<ls 
amoDg  the  finer  debris.  They  seemed  to  have  come  up  here  for  fresh 
air,  or  to  sun  themselves,  or  both.    Alter  this  experience  we  named  the 


472  QEOLOOICAL   SURVET   OF   THE   TERRITORIE&U 

peak  Mount  Oso,  from  the  Spanish  word  for  bear.  Aa  we  neared  the 
top  of  the  peak  the  cloada  coming  from  the  west  began  to  toacb  the 
sammit,  and  we  expected  that  the  electricity  woald  prevent  any  work. 
As  we  came  up  into  the  cloud  we  felt  no  electricity,  at  which  we  were 
much  surprised.  Setting  up  the  instrument,  we  worked  for  abont  ao 
hour,  getting  sights  through  the  clouds,  for  as  yet  the  storm  bad  not 
fully  commenced.    The  height  of  this  point  is  13,640  feet. 

A  number  of  sharp,  distinct  peaks,  all  quartzite,rise  up  in  this  vicinity 
from  2,000  to  4,000  leet  above  their  bases,  and  all  are  very  steep  and  rag- 
ged, more  like  needles  than  mountains.  A  number  of  little  lakes  are  dot- 
ted here  and  there  at  the  heads  of  the  canons.  To  the  we^t,  across  the 
Vallecito,  the  view  into  the  high  quartzites  was  ranch  obstracted  hy 
clouds.  To  the  northwest,  at  a  distance  of  about  six  miles,  in  the  center 
of  the  group,  was  a  high  peak  of  vertical  stratii,  and  all  the  upper 
portion  formed  of  great  vertical  pillars  of  quartzite.  It  seemed  to  be 
on  the  center  of  upheaval,  as  on  the  two  sides  of  it  the  strata  inclined 
in  different  directions.    Its  elevation  is  about  13,783  feet. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  our  station  the  strata  dipped  at  ever>' 
possible  angle,  and  appeared  so  complicated  that  only  a  very  detailed 
study  could  ever  bring  order  out  of  the  chaos. 

In  our  descent  from  the  peak  we  got  pretty  thoroughly  drenched,  and 
found  our  mules  looking  disconsolate.  We  had  left  them  near  the  see- 
ond  little  lake  northeast  of  Mount  Oso. 

Crossing  the  pass  near  this  lake,  we  passed  over  to  our  camp  on  Rio 
Grande  waters,  encountering  much  miry  ground  on  the  way.  The  rain 
continued  falling  steadily  all  day  and  all  night.  The  next  morning  the 
creek  near  our  camp  was  flooded,  as  were  also  our  little  tents.  Kain 
continued  next  morning,  and  as  the  elevation  of  this  camp  was  1I,G00 
feet,  and  the  timber  thin  and  scattering,  it  was  a  poor  place  to  remain 
during  a  storm.  We  remained  in  camp  all  day.  By  standing  in  the  rain 
before  the  log  fire  we  succeeded  in  drying  ourselves  nearly  as  fast  as  we 
got  wet.  Hoping  that  it  would  clear  off,  we  did  not  start  early  the  next 
morning,  but  seeing  no  prospect  of  a  change  in  the  weather,  we  ssiddled 
up  early  in  the  forenoon  and  departed  for  other  scenes.  Our  supply  of 
provisions  was  getting  very  short,  and  we  could  not  remain  longer. 
All  our  flour  hml  already  given  out,  while  the  diied  apples,  beans, 
and  even  the  bacon  were  beginning  to  draw  to  their  close.  With 
all  these  solemn  facts  staring  us  in  the  face,  the  caravan  started  about 
10  o'clock  a.  m.  Our  course  lay  up  the  creek  and  over  the  pass  we  had 
crossed  the  day  previous.  We  found  the  whole  country  flooded.  Natu- 
rally very  boggy,  the  ground  was  now  so  full  of  water  that  it  almost 
floated. 

The  next  morning  the  rain  still  continued.  As  the  5«upplies  were  get- 
ting short  so  fast,  we  concluded  to  strike  the  nearest  way  for  Howard- 
ville.  Moreover,  we  were  getting  disgusted  with  this  part  or'  the  conn- 
try,  and  wanted  to  find  a  better  camping-ground.  A«cordiugly,  we 
moved  up  the  main  branch  of  the  Vallecito.  it  was  running  considera- 
ble risk,  as  without  a  trail  to  guide  us  we  felt  doubtful  about  being  able 
to  cross  the  divide.  The  rain  fell  fast,  and  we  were  soon  soaked  to  the 
skin.  The  grade  being  very  steep,  we  rose  in  elevation  very  fast,  and  soon 
found  snow  and  raiu  falling  together,  and  we  nearly  froze.  We  stoppe«l  at 
one  place  and  made  a  Are  by  which  to  warm  our  feet,  but  the  wood  was  so 
soaked  with  water  that  we  found  it  a  diflicult  task.  The  train  was  behind 
and  did  not  catch  up ;  so  Wilson  and  I  heaped  all  the  logs  that  were  lying 
handy  upon  the  fire,  and,  as  we  found  later,  the  rest  of  the  party  made 
good  use  of  the  fire.  Near  the  head  of  the  creek  the  sloi>e  became  very 
steep   and  rose   up  to  the  divide,  which,  at   the  point  at  which  we 


BHODA.]  GEOGRAPHY — QUAKTZITE   PEAKS,  473 

crossed  it,  was  nearly  13,000  feet  in  elevation.  A  keen,  strong  breeze 
did  not  serve  to  add  to  our  comfort  in  our  present  saturated  condition. 
While  waiting  here  for  the  train,  Mr.  Wilson  made  station  24  on  a 
point  east  of  that  where  we  crossed  the  ridge.  The  elevation  of  this 
place  is  about  12,700  feet— ^a  little  higher  than  the  point  where  we 
crossed  the  same  divide  a  few  days  ago.  We  traveled  down  that  branch 
of  the  Rio  Grande  which  heads  between  stations  24  and  25,  and  camped 
iu  a  splendid  grove  of  pines.  In  the  afternoon  the  sky  had  begun  to 
lighten  up.  Isolated  clouds  passed  swiftly  over  ns  from  the  west,  ever 
and  anon  cutting  off  the  sunlight,  and  producing  the  sudden  chilling 
eflFect  always  noticeable  in  the  shadow  of  a  cloud  at  high  altitudes.  The 
great  difference  of  temperature  in  the  sun  and  iu  the  shade  at  these  alti- 
tudes is  very  remarkable.  At  this  particular  time  I  thought  I  noticed 
that  whirls  and  gnsts  of  wind  always  accompanied  the  fast-moving 
shadow.  Whenever  a  long  space  between  clouds  allowed  the  sun  to 
shine  unobstructed,  for  some  time  the  air  would  be  quite  still,  but  the 
next  cloud-shadow  seemed  to  bring  with  it  little  whirlwinds  and  chang- 
ing gusts  of  chilly  air.  By  the  time  we  had  unsaddled  our  animals  the 
sun  was  shining  brightly,  and  now,  after  four  days  and  three  nights  of 
incessant  rain,  we  had  a  good  opportunity  to  dry  our  clothes  and  blan- 
kets, and  every  one  made  good  use  of  the  short  time  before  sunset.  In 
the  evening,  instead  of  sitting  down  to  a  hearty  meal,  we  had  to  make 
oar  supper  on  bacon  and  dried  apples  nlone,  and  very  short  rations  at 
that.  We  had  a  few  beans  left,  but  all  the  bacon  aud'apples  were  used 
up  for  supper ;  but  as  we  expected  to  reach  Howardville  the  next  day, 
we  did  not  mind  it  very  much.  Our  bill  of  fare  next  morning  pre- 
sented only  two  articles — beans,  which  on  account  of  our  elevation  could 
not  be  well  cooked,  and  sugar.  We  could  take  either  or  both  as  we  chose. 
Beans  with  other  food  are  very  strengthening,  but  alone  we  could 
scarcely  eat  them  at  all.  The  pack-train  started  direct  to  Howardville, 
while  Wilson  and  I  climbed  the  most  northern  of  the  quart zite  peaks,  a 
point  having  an  elevation  of  13,576  feet  above  the  sea.  The  day  was 
clear,  still,  and  beautiful.  '  After  riding  as  far  as  we  could,  we  still  had 
about  a  thousand  feet  to  climb  on  foot  over  the  steep  dSbris  slides  before 
reaching  the  top.  We  soon  discovered  that  our  breakfast  of  beans  and 
sugar  termed  a  poor  foundation  for  such  hard  work.  Once  on  top,  a 
row  of  ten  distinct  peaks  stretched  in  a  nearly  east  and  west  line  before 
our  eyes.  Their  ruggedness  may  be  understood  from  the  illustration  of 
**  the  Quartzite  Peaks  from  station  38,"  the  three  or  four  on  the  left  of 
the  picture  being  just  in  front  of  us  from  station  25.  Being  much  nearer, 
they  appeared  much  more  rugged  than  from  station  38.  The  peaks  in 
this  row  range  from  13,560  to  13,831  feet  in  elevation.  Between  them 
we  could  see  the  higher  peaks  to  the  south. 

The  great  and  essential  differences  in  the  topography  resulting  from 
the  change  in  the  geological  formation  is  here  so  very  marked  and  is  so 
interesting  that  I  cannot  pass  it  by  without  notice.  The  general  differ- 
ence in  the  appearance  of  the  country  in  trachyte  and  quartzite  forma- 
tions is  intended  to  be  shown  by  the  two  large  topographical  sketches 
presented  in  this  report.  The  view  of  Mount  Sneft'els  from  station  20 
shows  nothing  but  trachyte  rock,  while  the  sketch  from  station  38  shows 
quartzite  only.  But  a  mere  sketch  cannot  show  well  the  characteristics 
of  the  two.  I  have  tried  to  work  out  some  of  the  features  peculiar  to 
the  topography  of  each  of  these  two  formations.  These  being  derived 
almost  wholly  from  observations  in  Southern  Colorado  and  for  the  great 
part  in 'this  particular  region,  they  may  not  have  a  very  general  appli- 
cation. 


474  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

First,  then,  in  trachyte  or  volcanic  rocks,  the  lava>flows  being  for  the 
roost  part  horizontal,  the  rock  fractures  vertically,  and  tbe  falling  away 
of  pieces  produces  bluffs  which  are  generally  very  nearly  vertical.  Mcm^- 
over,  from  the  nature  of  the  How,  horizontal  lines  or  bands  are  left  rnii- 
uiug  across  the  faces  of  all  the  bluffs.  This  latter  is  very  characteristic 
of  the  formation. 

Second.  At  the  bases  of  the  bluffs  dSbris  slopes  commence,  and  sweep 
down  generally  in  graceful  curves  to  a  greater  or  less  distance. 

Third.  These  slopes  are  seldom  very  steep  for  any  great  distance,  the 
great  fall  from  the  uiountaiu-summits  to  the  valleys  being  by  way  of 
high  bluffs  and  comparatively  gentle  dSbris  slopes.  In  other  words,  the 
total  fall  is  very  irregularly  distributed  over  tbe  distance  from  the  top 
to  the  base  of  the  mountain. 

Fourth.  The  junction-line  of  the  bluffs  and  ddbris  slopes  is  almost 
always  distinctly  marked. 

On  the  other  hand,  in  quartzite  formations — 

First.  Bluffs  vertical,  or  nearly  so,  are  very  common }  except  in  very 
raie  cases  there  are  no  marked  horizontal  lines. 

Second.  The  junction  between  the  bluffi)  and  ddbris  slopes  is  never 
so  distinctly  marked  as  in  trachyte. 

Third.  On  account  of  the  fact  that  this  rock  breaks  off  in  large  angu- 
lar fragments,  and  also  on  account  of  its  great  hardness,  it  will  lie  at  a 
much  steeper  slope  than  tbe  other  rock.  From  the  same  causes  the  loose 
rock  does  not 'take  on  those  beautiful  sweeping  curves  so  common  in 
volcanic  rocks,  but  have  a  certain  stiffness  of  line. 

Fourth.  The  solid  rock,  from  its  great  hardness  and  the  manner  of  its 
crystallization,  is  often  found  in  very  steep,  yet  quite  irregular  slopes, 
without  taking  on  tbe  form  of  bluff.  A  noticeable  instance  of  this  is 
the  most  easterly  of  the  ten  peaks  mentioned  above.  The  fall  from  its 
summit  to  Vallecito  Creek  on  the  east  is  3,000  feet  in  less  than  a  mile 
horizontal,  or  a  mean  slope  of  nearly  32^ ;  yet  it  is  a  plain  slope  of  solid 
rock,  more  or  less  irregular,  of  course,  but  having  no  bluff  in  all  that 
distance.  On  the  north  side  of  the  same  *peak  there  is  a  slope  at 
an  angle  of  60^  to  80^  for  not  less  than  2,000  feet,  yet  there  is  uo 
part  of  it  bluff. 

Still  another  point  is  the  fact  that  in  the  metamorphism  of  the  origi- 
nal sedimentary  rocks  into  quartzite,  the  great  natural  convulsions  at- 
tending that  process  have  distorted  the  strsita  terribly,  so  that,  as  in 
this  particular  region,  a  number  of  peaks  in  a  small  area  may  each  have 
its  strata  dipping  at  a  different  angle  from  all  the  rest.  The  effect  of 
this  on  topography  may  be  seen  in  the  sketch  from  station  38.  Tbe 
high  peak  next  to  the  last  one  on  the  left  shows  in  a  marked  manner 
that  tbe  strata  incline  to  tbe  right,  or  southward.  The  high  peak  near 
the  middle  of  the  sketch,  being  in  the  center  of  upheaval,  has  vertical 
strata,  while  those  farther  to  the  right  incline  to  tbe  north.  This  lat- 
ter fact  is  not  so  well  shown  in  this  sketch,  but  from  some  other  points 
of  view  itapi^ears  very  plainly.  These  facts  show  how  the  form  of  the 
peaks  may  differ  in  the  same  kind  of  rocks ;  but  as  there  is  little  or  none 
of  tbis  upsetting  of  the  lava-ilows,  there  must  result  a  distinct  type  of 
mountain-form  for  each.  The  peculiar  crystallization  of  the  quartzite  has 
also  a  marked  effect  on  the  forms. 

In  accordance  with  these  facts,  we  find  that  quartzite  mountains  are 
generally  much  more  rugged,  but  lacking  the  relief  given  to  those  in 
volcanic  regions  by  the  contrast  of  the  blnffs  with  the  ^^6m-sIope& 
The  boundary  of  tbe  quartzite  on  the  north  follows  closely  the  national 
divide. 


BHODA.)     GEOGRAPHY — ^HBAD  OP  UNCOMPAHGRE  RIVER.      475 

On  onr  retarn  to  Howardville  we  rode  across  the  rolling  ground  which 
extends  southward  from  Ganningham  Pass.  Arriving  at  the  town,  we 
found  Mr.  Jackson,  the  photographer  of  the  expedition,  with  his  partj. 
He  had  just  arrived  from  the  Los  Pinos  agency.  We  made  the  ascent 
of  Sultan  Mountain  with  him,  and  he  succeeded  in  getting  a  number  of 
good  photographs  of  the  surrounding  country.  From  this  point  is  ob- 
tained by  far  the  best  view  of  Bakei^s  Park  that  is  obtainable  from  any 
peak  in  the  vicinity. 

After  getting  our  supplies  we  marched  up  Mineral  Creek,  while  Mr. 
Jackson  struck  south  over  the  trail  which  passed  around  the  west  side 
of  Sultan  Mountain,  and  made  a  very  interesting  investigation  of  the 
old  ruins  in  Southwestern  Colorado. 

In  the  afternoon  rain  fell,  and  continued  into  the  night,  but  the  next 
morning  was  cold  and  the  sky  clear  and  beautiful.  This  date  (Septem- 
ber 3)  is  remarkable  as  being  the  time  of  the  abrupt  change  between 
summer  and  fall.  After  this,  till  the  snow-storms  commenced,  the 
weather  was  cold  and  clear.  Having  camped  overnight  at  the 
junction  of  Bear  and  Mineral  Creeks,  the  next  morning  we  moved 
up  the  latter,  and  made  stations  27  and  28  on  a  high  ridge  between 
Mineral  and  Cement  Creeks.  Camping  near  the  head  of  the  creek, 
the  following  day  we  crossed  the  pass  at  its  head  and  passed  over 
to  the  head  of  the  XJncompahgre  Biver.  The  elevation  of  this 
pass  is  11,100  feet  above  the  sea.  It  is  entirely  covered  with  timber. 
The  slope  to  the  south  is  quite  gradual,  but  to  the  north,  down  the 
Uncompahgre,  the  fall  is  dOO  feet  in  two  miles.  Then  for  several  miles 
the  stream  flows  comparatively  smoothly,  tiU  it  finally  enters  a  deep 
box  canon,  where  the  fall  is  very  great.  Traveling  for  some  distance  is 
both  difficult  and  dangerous.  At  the  bottom  of  the  first  steep  slope  a 
great  area  of  fallen  timber  commences.  The  logs  so  cover  the  ground 
that  traveling  is  very  nearly  impossible.  Leaving  a  notice  for  the  pack- 
train  to  camp  near  the  beginning  of  this  dead  timber,  Mr.  Wilson,  Dr. 
Endlich,  and  I  rode  on,  and  finally  got  through  the  timber,  when  we 
had  open  grassy  ground  to  travel  over,  but  the  slope  was  so  steep  that 
we  could  ride  only  a  small  part  of  the  way.  Leaving  onr  mules  loose, 
as  usual,  to  find  what  grass  they  might  at  this  elevation,  which 
was  a  little  less  than  13,0(M)  feet,  we  made  station  29,  on  a  round-topped 
];)eak,  which,  being  surrounded  by  peaks  higher  than  itself,  is  of  no  great 
importance.  It  was  taken  as  a  station,  because  its  position  between  two 
of  the  main  branches  of  the  Uncompahgre  made  it  a  key-point  for  the 
drainage  system  which  forms  the  head  of  that  stream.  Its  elevation 
is  13,20G  feet.  From  this  point  we  got  by  far  the  best  view  of  Mount  Snef- 
fels,  and  the  curious  pinnacle-forms  in  its  vicinity,  which  have  already 
been  mentioned  as  seen  from  station  10.  The  accompanying  illustration, 
taken  from  a  hasty  topographical  sketch,  will  give  a  faint  idea  of  the 
great  peak  and  its  vicinity.  Of  course  the  elevation  and  ruggedness  of 
the  mountains  shown  in  the  sketch  can  only  be  appreciateU  by  a  per- 
son who  has  climbed  many  mountains.  Even  then  the  air  is  so  clear  at 
these  high  altitudes  that  one  is  deceived  in  spite  of  himself  with  regard 
to  distances.  From  here  we  could  see  no  feasible  route  by  which  to 
climb  the  great  Mount  Sneffels,  so  we  laid  the  question  aside  till  a  view 
from  some  peak  farther  to  the  west  should  solve  it  satisfactorily.  Next 
day  we  xetraced  our  steps  over  the  pass  and  down  Mineral  Creek,  camp- 
ing again  at  its  junction  with  Bear  Creek.  Moving  up  the  latter  stream, 
we  camped  on  a  considerable  branch  which  comes  in  from  the  north. 
This  is  probably  the  finest  camping-ground  on  the  whole  stream,  with 
fine  timber,  good  water,  and  a  suificieut  quantity  of  grass.    Above  this 


476  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

there  is  a  dense  grove  of  timber,  through  which  you  pass  ap  a  pretty 
steep  slope ;  in  a  short  distance  the  pines  end,  and  you  come  out  into 
an  open  space,  extending  several  miles  up  the  stream,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  remarkably  rich  growth  of  weeds  and  shrubs.  This 
circumstance  is  probably  explained  by  the  fact  that  here  a  great 
part  of  the  lower  slopes  of  the  caiion  is  composed  of  red  sandstone, 
which  seems  to  produce  a  much  better  soil  than  the  volcanic  rock. 

The  next  day  (September  6)  we  made  the  ascent  of  the  highest  peak 
in  this  vicinity.  It  is  marked  statibn  30  on  the  map,  and  has  an  eleva- 
tion of  13,897  feet.  The  climb  was  difficult,  on  account  of  the  long 
slopes  of  loose  dSbris  up  which  we  had  to  climb.  The  top  of  the  peak 
was  remarkable  for  its  smallness.  It  is  formed  of  two  knobs,  about  20 
feet  apart,  the  northern  one  being  a  little  the  higher,  and  connected  with 
the  other  by  a  very  sharp  ridge.  To  the  west  was  a  slope  of  60^  or  liP 
for  30  to  40  feet,  then  a  precipice  of  about  a  thousand  feet  nearly,  if  not 
quite,  vertical.  When  the  tripod  was  set  up,  we  could  not  pass  around 
it,  but  had  to  crawl  under  it.  We  three  monopolized  all  the  sitting 
and  standing  room  on  the  peak.  Mr.  Wilson  with  the  instrument 
completely  covered  the  true  summit.  Dr.  Endlich  took  his  geologi- 
cal notes  from  the  lower  knob,  while  I  sketched,  sitting  at  the 
edge  of  anxi  almost  under  the  instrument.  The  slopes,  on  all  sides 
but  the  narrow  path  we  had  followed,  were  very  steep,  and  in  a 
few  feet  terminated  in  great  precipices.  From  here  we  got  a 
splendid  view  of  Mount  Wilson,  which  we  had  seen  from  many 
stations  before  this,  but  always  across  the  group  of  mountains  of  whicii 
station  30  formed  a  part.  Now  it  rose  up  grandly,  forming  the  most 
massive  of  any  peaks  in  our  district,  and,  judging  from  its  appearance 
and  rough  estimates  from  the  angles  of  elevation,  we  felt  that  it  must 
be  very  high.  In  line  with  the  peak,  but' several  miles  nearer,  appeared 
Lizard's  Head,  a  peculiar  pinnacle,  which  from  this  view  appears  quite 
broad.    It  will  be  more  particularly  noticed  farther  on. 

After  finishing  our  observations,  we  built  a  small  monument  of 
loose  stones,  which,  when  finished,  covered  the  top  so  completely,  that 
a  person  could  not  pass  around  it.  We  descended  more  easily  than  we 
had  ascended,  and  found  camp  at  the  lower  end  of  a  long  patch  of 
timber,  near  the  junction  of  the  main  stream  with  the  last  tributary 
which  comes  in  from  the  south  as  you  travel  up.  This  marks  the  upper 
end  of  the  open,  weedy  area  already  mentioned.  The  total  climb  from 
our  last  night's  camp  to  the  station  was  4,000  feet,  and  the  descent  to 
our  present  camp  3,200  feet.  On  the  day  following  we  let  camp  remain 
where  it  was,  and  rode  up  the  creek  to  the  south  of  us,  and  over  the 
divide,  to  Engineer  Mountain.  On  the  way  we  had  to  pass  around  a 
peculiar  amphitheater,  which  had  been  eroded  out  of  the  red  sandstone. 
The  stratification  of  the  sandstone  had  produced  benches,  which  extended 
all  the  way  around  the  head  of  a  little  stream  which  flows  into  Caecade 
Creek.  VVe  found  the  ascent  of  the  peak  not  very  tiresome,  but  rather 
dangerous.  We  climbed  up  the  ridge  from  the  east.  On  our  right  was 
the  great  bluff*,  which  is  nearly  a  thousand  feet  in  height  and  almost 
vertical.  On  the  southeast  side  the  rock  weathered  off  in  small  plate- 
like fragments,  producing  innumerable  cracks  and  little  shelves,  bat 
none  large  enough  to  give  a  secure  foot-hold.  The  slope  on  this  side 
is  very  steep,  so  that  if  a  person  should  slip  he  could  not  possibly 
save  himself  from  destruction.  Mr.  Prout  in  1873  ascended  this  same 
peak  from  the  south  side,  which  I  should  judge  is  much  the  safer,  but  at 
the  same  time  the  longer  and  more  tiresome  way.  From  this  point  we 
had  a  splendid  view  down  the  Animas.-    Animas  Park  was  visible,  and 


RHODA]  aEOGBAPHY — HEAD   OP   SAN  MIGUEL   BIVEfi.  477 

the  low  country  in  its  vicinity  showed  us  that  the  high  mountaius  were 
nearly  at  an  end.  A  group  of  pretty  high  peaks  were  to  be  seen  to  the 
southwest/called  the  La  Plata  Mountains.  They  are  completely  isolated 
from  the  main  mass  of  the  range  by  many  miles  of  comparatively  low 
land. 

On  our  return  to  camp  a  sudden  and  heavy  shower  of  rain  came  up, 
but  cleared  off  soon  after.  The  nest  day  found  us  on  our  way  through 
the  patch  of  timber  already  mentioned.  The  trail  passes  through  t^e 
center  of  the  group,  which  is  very  swampy,  and  our  animals  mired 
many  times  before  we  got  through.  We  found  relief  only  at  the  timber- 
line,  after  which  we  rode  on,  over  grass  and  fine  rock-slopes,  up  to  tho 
pass,  which  has  an  elevation,  according  to  our  aneroid  barometers,  of 
12,600  feet.  It  is  certainly  the  highest  of  all  the  passes  leading  out  of 
Baker's  Park.  A  pass  which  I  think  will  be  found  much  better,  crosses 
the  range  about  six  miles  to  the  northeast  of  this.  To  go  this  way  you 
must  travel  up  the  largest  tributary  of  Mineral  Greek,  which  comes  in 
from  the  west,  and  cross  over  on  to  a  tributary  of  the  Ban  Miguel.  This 
pass  is  not  less  than  a  thousand  feet  lower,  and,  at  lea^t  to  the  west, 
has  a  much  better  grade.  Passing  over  from  Bear  Creek  to  the  head  of 
the  San  Miguel,  after  a  sudden  descent  of  several  hundred  feet,  we  came 
to  a  small  lake.  Further  dowo,  the  slope  was  more  gradual  for  some 
distance,  till  we  came  to  a  steep  debm-slide,  down  which  the'trailled  to 
the  valley  below.  The  fall  from  the  pass  to  the  valley,  by  way  of  the 
trail,  is  2,800  feet  in  two  miles.  On  the  east  side  of  the  pass  the  rise 
from  the  stream-junction,  where  we  camped,  to  the  pass  is  2,000  feet  in 
two  miles. 

Station  30  rose  up  boldly  just  to  the  north  of  us  as  we  rode  down  the 
trail.  Its  side  was  worn  out  into  beautiful  forms,  and  the  delicate 
blending  of  the  dull  red  and  yellow  colors  of  the  rocks,  taken  together 
with  the  long  sweeps  of  the  d^6m-slides,  gave  this  peak  a  finer  ap- 
pearance than  any  we  had  yet  seen.  Once  down  in  the  little  valley  be- 
low, we  found  trees  and  grass  growing  very  luxuriantly. 

1  he  trail  crosses  several  boggy  places,  over  which  our  mules  passed 
with  difficulty.  A  few  miles  down  stream  from  the  head  of  the  little 
valley  is  San  Miguel  Lake,  a  very  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  filled  with 
fine  trout.  We  stopped  to  make  a  compass  station  on  the  edge  of  the 
lake,  and  took  a  reading  with  the  mercurial  barometer,  which  makes 
the  elevation  9,720  feet.  Thence  we  traveled  down  the  San  Miguel 
liiver,  along  a  very  old,  disused  Indian  trail;  in  some  places,  con- 
siderable trees  lying  across  it  showed  that  it  had  not  been  used  for 
many  years.  For  some  distance  below  the  lake,  the  San  Miguel,  which 
is  here  a  pretty  large  creek,  flows  quite  gently;  but  further  dowii 
the  slope  suddenly  increases,  and  the  stream  is  broken  up  into  falls 
and  cascades.  In  going  down  the  trail,  at  this  point,  we  found 
tLe  slope  so  steep  that  we  had  to  dismount  and  lead  our  mules,  till 
we  reached  the  bed  of  a  large  creek  which  comes  Into  the  San  Miguel 
from  the  east.  After  crossing  this  the  trail  ascends  the  north  slope 
of  the  canon,  which  is  quite  steep.  The  total  fall,  from  the  lake 
down  to  the  junction  of  this  creek  with  the  main  stream,  is  about  900 
or  1,000  feet  in  a  distance  of  two  and  a  half  miles.  At  least  GOO  feet 
of  this  fall  takes  place  in  the  last  mile.  At  the  bottom  is  a  fine  full,  which 
from  a  distance  we  judged  to  be  not  less  than  a  hundred  feet  in  height. 
After  crossing  the  canon  of  the  creek  above  mentioned  we  came  out  on 
a  pretty  smooth  area,  covered  with  scattering  timber  and  fine  grass. 
One  thing  very  peculiar  about  this  particular  part  of  the  country  is  the 
deathlike  stillness  that  almost  oppresses  one  in  passing  through  it. 


478       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERBITOKIES. 

There  is  tbe  fiuest  growth  of  grass  I  have  ever  seen  in  Colorado,  with 
beautifal  little  groves  of  pine  and  quaking  asp  scattered  about,  whieh 
one  would  expect  to  be  full  of  game.  The  old  trail  and  the  very  anti- 
qaated  appearance  of  the  carvings  on  the  trees,  and  the  absence  of  all 
tracks,  old  or  new,  indicated  that  the  Indians  had  abandoned  this  roote 
long  since.  With  all  these  conditions,  so  favorable  to  animal  life,  ve 
did  not  hear  a  bird  twitter  in  tbe  thickets,  and  saw  neither  deer,  elk,  nor 
antelope,  nor  even  a  single  track  of  one  of  those  animals.  In  all  other 
parts  of  the  country  little  squirrels  and  chipmunks  were  seen  in  abun- 
dance ',  but  here,  if  they  existed  at  all,  they  kept  themselves  close.  We 
made  camp  on  the  large  east  fork  of  the  San  Miguel,  just  across  the 
stream  from  station  32  on  the  maj).  The  next  day,  September  9,  we 
made  station  32,  on  a  low  hill  on  the  north  side  of  tbe  creek,  which  from 
its  width  might  more  i)roperly  be  called  a  river.  Above  this  for  several 
miles  the  stream  bed  is  very  flat  and  covered  with  willows,  while  tbe 
stream  itself  winds  like  a  great  snake.  A  short  distance  below  our  sta- 
tion the  stream  plunges  down  very  abruptly  into  the  caiion  of  the  San 
Miguel,  which,  above  and  below  this  junction,  cuts  down  from  800  to 
1,000  feet  into  the  sandstone  which  here  makes  its  appearance. 

Leaving  station  32  on  our  way  to  Mount  Sneffels,  we  followed  tbe 
trail  a  short  distance,  and  then,  turning  off  to  the  right,  with  great  diffi- 
culty succeeded  in  descending  to  the  bed  of  a  creek  flowing  fn>m  the 
northeast.  In  this  vicinity  we  saw  a  band  of  six  gray  wolves,  the  fin^t 
we  had  seen  during  the  season. 

With  great  diflBculty  we  followed  up  the  cafion,  which  gradually  be- 
came narrower  and  more  rocky.  In  some  places  we  had  to  cross  over 
short  Spaces  of  smooth,  almost  polished  rock-surfaces,  inclined  toward 
the  stream.  In  one  such  place  a  small  rivulet  of  water  flowed  over  the 
surface  and  terminated  below  in  a  fall  of  considerable  height.  Tbe 
smooth  stone,  thus  wet,  rendered  our  passage  with  the  mule-train  very 
hazaidous,  as  the  least  slip  would  have  resulted  in  the  certain  destruc- 
tion of  an  animal,  and  possibly  serious  injury  to  members  of  the  party. 
As  we  traveled  upward  the  trees  became  more  and  more  scattering, 
and  the  huge  rock-slides,  which  below  we  had  only  seen  high  up  against 
the  mountain-sides,  began  to  extend  their  Angers,  like  glaciers,  tar  below 
the  timber-line,  and  in  many  places  reached  the  bed  of  the  creek.  These 
slides,  ever  and  anon  crossing  our  path,  rendered  travel  very  difficult 
for  animals ;  the  more  so  as  they  were  composed  of  large  angular  frag- 
ments, often  many  tons  in  weight,  and  containing  in  their  interstices  no 
vestige  of  soil  or  vegetation.  Sometimes  wo  were  able,  by  filling  in  the 
spaces  with  small  stones,  to  form  a  I'ough  trail  over  these.  At  others, 
we  were  able  to  go  around  them. 

The  obstacles  to  our  onward  march  continued  to  grow  greater  and 
greater  till  we  came  to  the  upper  verge  of  a  clump  of  trees,  and  found 
our  further  progress  completely  barred  by  the  great  (2^^m-slides  on 
both  sides  of  the  creek,  coming  down  to  the  water's  edge,  making  tbe 
passage  for  animals  an  utter  impossibility.  About  half  a  mile  farther 
on  we  could  see  the  trees  commence  again;  but  this  strait,  if  we  may 
call  it  such,  was  too  much  for  us.  Besides,  we  could  see  no  prospect  of 
good  grass  for  the  animals  ahead,  while  this  laat  group  of  trees  foroied 
a  beautiful  camping  ground,  and  was  overgrown  with  a  rich  crop  of 
grass.  There,  then,  we  made  camp ;  and  as  it  was  early  in  the  afternoon, 
and  the  sun  shining  brightly,  we  took  this  rare  opportunity  of  spreading 
out  our  blankets  to  dry.  Wilson  turned  out  his  mule  with  the  rest  to 
i'eed,  and  walked  on  over  the  rock-slides,  up  the  canon,  to  reconnciter, 
and  after  a  long  and  tiresome  walk  reached  the  summit  of  the  pass  at 


BHODA.]  GEOGRAPHY — ^ASCENT   OP   MOUNT   SNEPFELfi.  479 

the  bead  of  the  gnlch,  and  saw,  far  across,  a  carioas  sink-like  amphithea- 
ter, the  object  ot  onr  jonrney,  looming  ap  in  terrible  blackness  before 
bini.  He  saw  at  a  glance  that  from  oor  present  positioD  the  peak  mast 
be  ascended  in  one  day,  from  our  present  camp,  all  on  foot,  The  mount- 
ain had  to  be  climbed,  and  the  only  easier  ascent  was  from  the  north. 
Bat  to  get  to  that  side  of  the  mountain  necessitated  a  circnitous  journey 
of  several  days  around  the  portion  of  the  mountains  jutting  out  to  the 
west. 

On  his  return  to  camp  in  the  evening  he  reported  the  result  of  his 
deliberations  to  the  rest  of  the  party,  and  it  was  concluded  to  make  the 
ascent  from  our  present  camp.  We  all  knew  well  that  the  winter-storms 
would  soon  commence,  and  we  could  ill  aftbrd  to  lose  the  time  necessary 
to  go  around  to  the  north  side  of  the  mountain.  The  present  camp  is 
marked  on  the  map  as  camp  45. 

ASCENT  OF  MOUNT  SNBPFELS. 

The  next  morning  we  provided  ourselves  with  lunches,  as  was 
our  custom,  and  the  three  of  us  set  out  on  foot  at  six  o'clock,  with 
onr  note-books  and  instruments.  The  first  portion  of  the  climb 
to  the  pass  above  mentioned,  was  in  a  northeasterly  direction  from 
camp.  After  crossing  the  portion  of  debris  already  described  we 
came  again  to  timber,  then  to  soil  covered  with  very  short  grass 
but  devoid  of  other  vegetation.  After  leaving  the  timber  we  could  see 
about  us,  and  a  dreary  sight  we  saw.  !Near  us  was  nothing  but  these 
great  angular  fragments  of  tra-chytic  rock,  which,  in  the  distance,  faded 
to  a  dull,  dreary,  gray  tint.  In  some  places  these  slides  formed  long, 
regular,  slightly  curved  lines;  in  others  the  stone  appeared  in  swells 
like  sand-dunes.  The  head  of  the  cation  was  amphitheatrical  in  form, 
like  almost  all  in  lava  regions.  On  the  east  side  we  noticed  particularly 
a  sub-amphitheater,  which,  being  composed  of  nothing  but  the  loose 
d6bri8,  variegated  by  neither  shrub  nor  blade  of  grass  nor  even  barren 
soil,  nor  by  any  change  of  color  in  the  rock,  presented  one  of  the  most 
desolate  sights  that  meets  the  eye  of  the  mountain  climber.  The  weird 
stillness  of  high  altitudes,  only  served  to  heighten  the  appearance  of 
desolation  about  us,  and  gave  one  the  idea  that  all  nature  was  dead. 
Passing  from  the  small  area  of  soil  over  which  we  traveled  after  leav- 
ing the  timber,  we  came  again  to  the  loose  debris.  Take  note  of  that 
little  patch  of  soil,  for  we  may  not  step  on  soil  again  till  we  return  at 
night  from  our  tiresome  climb.  We  now  had  to  walk  over  the  loose 
bowlders,  stepping  Irom  stone  to  stone.  This  was  very  tiresome,  as  we 
could  not  relax  our  attention  for  a  single  moment  for  fear  we  should  step 
OQ  a  balanced  stone,  and  fall  or  slip  on  some  smooth  suifaee.  Toward 
the  last,  the  asceut  became  very  steep,  and  we  had  to  climb  with  great 
care.  The  last  few  hundred  feet  was  just  about  as  steep  as  loose  rock 
would  lie.  We  thought  nothing  of  this,  however,  as  we  were  fresh,  and 
knew,  besides,  that  this  was  the  easiest  part  of  our  day's  journey.  We 
reached  the  pass  at  last,  and  as  we  had  been  climbing  till  then  in  the 
shadow  we  were  glad  to  see  the  sun  rising  clear  and  beautiful.  Every- 
thing seemed  to  conspire  to  make  a  beautiful  day,  and  we 'lacked  ouiy 
time  to  let  our  imaginations  run  on  and  make  a  sublimely-romantic  pic- 
ture of  sunrise  at  a  high  elevation.  The  claw-marks  on  the  rocks,  on 
either  side  of  the  summit  of  the  pass,  showed  that  the  grizzly  had  been 
before  us.  We  gave  up  all  hope  of  ever  beating  the  bear  climbing 
mountains.  Several  times  before,  when,  after  terribly  difQcult  and 
dangerous  climbs,  we  had  secretly  chuckled  over  our  having  outwitted 


480  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TERRITORIES. 

Bruin  at  last,  some  of  the  tribe  had  saddenly  jamped  np  not  far  from 
us  and  takea  to  their  heels  over  the  loose  rocks.  Mountain  sheep  we 
had  beaten  in  fair  competition,  but  the  bear  was  '^  one  too  many  for  ns.*^ 

After  stopping  a  few  moments  to  draw  our  breath,  we  had  a  little 
leisure  to  look  around  us.   Looking  back  we  could  see  the  clump  of  trees, 
3,000  feet  below  us,  in  which  camp  was  situated ;  wbile  in  front  of  us,  and 
behind  us,  and  around  us,  appeared  nothing  but  miles  and  miles  of  loose 
rock,  with  rocky  peaks  everywhere.    Immediately  in  front  of  us  was  a 
curious  depression,  which,  at  its  lowest  point,  was  about  2,000  feet  below 
us,  although  we  were  standing  on  the  lowest  point  of  the  ridge  surround- 
ing it.    It  covered  several  square  miles  in  area;  it  seemed  to  be  com- 
pletely closed  up,  as  no  outlet  could  be  seen.  It  was  apparently  walled  in 
on  all  sides.   On  our  right  a  bluff  ran  clear  around  to  the  great  mountain, 
and  was  very  nearly  vertical  for  full  a  thousand  feet,  at  some  points  more. 
For  three  miles  from  this  pass,  along  the  ridge  on  the  south  side  of  the 
amphitheater,  no  point  is  less  than  13,500  feet  in  elevation,  while  several 
peaks  rise  above  13,700,  and  one  above  13,800  feet.   Just  to  the  Bouth  of 
Mount  Sneffels  was  another  comparatively  low  gap,  which  we  felt  was 
passable  for  good  foot-climbers.    This  and  the  pass  on  which  we  stood 
were  the  only  visible  outlets;  excepting  these  two,  which  were  only  jusc 
passable  to  men  on  foot,  we  could  see  no  break  in  the  great  Chinese  wall 
around  this  little  empire  of  desolation  and  deathlike  stillness.  We  knew, 
of  course,  that  there  must  be  an  outlet,  and  we  knew  where  that  outlet 
must  be,  but  we  saw  none ;  we  knew  that  the  wall  around  the  south 
side  from  us  to  the  great  i)eak,  was  continuous,  and  we  could  see  that 
there  was  no  break  in  the  north  wall  for  a  considerable  distance.    The 
only  point  we  were  not  sure  of  was  at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  basin, 
just  west  of  the  peak.    We  were  certain  the  outlet  must  be  there,  merely 
because  we  knew  it  could  be  nowhere  else;  however  interesting  it  might 
have  been  from  a  geological  point  of  view,  it  made  our  hearts  sink  within 
us  to  look  at  it.    In  making  the  ascent  of  a  mountain,  there  is  nothing 
more  painful  than  to  find  a  deep  gorge  or  sink  crossing  your  path;  you 
know  that  all  the  distance  you  go  down  must  be  climbed  up  again  before 
you  reach  once  more  your  present  level.   We  did  not  remain  on  the  pass 
long  enough  to  think  half  that  I  have  written,  for  it  has  always  been  a 
maxim  with  us  that  every  minute  saved  in  the 'morning  brings  us  back 
to  camp  so  much  earlier  in  the  evening,  and  we  can  never  tell  how  long 
a  climb  is  going  to  take  us.     We  find  sufficient  time  while  climbing  to 
observe  the  scenery  around  us  in  a  very  general  way,  but  the  romauoe 
of  our  work  is  not  fully  appreciated  by  us  till  we  reach  civilization,  where 
we  can  find  leisure  to  think  over  what  we  have  seen ;  at  the  time  no 
romance  is  visible. 

Almost  due  east  of  us  and  across  the  sink,  at  a  distance  of  three  miles, 
was  Mount  Snefi'els,  the  end  and  aim  of  our  labors.  We  traveled  over 
the  sunken  area  a  considerable  time,  as  it  is  several  miles  across.  As 
we  went  on,  it  became  more  and  more  evident  that  the  ''  fallen  in  "  ap- 
pearance of  this  depressed  area  was  not  mere  appearance.  Evidence 
pi*esented  itself  on  all  sides  to  prove  that  this  great  area  had  actnallf 
sunk  in  one  mass  several  hundred  feet.  After  a  time  the  descent  b^ame 
much  steeper,  and  we  were  much  surprised  on  looking  back  to  see  be- 
hind us  a  peak  rising  up  to  a  considerable  height.  The  truth  was,  that 
it  was  only  a  ridge  the  same  height  as  the  main  part  of  the  amphitheater, 
and  only  presented  the  appearance  of  a  peak  from  below.  Near  this 
point  we  were  joined  by  Ford,  one  of  the  packers,  who  had  concluded 
that  he  wanted  to  climb  a  peak,  too,  and  had  chosen  this  oue^  the  hardest 
climb  of  the  season.    The  lowest  point  of  the  amphitheateir  was  the  head 


BHODA.1  GEOGRAPHY — AMOUNT   SNEFFELS.  481 

of  a  cnnon  leading  oat  to  the  north.  In  the  bottom  of  this  was  a  small 
lake  with  an  elevation  of  nearly  12,000  feet.  It  was  rather  a  pleasure 
than  otherwise  when  we  began  to  ascend  again.  Now  we  were  sure  that 
"we  had  no  more  gorges  or  sinks  to  cross,  bat  that,  excepting  the  aps  and 
downs  common  to  all  peaks,  our  way  lay  upward.  A  few  hundred 
feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  sink  we  came  upon  a  bench  on  which 
were  two  small  lakes,  while  just  beyond,  the  steep,  rugged  monutfiin 
rose  up.  The  first  half  of  the  height  was  very  steep,  but  neither  so  tire- 
some nor  so  dangerous  as  the  last  half.  The  first  was  a  plain  slope  ex- 
tending from  the  Jakes  to  the  ridge  of  which  the  peak  formed  the  termi- 
nation. After  reachin&r  this  we  had  to  follow  the  sharp  ridge  of  the 
mountain,  which  for  a  considerable  distance  was  notched  much  like  a 
comb.  The  crystallization  was  nearly  vertical,  and  we  could  not  follow 
along  the  highest  line  of  the  ridge,  but  had  to  go  down  the  spaces  be- 
tween the  teeth  of  the  comb,  then  climb  hand  over  hand  up  the  steep 
bluff  beyond,  and  soonuntil,  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  the  top,  the  rock 
suddenly  changed  and  was  worn  into  more  or  less  rounded  slopes,  all  con- 
siderably polished,  but  beveled  out  in  a  curious  manner,  by  the  weather. 
These  slight  bevels  were  our  only  foot-holds,  and,  as  the  slope  was  quite 
steep  in  some  places,  we  had  to  climb  with  care ;  but  all  our  labor 
was  soon  rewarded  by  the  glorious  view  which  pre8ente<l  itself  to  us 
when  we  reached  the  top.  On  the  west  and  north  sides  the  peak  was 
precipitous,  while  on  the  east  it  sloped  much  more  gradually.  It  was 
situated  on  the  extreme  north  edge  of  the  range,  and  fell  in  very  steep 
slopes  to  the  low  valley  of  the  Uncompahgre,  to  the  north.  On  all 
sides  but  this  we  were  surrounded  by  rugged  peaks  and  impassable 
canons.  The  great  fact  which  was  instantly  impressed  upon  our  minds 
was  the  great  area  of  the  surface  above  timber-line.  In  fact,  toward 
the  east,  south,  and  west,  with  the  exception  of  a  clump  here  and  there^ 
at  great  intervals,  no  timber  was  visible.  Leading  from  the  southeast 
side  of  the  peak  was  a  canon,  which,  for  a  considerable  distance  down, 
ran  nearly  due  east,  but  continually  veering  more  and  more  toward  the 
north.  For  several  miles  down,  the  slopes  to  the  bed  were  very  gentle, 
and  presented  the  appearance  of  a  deep  hollow  rather  than  that  of  a 
gorge;  but  it  became  more  and  more  rugged  toward  its  mouth,  till 
finally,  within  a  few  miles  of  that  point,  it  was  almost  impassable,  till 
at  last  it  joined  the  truly  great  canon  of  the  Uncompahgre  River.  This 
latter  canon  and  its  vicinity  is  one  of  the  most  curious  places  in  the 
district.  The  ridges  running  down  to  it  both  from  the  east  and  west 
sides  are  curiously  notched  and  cut  into  strange  shapes.  Numerous  high, 
sharp  pinnacles,  clustering  together  here  and  there,  appear  like  church- 
steeples,  while  in  other  places  the  weathering  of  bluffs  has  produced 
the  appearance  of  niches  with  statuary.  We  noticed  several  large 
quartz  veins  which  seemed  never  to  have  been  discovered  by  the  miners. 
Across  this  space,  and  far  above  it,  we  saw  Uncompahgre  Peak,  which 
showed  us  the  familiar  precipice  on  the  north  side,  with  the  terraced 
slope  on  the  south.  Though  presenting  to  our  eyes  the  same  profile  as 
when  we  were  approaching  it  from  the  east,  we  had  lost  much  of  our 
awe  of  the  mountain  from  the  fact  that  we  had  found  so  many  that  wore 
harder  to  climb.  We  could  see  distinctly  every  station  we  had  been  on, 
so  far,  this  summer,  besides  many  of  the  year  previous.  The  group  of 
quartzite  peaks  stood  up  as  boldly  as  ever  about  thirty  miles  to  the  south- 
east. In  fact,  I  may  state  here  that  we  have  never  yet  seen  the  group 
from  any  station  (and  we  have  viewed  it  from  all  sides)  without  feeling 
both  deep  respect  and  awe  for  their  terrible  ruggedness.  The  fact  al- 
ready stated,  that  the  storm-clouds  seem  to  hover  about  them  before 
31  H 


482       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Starting  on  their  meandering  ways,  only  served  to  add  to  onr  otber  feel- 
ings one  of  uneasiness.    It  may  be  that  the  vivid  recollection  of  a  loof 
and  dreary  storm  encountered  in  that  region,  made  it  appear  to  as  is 
an  exaggerated  form.    A  little  nearer,  and  slightly  to  the  left  of  them, 
we  could  plainly,  see  and  distinguish  all  the  peaks  surrounding  Baker^ 
Park  and  the  great  mining  region.    Still  nearer,  and  seeming  almost 
under  us,  was  station  28,  with  its  associates,  in  the  little  cluster  of  deep 
red-colored  peaks  along  the  waler  shed,  between  Mineral  Creek  and  the 
Uucompabgre.    The  view  directly  south  of  us  presented  the  greatest 
mass  of  peaks  to  be  seen  in  any  direction.    In  that  direction  we  look 
longitudinally  along  the  range  of  |)eaks  which  forms  the  west  line  of  the 
great  mountain-mass,  from  which  there  is  a  very  abrupt  descent  to  the 
western  plateau  system.    Chief  among  these  stood  station  30,  which  we 
had  visited  only  a  few  days  before,  while  about  nine  miles  to  the  we^ 
of  it  was  the  high  peak  which  we  were  soon  to  climb,  but  whose  top 
was  veiled  in  clouds,  only  the  massive  base  and  a  few  of  the  subordi- 
nate peaks  being  visible.    West  of  it  were  several  low,  sharp   peaks 
scattered  here  and  there,  but  these  soon  sloped  off  into  the  plain,  which 
extended  to  the  horizon,  broken  only  by  the  deep  canons  which  have 
been  cut  in  the  red  sandstone  by  the  streams.    Directly  to  the  west,  in 
the  far  distance,  was  the  group  of  the  Sierra  La  Sal  Mountains,  and 
scattered  about  the  horizon,  south  of  them,  we  could  see  several  very 
distant  mountains,  which  were  so  far  away  that  their  blue  color  conld 
scarcely  be  distinguished   from  that  of  the  sky.    Immediately  to  the 
north  of  us,  and  far  below  us,  was  the  valley  of  the  Uncompahgre,  which, 
on  both  sides,  seemed  to  have  quite  a  gradual  slope  toward  the  stream. 
To  us,  viewing  it  from  this  great  elevation,  it  presented  the  appearance 
of  being  covered  with  a  rich  growth  of  grass,  though  of  this  fact  we 
could  not  be  sure  from  so  great  a  distance.    The  junction  of  the  Uuoom- 
pahgre  with  the  Gunnison  was  distinctly  marked  by  the  vegetation  along 
the  banks  of  the  two  streams.    We  could  see  the  course  some  distance 
below  the  junction,  but  it  soon  faded  into  the  distance,  and  no  one  coold 
say,  from  what  he  saw,  what  way  the  water  had  gone. 

Beyond  the  Gunnison,  on  the  north,  there  appeared  a  very  elevated 
plateau,  which,  commencing  near  the  mountain-peaks,  presented  a  nearly 
horizontal  protile  for  a  considerable  distance,  and  then,  slowly  increasing, 
its  slope  fell  off  almost  insensibly  to  the  west.  Still  farther  around  to 
the  right,  and  about  northeast  of  us,  we  could  see  most  of  the  great  peaks 
west  of  the  Arkansas  Iliver.  Many  others  appeared  behind,  but  we  did 
not  trouble  our  minds  about  recognizing  them,  sis  all  our  time  was  neces- 
sary for  the  more  immediate  details  of  the  to|>ography  around  us.  The 
great  length  of  time  requited  to  ascend  and  descend  again  prevented  us 
Irom  remaining  long.  We  had  reached  the  top  about  noon,  and  found 
that  we  could  not  possibly  remain  over  two  hours  and  exi>ect  to  get  to 
camp ;  and  since  there  was  not  a  stick  of  timber  on  the  way  we  dared 
not  sleep  out,  even  though  the  work  on  the  peak  had  to  be  cut  short 
Our  time  being  up,  we  raised  a  monument  of  loose  stones  about  five  feet 
high  and  started  for  camp. 

The  descent  to  the  lakes  was  very  easy  and  did  not  require  much  time, 
but,  as  we  expected,  the  climb  up  to  the  pass  again  began  to  tell  on  us, 
and  a  weakness  in  our  legs  showed  what  a  terrible  strain  on  our  systems 
the  morning's  climb  had  been.  We  finally  reached  the  pass  just  in  time 
to  see  the  sun  setting.  Some  may  suppose  that  now  we  sat  down  and 
rested  ourselves  before  making  the  last  descent  down  to  camp.  But  all 
frequenters  of  the  high  mountains  are  acquainted  with  the  fact  that 
there,  darkness  follows  sunset  very  suddenly,  with  scarcely  any  twilight 
between.    By  calling  to  mind  this  iact  and  estimating  the  obstacles 


vBOj>A,}  GEOGRAPHY — ^MOUNTAIN   CLIMBING.  483 

between  us  and  camp,  we  found' that  with  our  ntmost  endeavors  we 
coald  not  hope  to  get  into  camp  till  long  after  dark.  On  the  other  hand, 
we  knew  that  we  could  not  travel  any  considerable  distance  over  the 
debris  after  dark,  so  we  struck  for  the  timber  with  all  our  speed.  When 
darkness  came  on  we  found  ourselves  in  a  mixture  of  vi^getation  and 
]oose  rock,  and  had  to  pick  our  way  with  the  utmost  care.  Our  long- 
ooiitinued  exertions  were  at  last  crowned  with  success,  and  we  had 
the  pleasure  of  sitting  down  to  a  supper  which  tasted  to  us  far  better 
than  the  most  costly  meals  of  civilization,  served  up  in  the  most  expen- 
sive hotels.  We  reached  camp  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  having 
been  fourteen  hours  from  camp,  twelve  of  which  had  been  occupied  in 
steady  climbing,  and  two  in  work  on  the  summit  of  the  peak.  During 
those  twelve  hours  we  had  climbed  up  7,000  feet,  and  down  an  equal  dis- 
tance, beside  traveling  a  horizontiil  distance  of  six  miles,  the  whole  over 
loose  rock. 

The  next  day,  which  was  September  11,  we  retraced  our  steps  down 
the  creek,  and  turning  to  the  right  followed  up  the  west  branch  of  the 
same  stream.  We  made  station  34,  whose  elevation  is  12,997  feet,  on  a 
peak  at  the  head  of  this  creek.  It  is  the  most  western  of  the  great  group 
of  mountains  of  which  Mouut  Sneftels  is  the  highest  point.  From  here 
Lizard's  Ilead,  ea«t  of  Mount  Wilson,  stood  up  like  a  high  monument  on 
the  top  of  a  mount-ain-peak.  From  this  view  the  width  of  the  base  bears 
about  the  same  relation  to  the  height  as  in  the  great  artificial  monu- 
ments. The  height  of  the  column  is  290  feet,  and  the  elevation  of  the 
summit  above  the  sea  13,160  feet.  From  this  point  it  is  fourteen  miles 
distant  in  a  straight  line,  yet  it  loomed  up  finely.  On  our  way  to  camp, 
which  we  found  located  at  the  junction  of  the  two  creeks,  we  saw  a  black 
bear,  the  fii^t  we  had  yet  come  across,  but  he  disappeared  so  suddenly 
that  it  was  impossible  to  get  a  shot. 

We  were  well  satisfied  with  having  finished  this  part  of  the  mountain 
country.  Only  one  peak  of  which  we  had  any  dread  remained  yet 
to  be  ascended,  and  that  was  Mount  Wilson.  From  various  circum- 
stances we  had  reason  to  believe  that  this  was  higher  than  any  sti.tion 
we  had  yet  made,  and  from  its  nigged  ap))earance  we  dreaded  its 
ascent  not  a  little.  We  returned  to  Lake  San  Miguel  by  the  same  trail 
we  had  come.  On  our  way  we  saw  a  few  cranes,  which,  with  their  long 
legs  and  unearthly  noises,  only  served  to  add  to  the  funereal  aspect 
of  the  scenery.  At  the  lake  Dr.  Endlich  and  I  stopped  to  make  a  de- 
tailed sketch  of  station  30.  From  here  the  peak,  with  the  lake  in  the 
foreground,  and  the  rich  groups  of  pine  and  aspen,  separated  by  spaces 
covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  grass  for  a  middle  distance,  presented  a 
beautiful  appearance.  Crossing  over  the  divide  between  the  San  Mig- 
uel and  Dolores,  at  an  elevation  of  about  10,200  feet,  we  turne<l  off  to 
the  right  and  cam|>ed  on  a  stream  which  fiowH  down  from  the  southeast 
side  ot  Mount  Wilson.  On  the  way  Mr.  Wilson  succeeded  in  killing  a 
fair-sized  male  grizzly  with  his  Springfield  needle-gun. 

September  13  was  devoted  to  climbing  the  great  mountain.  Biding 
to  the  timber-line,  we  sent  our  mules  back  to  camp  by  one  of  the  pack- 
ers, and  commenced  the  ascent.  At  first  we  had  a  low  blnff  of  slate  to 
get  over.  The  x>lates  of  the  stone  were  remarkable  for  their  great  size 
aud  freedom  from  cracks.  Above  this  the  climb  was  quite  easy  for  a 
considerable  distance,  being  nothing  more  th;iu  plain  slo|)es  of  loose 
dibris.  When  we  had  reached  an  elevation  of  about  13,W0  feet,  we 
noticed  three  mountain-sheep  on  the  top  of  a  high  ridge  to  the  north  of 
us,  and  about  1,000  feet  above  us.  We  could  scarcely  see  how  they  got 
up  there,  such  was  the  ruggedness  of  the  ridge.    They  watched  our 


484       GEOLOGICAL  8URVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

progress  from  this  elevated  stand-point  with  great  interest,  now  and 
then  jumping  upon  a  rock  to  get  a  better  view.    They  reminded  m 
very  much  of  some  of  the  illastrations  in  the  school  geographies.    A 
little  farther  on  we  came  to  a  large  steep  snow-bank,  np  which  we 
climbed  with  difficulty,  cutting  notches  in  the  snow  for  footholds.     At 
the  upper  end  of  this  we  came  to  what  was  much  worse,  very  steep 
and  dangerous  rock-walls.    From  this  point  to  the  summit  tho  stone 
is  crystallized  into  vertical  blocks,  broken  up  so  as  to  be  very  insecure. 
Near  the  beginning  of  this  part  we  came  to  a  notch  in  the  narrow 
ridge  which  was  tilled  in  by  a  great  stone,  with  its  upper  part  wedge- 
shaped.      On   the  east  was  a  fall,  very  nearly  vertical,^  of  two  or 
three  hundred  feet,  terminating  below  in  the  steep  snow-bank  already 
mentioned.     On    the  west  was  a  precipice  many  hundreds  of  feet  ia 
height.    Over  this  wedge  we  had  to  pass  by  straddling  it  and  sliding 
ourselves  carefully  across.    The  whole  distance  was  not  more  than  ten 
or  fifteen  feet.    It  seemed  very  much  like  crawling  along  the  comb  of 
the  roof  of  a  very  high  house.    Just  beyond  arose  a  steep  rock-wall  of 
loose  shelving  rock,  np  which  we  climbed  with  great  difficulty,  from  the 
fact  that  all  the  rocks  were  loose;  and  even  the  largest  coald  not  be 
surely  depended  on.    Beaching  the  summit  of  this  we  had  to  walk  for 
forty  or  fifty  yards  along  the  sharp  ridge  over  loose  blocks  of  stone 
standing  on  their  ends.    The  ridge  was  so  sharp  that  we  had  to  follow 
the  center.    On  either  side  the  slopes  were  so  nearly  vertical  that  If  a 
person  should  once  slip  there  would  be  nothing  to  stop  his  descent  for 
many  hundred  feet,  and  in  some  places  a  thousand  feet  or  more.    All 
the  stones  were  so  loose  that  we  could  feel  them  move  under  our  feet. 
For  a  part  of  the  distance  we  had  to  walk  straight,  without  anything  to 
lay  our  hands  on.    At  one  point  in  particular,  we  had  to  leap  across  a 
break  in  the  ridge  where  a  stone  had  fallen  out,  trusting  to  Providence 
for  the  firmness  of  tho  new  foot-hold.    This  was  at  an  elevation  of 
nearly  14,200  feet.    We  came  very  near  giving  up  here;  but  we  could 
just  get  a  glimpse  of  the  main  peak  a  little  farther  on,  aiid  the  tempta- 
tion was  too  strong  for  us.  After  getting  over  this  very  dangerous  part, 
we  came  to  a  deep  crevasse  which  cut  across  the  ridge,  and  succeeded, 
with   great  difficulty,  in  getting  down  to  the  bottom  of  in.    A  thin 
coating  of  ice  over  many  of  the  stones,  remaining  from  a  recent  hail- 
storm, added  greatly  to  the  danger  of  the  climb.    Thence  we  had  to 
climb  aronud  the  edge  of  a  bluff,  which  we  found  a  very  dangerous  un- 
dertaking.   Once  over  this  we  climbed  out  of  the  crevasse  without 
difficulty  and  gained  the  longed-for  summit.    We  found  it  composed 
ot  the  same  rock  as  I  have  described,  crystallized  in  vertical  prisms, 
but  crumbling  away.  Beyond  a  space  probably  eight  or  ten  feet  square, 
we  could  not  pass  without  the  very  greatest  danger  of  being  precipitated 
over  the  terrible  blnffs  surrounding  us  on  nearly  all  sides.    We  coald 
scarcely  find  space  enough  for  a  monument,  with  room  enough  to  pass 
around  it.     We  did,  however,  leave  a  small  monument  of  loose  stones 
to  mark  this  station,  (station  35.)  The  thermometer  stood  at  33^  Fahren- 
heit, which,  with  a  steady  breeze  from  the  west,  did  not  add  to  our  com- 
fort, especially  as  we  had  to  confine  our  movements  to  such  a  small 
area.    While  we  were  op  here  clouds  began  to  come  from  the  northeast 
directly  toward  us  and  against  the  wind^  apparently  moved  by  an  under- 
current, as  they  were  below  us.     We  could  trace  distinctly  the  track  of 
the  slight  snow  which  fell  the  last  night,  by  it^s  marks  on  the  peaks  of 
the  great  mass.    This  peak  was  a  spler«did  point  for  a  station,  giviug 
the  key  to  the  drainage  and  topography  for  miles  around.    To  the  east 
and  north  the  San  Miguel  and  its  tributaries  appeared  to  us,  from  oar 


RHooA.]  GEOaRAPHY — ^EXPLORATION   OF   CANONS.  485 

elevated  standpoint,  as  if  laid  down  on  a  map.  Lizard's  Head,  a  few 
iniles  east  of  us,  formed  a  very  prominent  feature  in  the  landscape, 
althongh,  looking  at  it  Irom  onr  elevation,  (14,280  feet,}  its  height  did 
not  show.  From  this  direction  it  ap[>ears  quite  broad,  from  the  fact  that 
its  greatest  length  is  from  north  to  south.  To  the  west  of  us  and  quite 
near  was  a  pretty  high  mountain.  Beyond  it  were  scattered  a  number 
of  sharp,  isolated  pealcs,  mostly  under  13,000  feet  in  elevation,  while  still 
farther  to  the  west  extensive  plateaus  reached  to  the  horizon.  In  the  far 
aonthwest  appeared  several  very  dim,  bluish  mountains,  probably  con- 
siderably over  a  hundred  miles  distant.  Somewhat  nearer  to  us,  and  a 
little  farther  around  toward  the  south,  api>eared  Ut«  Peak,  near  the 
southwest  comer  of  Colorado.  In  the  far  northwest  the  Sierra  La  Sal 
Mountains  were  distinctly  visible.  Much  was  also  seen  that  has  been 
already  described  as  having  been  seen  from  other  stations.  Mount  Wil- 
son is  the  highest  mountain  in  Southwestern  Colorado,  and  by  far  the 
most  massive. 

The  descent  was  made  with  great  care,  and,  luckily,  without  accident 
either  to  ourselves  or  the  instruments.  The  descent  over  the  snow  bank 
was  much  easier  than  the  ascent,  being  accomplished  by  simply  sitting 
down  on  the  snow  and  letting  gravity  do  the  rest.  Below  it,  we  found 
several  holes  among  the  loose  rocks,  which  bears  had  pawed  out  for 
beds,  but  we  met  none  of  the  animals  themselves.  We  reached  camp 
quite  early.  The  total  height  climbed  on  foot  was  2,500  feet.  It  was 
not  very  tiresome,  but  by  far  the  most  dangerous  of  all  the  climbs  of 
the  summer. 

After  this  we  marched  a  short  distance  down  the  Dolores  and  made 
stations  36  and  37.  After  that,  returning  by  way  of  San  Miguel  Lake, 
we  recrossed  the  Bear  Creek  Pass,  and  camped  at  the  creek  junction, 
where  we  had  camped  a  week  previous.  The  day  after,  we  rode  to 
Howardville.  We  had  scarcely  got  our  dinner,  when  Mr.  Jackson  and 
party  came  up  from  their  trip  to  the  ruins^  of  which  they  gave  glowing 
accounts.  On  September  19  we  started  down  tbe  Animas,  crossing, 
over  the  southeast  slope  of  Sultan  Mountain,  by  the  trail.  We  found 
the  trail  very  bad.  At  one  point  a  tree-stump  stood  in  it. 
Some  miners  passing  over  this  route  a  few  days  before  had  one  of  their 
animals  killed  by  its  falling  down  the  side  of  the  mountain  at  this  point. 
The  divide  is  about  10,400  feet  in  elevation,  but  the  highest  point  of  the 
trail  is  several  hundred  feet  higher.  We  camped  near  this  latter  point, 
and  the  next  dny  left  the  train  to  follow  the  trail  a  few  miles  and 
camp,  while  we  rode  in  a  southeasterly  direction  and  made  station  38, 
on  a  rounded  penk  of  quartzite,  13,046  feet  in  elevation.  From  h^re  we 
obtained  the  most  striking  view  of  the  quartzite  mountains.  Tbe  illus- 
tration is  reproduced  from  a  topographical  sketch  made  at  tbis  station. 
The  point  is  on  tbe  brink  of  the  great  Animas  Caiion,  which  bere  is 
over  4,000  feet  in  depth ;  a  few  miles  farther  down  it  is  still  deeper.  Tbe 
total  length  of  the  Grand  Canon,  from  the  mouth  of  Mineral  Creek  down 
to  tbat  of  Cascade,  is  about  seventeen  miles;  below  tbis,  for  about 
seven  miles,  it  becomes  very  narrow  and  straight,  with  a  depth  of  about 
1,000  feet.  In  returning  to  the  trail  we  found  the  country  terribly  cut 
lip  along  the  head  branches  of  Lime  Creek,  and  even  after  reaching  the 
truil  it  was  not  tbe  easiest  we  had  yet  had.  Judging  from  what  I  have 
heard  and  seen  of  the  pass  to  the  west  of  Sultan  Mountain^  1  think  it  a 
much  better  route.  Some  fallen  timber  and  swamp  are  encountered, 
but  not  more  than  on  tbis  trail.  We  did  not  travel  over  it  ourselves ;  but 
Mr.  Jackson,  who  has  been  over  both,  gives  the  trail  over  tbe  western 
j^ass  the  preference.    If  ever  a  wagon-road  can  be  built  over  into 


I 


486       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OP  THE  TERRITORIES. 

Baker's  Park,  from  the  sooth,  it  will  be  only  by  that  way.  The  grroniid 
is  very  rough  along  the  trail  to  a  mile  or  so  south  of  the  crossiDg  of 
(Cascade  Creek,  when  it  becomes  more  even,  and  the  traveling^  t'ron 
there  on  is  very  goo<i.  Wagons  could  be  brought  this  far,  from  the 
south,  without  the  least  trouble.  A  long  line  of  sandstone  bloffis  ex- 
tends ])arallel  to  the  trail  for  several  miles,  and  rise  from  1,500  to  l,8(iO 
i'eet  above  it.  The  trail  passes  along  a  sort  of  table,  with  these  bloflb 
rising  above  it  on  the  west  side,  and  th«  Animas  Gallon  bounilin^  it  oq 
the  east.  Arriving  at  xluimas  City,  we  stabled  our  riding-mules  in  a 
deserted  dwellingbouse,  and,  hanging  up  our  instruments  in  another, 
across  the  street  from  the  first,  made  a  thorough  exploration  of  the 
city.  We  found  it  located  on  a  beautiful  level  pateh  of  ground,  with 
scattering  yellow  pines  growing  all  over  it.  It  was  composed  of  one 
street,  with  a  row  of  log  cabins  on  either  side  stretching  a  distiince  of 
several  hundred  yards.  Some  of  the  houses  were  nearly  finished,  some 
half  done,  and  the  sites  of  others  were  marked  by  two  or  three  tiers  of 
logs  laid  one  above  the  other.  All  were  deserted.  We  took  posses^oa 
of  the  best-looking  one,  which  had  a  kitchen  attached,  and  made  our- 
selves very  comfoitable;  eating  inside  and  sleeping  out  of  doors.  The 
night  was  so  bright  and  clear  that  we  could  not  endure  sleeping  under  a 
roof.  We  found  several  persons  living  in  the  vicinity,  and  from  them 
we  learned  that  the  settlers  had  been  time  and  again  ordered  away  by 
the  Indians,  and  had  finally  considered  it  best  to  leave.  The  height  of  this 
place  is  6,850  feet.  From  Baker's  Park  to  this  point,  a  distauee  of  aboat 
twenty -six  miles,  the  Aniinas  has  a  fall  of  2,550  feet,  or  an  average  of 
100  feet  to  the  mile.  Trout  are  found  in  the  river  here,  but  how  abun- 
dantly I  cannot  say.  They  have  never  been  caught  as  far  up  as  Baker^s 
Park — due,  probably,  to  the  falls  between  the  two  points. 

Traveling  dbwu   stream,   the  stream-bed  soon  widens  into  a  vexy 
pretty  valley,  bearing  the  name  of  Animas  Park.    It  extends  from  a 
point  near  Animas  City,  so  called,  down  the  river  about  fourteen  miles, 
Avith  a  maximum  width  of  two  miles.    The  total  area  may  be  estimated 
at  twenty  square  miles,  but  the  part  capable  of  cultivation  does  not 
amount  to  more  than  three  or  four  thousand  acres.    The  greater  por- 
tion of  this  can  be  irrigated  at  little  expense.    In  parsing  through  it  ire 
saw  corn,  wheat,  potatoes,  turnips,  and  watermelons  growing  finely, 
but  all  abandoned  on  account  of  Indian  troubles.    This  valley  is  veiy 
interesting  in  many  respects.    First  it  contains  almost  the  only  tillable 
land  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the  mines.    Its  distance  from  Baker's) 
Park  is  only  thirty-five  miles  by  the  trail.    It  is  probably  the  richest 
little  valley  in  the  Territory,  and  has  an  elevation  of  only  6,700  to  6,800 
leet.    It  faces  the  south,  and  consequently  is  very  warm,  while  at  the 
same  time  it  is  near  enough  to  the  mountains  to  get  the  benefit  of  their 
great  rain-fall.    Near  its  lower  end  good  coal  is  found  in  the  greatest 
abundance,  while  a  plentiful  supply  of  good  pine  timber  is  near  at  haod. 
Farther  down  the  river  the  country  becomes  a  plain,  almost  perfectly 
barren  of  vegetation.    After  passing  through  the  park,  we  made  sev- 
eral stations,  west  of  the  river,  on  low  hills.    On  station  45,  which  is 
not  represented  on  the  accompanying  map,  but  situated  just  a  little 
below  the  border,  we  found  some  old  ruins,  consisting  of  a  couple  of  watch- 
towers;  one  entirely  disintegrated,  leaving  only  a  hole  in  the  groand 
to  indicate  its  presence,  while  the  other  still  remained  about  four  feet 
high,  but  was  completely  overgrown  by  oak-bushes.    Some  white  and 
painted  pottery  lay  about.    This  point  is  a  wooded  hill,  east  of  the  Bio 
La  Plata.    The  day  after,  we  found  some  pottery  still  farther  north,  on 
station  46,  which  is  on  the  map.    After  this  we  followed  a  road  which 
had  been  used  by  the  former  settlers,  over  to  the  Florida,  and  made 


»HODA.J  GEOGRAPHY — ^AKT£LOP£   PAKE,  487 

BeTeral  stations  near  tbat  stream.  The  road  soon  ended,  and  we  fol- 
lowed its  continuation,  an  Indian  trail,  to  the  Piuos  River.  This  trail, 
l>y  an  oversight,  is  not  represented  on  the  map.  IMeavesthe  Animasabout 
lialf  a  mile  north  of  station  46,  and  thence  crosses  over  to  the  Florida, 
^ivhich  it  follows  up  for  several  miles,  then  strikes  across  to  the  Pinos, 
a^nd  crosses  that  stream  at  the  month  of  the  Vallecito;  crossing  thence 
over  the  next  ridge,  it  strikes  the  Ute  trail  from  Los  Pinos  agency.  It 
is  not  much  used,  and  is  m>i\»  queutly  qnite  ditUcnlt  to  ioUow.  There  is 
some  line  bottom-land  on  the  Florida,  capable  of  a  high  degree  of  cul- 
tivation, but  of  small  extent.  Near  the  junction  of  the  Vallecito  aiid 
Xfos  Piuos  is  another  small  area  of  splendid  land.  These  two  streams 
running  down  from  thequartzite  peaks,  carry  at  least  one-half  more  water 
than  any  other  streams  of  the  same  drainage  area  in  the  district. 

The  next  day  alter  passing  this  |>oiut,  October  2,  snow  began  to  fall, 
and,  camping  near  a  peak  on  which  we  had  to  make  a  station,  we  qui- 
etly waited  for  the  weather  to  clear  off.  By  a  remarkable  accident  we 
bad  halted  in  a  splendid  camping-place,  there  being  none  worthy  the 
name  for  miles  ahead  of  us,  as  we  afterward  found.  Snow  fell  continu- 
ously for  four  days,  and  we  found  sitting  in  camp  very  hard  work.  Ou 
acconnt  of  our  peculiarly  protected  position  the  snow  that  fell  near  our 
camp  melted  as  it  fell,  but  a  mile  up  stream  it  lay  two  feet  deep.  Had 
it  not  been  for  the  good  grass  and  shelter  here  offered,  our  worn-out 
mules  would  have  fared  badly.  A  thing  worthy  of  note  is  the  fact  that 
Tery  slight  thunder  and  lightning  continued  through  the  whole  of  this 
snow-storm.  Lieutenant  Wheeler  narrates  a  similar  experience  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  On  the  fourth  day  the  weather  cleared  off,  and 
we  succeeded  in  making  our  station,  though  on  the  summit  the  snow 
was  two  or  three  feet  deep,  which,  with  our  shoes  nearly  worn  out,  was 
very  disagreeable.  Returning  early  from  the  peak  we  moved  up  the 
ridge.  The  trail  being  entirely  hidden  by  the  snow,  we  had  to  give  it 
up,  and  after  a  very  difficalt  day's  march  we  succeeded  in  getting  out 
of  the  snow  only,  and  then  had  to  camp  in  swampy  ground,  making 
our  beds  on  pine  boughs,  which  we  cut  from  the  trees.  We  knew  now 
that  winter  had  commenced,  and  we  wanted  to  get  out  of  the  mount- 
ains as  fast  as  our  mules  could  carry  us.  The  next  day  we  crossed  the 
divide  at  the  head  of  Los  Pinos  lii ver,  by  way  of  the  Ute  trail.  The  pass 
by  this  route  was  good,  though  covered  with  snow.  In  the  summer  it 
must  be  very  easy  and  i>leasant.  We  felt  thankful  when  quite  late  in  the 
afternoon  we  reached  the  Kio  Grande  and  struck  camp  near  the  wagon- 
road.  The  next  day  we  traveled  down  the  road,  which  here  is  a  ver^- 
good  one,  to  Anteloi)e  Park,  which  we  found  to  be  quite  an  extensive 
piece  of  plain  country,  forming  here  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande,  an<l 
continued  below,  by  a  narrow  s?trip  of  low  land,  along  the  river.  The 
elevation  of  the  park  is  about  9,000  feet.  There  are  several  houses 
dotted  about  over  it  and  farms  laid  out,  although  the  elevation  is 
too  great  to  allow  much  grain  to  be  produced.  The  next  day,  Oc- 
tober 9,  we  ascended  Bristol  Head  and  made  station  54.  This  is  a 
very  curious  bald  mountsiin,  a  few  miles  east  of  Antelope  Park,  being 
the  southern  culminating  point  of  a  high  plateau.  To  the  east  it  slopes 
down  quite  gently,  but  on  the  west  side  it  falls  abruptly  nearly  4,000 
feet  to  the  bottom  of  a  very  curious  sink.  In  some  places  the  bluff  is 
quite  vertical  for  over  a  thousand  feet.  Beiug  comi>osed  of  trachyte, 
the  rock  breaks  off  along  vertical  planes  and  gives  to  the  precipice  the 
character  peculiar  to  volcanic  formations.  The  sink  already  mentioned 
is  a  little  valley  from  a  quarter  to  half  a  mile  broad,  bordered  on  the 
east  by  the  high  bluffs  of  Bristol  Head;  and,  ou  the  west,  by  a  ridge 


488       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

and  bliififs  reaching  seven  to  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  valley.  At 
the  lower  end  a  narrow  gate- way  lends  oat  to  the  Eio  Grande;  and,  at 
the  upper  end,  a  beautiful  lake  occupies  the  highest  part.  Just  above 
this,  Clear  Creek  cuts  through  the  ridge  on  the  west  side,  and  flows  oat 
through  Antelope  Park.  The  whole  mass  of  tliis  basin  has,  aDdoub^ 
edly,  fallen  in;  and,  at  one  time,  Antelope  Park  must  have  jutted  up 
against  the  side  of  the  mountain.  We  made  the  ascent  of  the  pe:jk 
from  the  sink,  riding  our  mules  the  whole  distance,  except  the  first  part 
of  the  climb,  from  the  sink  up  to  the  ridge.  On  the  summit  we  found 
the  snow  about  a  foot  and  a  half  deep.  A  large  be<ir  had  left  his  tracks 
all  over  it.  We  found  the  slope  to  the  east  quite  gradual  and  made  the 
descent  on  that  side  instead  df  going  down  the  way  we  came  up.  After 
camping  at  a  point  on  the  road  to  the  south  of  Bristol  Head,  we  moved 
down  the  Itio  Grande.  The  only  place  of  special  interest  on  the  way 
was  Wagon-Wheel  Gap,  where  the  river  passes  for  a  few  hundred  yards 
between  two  high  bluiis,  about  300  feet  apart.  This  point  has  evidently 
been,  in  times  past,  a  great  battle-ground  between  the  Utes  and  their 
enemies  of  the  plains,  the  Che^i^ennes,  Arapahoes,  &c.  Many  little 
heaps  of  rocks  on  the  south  blufl'  seem  to  have  done  service  as  rifle-pits. 
The  toll-gate  for  the  San  Juan  road  is  situated  near  this  place. 

We  arrived  at  Del  Norte  on  October  10.  The  town  contains  several 
hundred  inhabitants,  and  at  the  present  time  does  a  considerable  basi- 
ness  with  the  San  Juan  mines.  Leaving  Del  Norte  we  traveled  across 
San  Luis  Valley;  far  behind  us  we  could  see  a  new  but  apparently 
greater  storm  than  we  had  yet  passed  through  gathering  around  the 
distant  mountains.  Crossing  over  Mosca  Pass  and  down  Huerfano 
Park  we  reached  Pueblo  October  18.  The  next  morning  we  took  the 
cars  on  the  narrow-gauge  railway,  and  in  the  evening  arrived  at  Den- 
ver, our  point  of  beginning. 


METHODS   USED   IN    DETERMINING   THE   ELEVATION  OF 

POINTS  IN  THE  DISTRICT. 

All  the  elevations  given  in  this  report  depend  upon  readings  of  a 
mercurial  barometer.  Where  a  standard  barometer,  whose  elevation  is 
well  determined,  is  within  a  short  distance,  this  instrument  gives  a  very 
good  determination  of  elevation.  In  the  past  summer,  however,  it  was 
quite  impossible  to  establish  a  base  barometer  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
region  surveyed,  without  great  expense.  All  the  readings  had  to  be 
referred  to  distant  stations.  lieadings  on  high  peaks  were  referred  to 
the  Signal  Service  barometer  on  Pike's  Peak,  at  an  elevation  of  14,U7 
feet  above  the  sea,  while  readings  on  all  points  under  12,000  feet  were 
referred  to  the  barometer  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  at 
Fairplay,  whose  elevation  is  9,904.5  feet.  The  first  of  these  is  one  buu- 
dred  and  iittyMniles  distant  in  a  straight  line  from  the  central  part  of  tbe 
San  Juan  country,  while  the  second  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles 
distant.  These  distiiuces  are  too  great  to  give  accurate  results  with  the 
barometer.  At  several  points  in  the  region  we  succeeded  in  getting  two 
readings  at  the  same  point  at  intervals  of  several  days,  but  finding  tbat 
the  resultingheights,as  calculated  by  reference  to  those  distant  bases,  did 
not  agree  well  enough,  it  was  resolved  to  collect  together  all  the  data 
possible  from  the  field  notes,  and  see  if  a  fair  trigonometric  connection 
between  the  mountain-peaks  could  not  be  established.  The  result  was, 
under  the  circumstances,  highly  satisfactory.    It  must  be  remembered, 


BH0DA.1  METHODS   FOR   DETERMINING   ELEVATIONS.  489 

however,  that  these  observations  were  not  taken  with  the  object  in  view 
of  making  such  a  system  of  trigonometric  levels.  Moreover,  the  instra- 
ment  used  read  only  to  minutes  of  arc.  Supposing  an  error  of  a  min- 
ute in  a  reading,  which  is  not  at  all  uncommon,  the  resulting  error  in 
the  dift'erenee  of  level  of  two  peaks  from  a  single  observation  will  be 
15.3  feet  for  a  distance  of  ten  miles  and  23  feet  for  a  distance  of  fifteen 
mites.  If,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  the  error  be  more  than  one  minute, 
the  error  in  the  elevation  will  be  still  greater.  Another  large  and 
uncertain  element  in  the  problem  is  refraction,  which  in  the  high  mount- 
ains is  so  changeable  as  to  add  much  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  results. 
In  many  cases  the  observations  were  taken  during  storms,  and  often 
the  penks  were  sighted  through  breaks  in  the  clouds,  making  the  refrac- 
tion still  more  uncertain. 

From  each  station  anglesof  elevation ^or  depression  were  taken  to  the 
surrounding  peaks  and  especially  to  previous  stations.  Had  the  fore 
sights  and  back  sights  between  the  several  stations  been  simultaneous  the 
erior  of  the  refraction  correction  would  have  been  very  nearly  neutralized, 
but  these  two  sets  of  observations  were  never  taken  at  the  same  time,and 
in  only  one  case  on  the  same  day.  From  each  of  two  stations  I  always 
succeeded  in  finding  some  peaks  which  had  been  sighte<l  from  both. 
With  this  material  on  hand  the  distances  were  obtained  from  Mr!  Wilson's 
plot  of  his  secondary  triangulation,  which  will  not  probably  involve,  in 
any  case  used,  a  greater  error  than  five-hundredths  of  a  mile,  which  in- 
cludes the  error  due  to  shrinkage  of  paper,  as  these  distances  were  all 
hastily  taken  off  from  the  map  with  a  scale.  Having  then  the  horizontal 
distance  between  the  two  stations  and  the  angle  of  elevation  or  depres- 
sion from  one  to  the  other,  of  course  the  difference  of  level  can  be  deter- 
mined. But,  on  accoiui  t  of  the  errors  which  have  crept  into  these  angles 
from  the  causes  above  mentioned,  one  determination  of  the  differ- 
ence of  level  is  not  sufficient.  The  back  sight  is  then  calculated,  and 
brings  a  different  result.  For  a  still  finer  approximation,  wherever  ver- 
tical angles  had  been  taken  from  the  two  stations  to  the  same  point, 
the  height  of  that  above  and  below  each  station  was  calculated.  From 
this,  another  determination  of  the  difference  in  the  height  of  the  two 
stations  was  determined.  Then  the  height  of  another  uuvisited  point 
was  calculated,  and  so  on  for  all  the  near  points  sighted  from  both  sta- 
tions. Each  point  gives  one  determination  of  ihe  difference  of  the  two 
stations.  In  some  cases  it  will  be  found  that  one  result  is  far  out  from 
the  rest.  This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  sights  to  different  points, 
which  have  received,  by  mistake,  the  same  number  in  the  notes,  have 
been  used.  Such  cases  are  thrown  out,  and  a  mean  of  the  rest  assumed 
as  the  true  difference  of  level.  It  was  found  that,  on  account  of  errors 
of  refraction  and  imperfections  of  the  instrument,  sights  over  fifteen 
miles  in  length  could  npt  be  depended  on  at  all.  In  the  following  calca- 
lations  no  sights  of  that  length  were  used,  and  in  lact  very  few  over  ten 
miles  have  been  used. 

In  making  the  calculation,  the  following  formula  was  nsed,  taken  from 
Lee^M  tabl(:*s  * 

dh  =  0.00000485  K  A  ±  O.0O0OO0C67  K» 

In  which  dh  is  the  difference  of  level  of  the  two  points,  K  the  horizontal 
distance  in  yards,  and  A  the  number  of  seconds  in  the  vertical  angle 
nsed.  In  this  formula  are  contained  corrections  for  both  curvature  and 
refraction,  the  latter  element  being  assumed  equal  to  0.078  of  the  curv- 
ature. On  examining  the  notes  carefully  it  was  found  that  there  were 
sights  to  many  hundreds  of  diiterent  peaks,  and  it  became  a  difficult  prob- 
lem  to  utilize  all  this  material,  and  at  the  same  time  do  it  according  to  a  sys- 


490       GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 

tern.    After  a  number  of  experiments  on  different  methods  it  was  found 
that  to  bring  order  out  of  this  chaos,  it  was  necessary  to  take  up  each 
link  in  the  chain  separately,  and  use  all  the  dat4).  that  could  be  found 
pertaining  to  it,  and  determine  the  difference  of  level  of  these  two  sta- 
tions finally.     Next,  the  same  process  had  to  be  gone  through  with  the 
line  from  the  second  point  to  the  next  station  beyond,  and  so  ou.    In 
doing  this  it  was  found  that  some  of  these  lines  were  much  better  deter- 
mined than  the  others.    In  finally  reducing  tbese  differences  of  level 
to  a  commou  datum  point,  this  fact  might  multiply  the  errors  in  the 
work.    For  instance,  a  number  of  well-determined  differences  of  level 
might  be  transferred  through  a  poorly  determined  line,  thus  vitiating 
all  with  the  error  of  the  one.    In  order  to  obviate  this  the  following 
scheme  was  adopted:  A  central  chain  of  well-determined  lines  was  car- 
ried through  the  heart  of  the  mountain-mass  from  Mount  Wilson,  the 
most  westerly  of  the  high  peaks,  to  station  8,  five  miles  east  of  Uncompah- 
gre  Peak,  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  mass.    From  this  main  line  sev- 
eral secondary  branches  were  carried  wherever  the  short  lines  could  be 
well  determined.    This  system  covered  the  whole  mass  of  mountains. 
Other  stations,  which  could  not  be  well  enough  determined  independ- 
ently, were  connected  with  different  [)oints  in  the  main  lines.     In  the 
central  line  we  have  the  following  parts:  From  Mount  Wilson  testa- 
tion 30,  a  peak  east  of  it  and  distant  9.3  miles,  is  a  fall  of  383  feet,  which 
is  the  mean  of  five  determinations  having  a  range  of  32  feet;  thence 
east  to  Sultan  Mountain,  a  distance  of  6.88  miles,  with  a  fall  of  536  feet, 
the  mean  of  six  determinations,  range  23  feet ;  thence  northeast  to  sta- 
tion 16,  distant  6.60  miles,  a  rise  of  175  feet,  the  mean  of  nine  determi- 
nations, range  35  feet;  thence  northeast  to  Handle's  Peak«  7.51  miles, 
a  rise  of  456  feet,  the  mean  of  eight  determinations,  range  54  feet ;  thence 
north  to  Uncompahgre  Peak,  distant  11.14  miles,  a  rise' of  238  feet,  the 
mean  of  nine  determinations,  range  49  feet ;  thence  east  to  station  8, 
distant  4.92  mi^.es,  a  fall  of  1,380  feet,  the  mean  of  ten  determinations, 
range  67  feet.    This  completes  the  central  or  trunk  line,  whose  length 
is  46.35  miles.    From  Sultan  Mountain  a  branch  was  extended  eastward; 
from  this  peak  to  station  25,  distant  10.28  miles,  a  rise  of  209  feet.,  the 
mean  of  twelve  determinations,  range  67  ;  thence  to  Rio  Grande  Pyra- 
mid, distant  8.63  miles,  a  rise  of  197  feet,  the  mean  of  nineteen  determi- 
nations, range  95. 

From  station  25,  a  branch  extends  to  Mount  Oso,  distant  7.29  miles, 
a  rise  of  64  feet,  the  mean  of  seven  determinations,  range  37. 

From  station  30  a  secondary  branch  was  extended  south  and  west. 

Station  30  to  Engineer  Mountain,  distant  6.98  miles,  a  fall  of  926  feet^ 
the  mean  of  eight  determinations,  range  22 ;  thence  west  to  station  36, 
distant  6.76  miles,  a  fall  of  417  feet,  the  mean  of  eleven  determinations, 
range  51 ;  thence  to  station  37,  distant  3.65  miles,  a  rise  of  94  feet,  the 
mean  of  tive  determinations,  range  35. 

Another  important  sub-line  extends  from  Sultan  Mountain  to  the 
northwest.  The  first  link  in  the  chain  is  the  line  from  this  point  to 
station  28.  The  heights  of  stations  30  and  16,  above  Sultan  Mountain, 
having  been  already  well  determined  from  the  central  chain,  I  made  use 
of  all  the  connections  between  station  28  and  each  of  these  i>oints,  re- 
ducing all  of  them  to  a  common  point.  The  result  from  this  was  the 
following:  Sultan  Mountain  to  station  28,  distant  7.86  miles,  a  fjillof 
484  feet,  the  mean  of  eighteen  determinations,  range  76  feet;  thence  to 
station  i  9,  distant  3.77  miles,  a  rise  of  324  feet,  the  mean  of  eight  de- 
terminations, range  43  feet;  thence  to  Mount  Sneffels,  distant  5M 
miles,  a  rise  of  952  feet,  the  mean  of  six  determinations,  range  36  feet; 


XHODA.]  METHODS   FOB  DETERMINING  ELEVATIONS.  491 

tbeuce  to  station  34,  distant  G.G5  miles,  a  fall  of  1,161  feet,  the  mean  of 
five  determinations,  range  23  feet. 

This  completes  all  the  well-determined  chains.  Other  stations  on 
which  barometric  readings  had  been  taken,  were  connected  with  as 
many  points  in  the  main  lines  as  possible,  and  these  being  reduced  to  a 
common  point  a  mean  was  taken.  Such  points  are  the  following: 
Sultan  Mountain  to  station  10,  a  fall  of  223  feet,  the  mean  of  eleven 
determinations,  range  70  feet ;  IJneompahgre  Peak  to  station  5,  a  fall  of 
1,41>8  feet,  the  mean  of  ten  determinations,  range  85  feet.  ITncompah- 
gre  Peak  to  station  II,  a  fall  of  3,024  feet,  the  mean  of  eight  deter- 
minations, range  111  feet;  Sultan  Mountain  to  station  51,  a  fall  of  835 
feet,  the  mean  of  three  determinations,  range  75  feet ;  Sultan  Mountain 
to  station  48,  a  fall  of  1,001  feet,  the  mean  of  six  determinations,  range 
59  feet ;  Uandie's  Peak  to  station  13,  a  fall  of  1,175  feet,  mean  of  fore 
and  back  sights,  range  6  feet. 

Besides  these  there  are  two  which  depend  on  single  determinations : 
First,  from  Suit  in  Mountain  to  the  point  in  Baker's  Park  where  the  road 
crosses  Cement  (Jreek  in  Silverton,  distant  three  miles,  a  fall  of. 
3,961  feet.  Second,  from  Mount  Snefi'els  to  station  32,  which  is  obtained 
from  sights  to  a  common  point  between  them,  distant  from  Mount 
Snelfels  2.04  miles,  and  1'rom  station  32  3.75  miles,  the  fall  is  5,050  feet. 
This  difiTereuce  of  level  is  checked  by  sights  to  distant  points  to  the 
south  of  station  32.  Tljese  two  cases  are  admitted,  because  the  distances 
were  so  short  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  any  considerabl<^  error. 

From  all  these  results  a  table  was  made  out,  showing  the  heights  of 
each  station  above  or  below  a  common  datum-point.  Sultan  Mountain 
was  selected  as  the  datum  i)oint,  from  its  central  location,  and  also  from 
the  fact  that  it  was  sitnated  on  the  great  central  chain  of  levels  at  its 
junction  with  the  two  principal  sub-lines. 

A  second  column  was  added,  giving  the  height  of  each  station  as  deter- 
mined by  the  single  barometric  reading  laken  thereon.  A  third  column 
was  maile  out  from  the  first  two  by  adding  the  number  in  the  first 
column  to  the  one  in  the  second  when  preceded  by  the  minus  sign,  and 
by  subtracting  it  when  plus.  This  column  represents  the  elevations 
above  sea-level  of  Sultan  Mountain,  as  determined  irom  the  barometric 
readings  at  the  several  stations.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  twenty-three 
results  have  a  range  of  203  feet.  A  mean  of  all  these  was  assumed  as 
the  true  height  of  Sultan  Mountain,  and  by  reversing  the  previous 
process  and  adding  the  plus  diU'ereuces  of  height  in  the  first  column 
and  subtracting  the  minus,  a  fourth  column  was  obtained,  giving  the 
elevation  of  each  station  as  reduced,  from  the  mean  of  the  twenty-three 
readings.  A  fifth  coluinn  was  added,  giving  the  date  of  each  reading 
on  the  different  stations.  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  observa- 
tions extend  from  August  1  to  October  6,  more  than  two  months. 

By  examining  the  table  carefully,  it  will  be  seen  that  nearly  all  the 
earlier  readings  give  heights  above  the  mean,  and  the  later  below  it. 
Whether  this  is  merely  accidental  or  due  to  some  physical  law,  I  cannot 
tell.  It  will  be  seen  that  several  of  those  stations,  whose  height  relative 
to  the  rest  has  been  well  determined,  do  not  ai)pear  in  the  table.  This 
is  due  to  the  fact  that  at  those  stations,  either  from  storms  or  other 
causes,  we  failed  to  get  barometric  readings. 


492 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 


Name  of  station. 


►  2  rt 
0=0.2 

'a)  "fi  ?5 


Station  5 , 

Station  8 , 

Unconipabgre  Peak . . 

Station  10 

Station  11 

Station  13 

Handie's  Peak 

Station  16 

Rio  Grande  Pyramid 

Saltan  Mountain 

Silverton , 

Stationer 

Station  29 

Station  30 

Station  32 

Mount  Sneffels 

Station  34 

Mount  Wil8on 

Station  36 

Station  37 

Station  3H 

Station  48 

Station  51 


I  •  •  ■  •  ■  • 


Mean 


-629 
-511 
-I-H09 
-223 

-2,755 
-544 
-f631 
-f-175 
4-407 
0 

-3,961 
-777 
-160 
+531 

-4, 258 
+792 
—369 
+914 
-812 
-718 
-320 

—1,061 
—835 


43 

qj  ^  ■*» 

< 


12,770 
12,9(i0 
14,337 
13,0^2 
10,684 
12,895 
14,101 
13, 593 
13, 801 
13, 29H 

9, 377 
12, 491 
13, 120 
13, 927 

9,027 
14, 162 
12, 988 
14, 185 
12, 538 
12, 623 
13, 014 
12, 321 
12, 518 


*»  d 


o 


13,399 
13,471 
13,468 
13,  :«)5 
13,  4:J9 
13, 4:« 
13, 470 
13, 418 
13,394 
13, 298 
13, 338 
13, 268 
13,280 
13,396 
13,285 
13,370 
13, 357 
13, 271 
13,  :J50 
13,341 
13, 3:J4 
13, 382 
13,353 


13,3C>6 


12,737 
12,855 
14, 235 
13, 143 
10,611 
12, 822 
13,997 
13, 541 
13, 773 
13,:)66 

9, 405 
12,589 
13,206 
13, 8ir7 

9,108 
14,158 
12, 997 
14,280 
12,554 
12, 648 
13, 046 
12, 305 
12, 531 


1874. 

Aog.    1 

"       6 

"        8 

10 

12 

14 

15 

17 

22 

31 

31 

Sept.  3 

4 

6 

9 

10 

11 

13 

14 

15 

30 
Oct.     6 


« 
It 
ti 
(( 

u 
tl 

It 
u 


« 
It 
<t 
tt 
It 
(( 
•< 
<l 
if 


With  the  elevatioDs  of  these  stations  determined,  the  heights  of 
unvisited  points  were  obtained  by  applying  the  difference  of  level,  as 
obtained  from  the  vertical  angle,  to  the  height  of  the  station  from  which 
the  angle  was  taken.  As  most  of  the  unvisited  points  are  sighted  from 
many  stations,  we  have  for  each  a  number  of  determinations  of  which 
the  mean  is  taken.  Many  of  tbese  points  are  quite  as  well  determined 
as  some  of  the  stations. 

As  it  was  impossible  to  connect  all  the  peaks  with  the  scheme  of 
trigonometric  levels,  it  was  thought  best  to  give  the  heights  of  such  as 
nearly  as  it  could  be  obUiined  from  the  data  at  hand. 

All  these,  it  must  be  understood,  depend  on  a  single  reading  of  the 
mercurial  barometer,  not  of  the  small  aneroid.  The  latter  instrument 
was  found  to  be  worse  than  useless.  Only  one  height  depends  on  an 
aneroid  reading,  that  is  Bear  Creek  Pass,  but  as  here  we  had  two  differ- 
ent sets  of  readings  of  three  different  aneroids,  compared  each  morning 
with  the  mercurial  barometer,  I  thought  best  to  put  the  height  in  the 
list,  but  it  must  not  be  considered  as  very  accurate. 

In  the  following  table  are  given,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  the  heights  of 
all  the  peaks  in  the  San  Juan  country  above  13,000 feet,  l>eside8  stations 
and  other  points  of  interest.  Some  of  the  latitudes  and  longitudes  have 
been  calculated,  while  the  others  have  been  taken  from  Mr,  Wilson's 
plot  of  his  secondary  triangulation,  at  a  scale  of  two  miles  to  one  inch. 
Some  of  these  peaks  being  points  of  the  primary  triangulation,  their 
latitude  and  longitude  will  be  more  accurately  determined  when  that 
work  is  finished. 


BHOOA.] 


baker's  park  rectangle. 


493 


The  first  coloron  in  the  table  indicates  the  topographical  designation 
of  each  peak.  The  doable  numbers  indicate  un visited  stations.  For 
instance,  14 — 9  signifies  the  fourteenth  peak  sighted  from  station  9, 
which  .ever  afterward  bears  that  designation  unless  occupied  as  a  sta- 
tion. The  term  "Baker's  Park  rectangle''  signifies  the  projection  rect- 
angle included  between  latitude  37°  45'  and  38°  and  longitude  107o  30' 
and  1070  45',  in  which  Baker's  Park  is  situated.  On  the  map  the  name, 
by  a  sad  oversight,  was  omitted,  but  its  position  may  be  known  from 
the  fact  that  Howardville  and  Silverton  are  situated  within  it. 

The  absolute  heights  of  the  list  may  be  out  considerably,  but  the 
relative  heights  are  probably  very  near  the  truth.  Whenever  any  point 
in  the  system  is  well  connected  with  sea-level  either  by  a  long  series  of 
barometric  readings  or  by  a  line  of  levels,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to 
apply  the  trigonometric  differences  of  height  to  obtain  a  very  complete 
and  accurate  table  of  elevations.  It  is  proposed  to  make  next  summer 
a  connection  with  a  standard  barometer  at  Howardville. 

BaJcer^s  Fark  rectangle. 


Name  or  number  of  peak. 


Station  17 

8—17 

Snltan  Mountain 
Mount  Kendall.. 

10—16 

11—16 

8—16 

6—14 

Galena  Mountain 

Station  16 

13—14 

2—15 

Station  27 

12-9 

11—9 

Station  28 

17—14 

11—27 

Handle's  Peak... 

2—10 

Station  15 

1—10 

3—10 

Station  29 

3-8 

5—26 

8—5 

5—10... 

Station  10 

1—5 

12—10 

57—9 

13—10 

14—10 

21—1 

10—10 


Height  above 
the  sea. 


Latitude. 


12. 
13, 
13, 
13, 
13, 
13, 
13, 

1:^. 
13, 
13, 
13, 
13, 
12, 
13, 
13, 
12. 
13, 

13, 
13, 

13, 
13, 
13, 
13, 

13, 
13, 
13, 
13. 
13, 
13. 
13, 
13. 
13, 
13, 
13, 
13, 


897 
390 
366 
rfc'O 
300 
030 
400 
450 
290 
541 
4fc0 
360 
5^<9 
770 
830 
882 
390 
630 
997 
440 
675 
720 
770 
206 
480 
120 
200 
787 
143 
2.-V0 
4-20 
120 
490 
OHO 
970 
010 


o   '  // 

37  45  32 

37  46  00 

37  47  15 

37  47  22 

37  47  41 

37  47  45 

37  47  57 

37  48  2 

37  50  2 

37  51  30 

37  51  37 

37  51  54 

37  52  21 

37  53  27 

:«'  63  27 

37  54  7 

37  54  33 

37  54  39 

:^  54  50 

37  54  55 

37  56  42 

37  56  57 

37  57  2 

37  .57  24 

37  57  50 

37  58  12 

37  58  27 

37  59  30 

37  59  40 

37  59  47 

.38  00  12 


38 
:J8 
38 
3S 

38 


1 
1 
1 
3 
4 


Longitude. 


16 
17 
46 
42 
52 


o  /  // 

107  33  30 

107  36  8 

107  42  2 

107  36  51 

107  37  30 

107  38  20 

107  35  47 

107  32  32 

107  34  8 

107  37  10 

107  39  8 

107  35  48 

107  41  58 

107  31  49 

107  31  18 

107  41  10 

107  36  24 

107  44  52 

107  30  4 

107  37  6 

107  33  20 

107  32  3 

107  32  48 

107  41  58 

107  29  35 

107  41*11 

107  35  11 

107  44  48 

107  35  39 

107  30  20 

107  44  23 

107  37  5 

107  44  6 

107  43  49 

107  30  30 

107  31  52 


494 


GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY   OF   THE   TEEBITORIES. 


East  of  Baker^s  Park. 


Name  or  number  of  peak. 

Height  above 
tbesea. 

Latitude. 

LoD^tade. 

Station  20 •.....• 

19.,  050 
13, 274 
13,656 
13, 614 
13, 5;w 

13,815 
13, 747 
12, 822 
13,967 
14,004 
13, 780 
13,540 
13, 700 
13,600 
13, 620 
1.^,  520 
13,660 
10,611 
12, 737 
12,855 
13, 510 
14, 2:^ 
13, 670 
13,080 

o       /          // 

:rr  46  58 

37    47      7 
37    47    52 
:i7    48    54 
37    51    34 
37    51    58 
37    54    40 
37    55    27 
37    55    80 
37    56    36 
37    56    56 
37    57    17 
37    57    24 
37    57    52 
37    57    55 

37  58    28 
in    58    53 

38  1    34 
38      2    00 
38      3    16 
38      3    57 
38      4    21 
:J8      6    27 
38      7    21 

O            i         11 

107     19    36 

Mount  Caobv  ....  .«..•• ........ .... .... .... 

107     30    51 

8t4]ktion  18 

107    25    42 

10—18 

107    26    36 

8—1 

1«I7    %^    57 

12—1 

107     27    54 

10—13 '. 

107    28    42 

Station  13 

107    28    15 

Station  12 

107    25    21 

Ift— I 

107    25      6 

4—3 

107    23    42 

16—1 

107    25    00 

3—3    

107    22    30 

6—13 

107    25    10 

2—3 

107    21    21 

107    26    18 

17—1 

107    25    24 

107    17    36 

Station  5 

107     14    24 

107    22    18 

14—5 

107    29    38 

107    27    32 

24—1 

107    26    44 

107    27    18 

West  of  Baker^s  Park. 


9—31 

1—9 

32—9 

21—80 

20—30 

22-30 

23—30 

Station  30 

6—27 

4—27 

5—27 

Lizard's  Head 

Lizard's  Head,  base  of  column 

7—27 

Mount  Wilson 

1—35 

4—9 

8—27 

3—30 

2—30 

9—27 

10-27 

Station  32 

1—29 

14—30 

2-29 

12— :10 

Mount  Sneffels 

II— ;w 

Station  34 


13,120 
13, 740 
13,697 
13, 377 
13, 420 
13, 730 
13,180 
13,897 
13, 760 
13, 170 
13.400 
13, 160 
12, 8(58 
13, 400 
14, 2H0 
14, 195 
14,050 
13,650 
13, 690 
13, 4c?0 
13. 470 
13,550 
9.108 
13,590 
13. 810 
13, 750 
13, 730 
14.158 
13.500 
12,997 


o  /  " 

37  44  54 

37  45  27 

37  46  00 

37  46  6 

37  46  15 

37  46  47 

:}7  47  42 

37  48  2 

37  49  28 

37  49  33 

37  49  34 

37  50  13 

ditto. 

37  50  16 

37  50  2:J 

37  50  25 

37  51  40 

37  51  50 

37  52  27 

37  52  46 

37  53  27 

37  5:i  57 

37  57  12 

37  58  3S 

XJ  59  20 

37  59  26 
:?7  59  38 

38  0  17 
38  0  36 
38  1  54 


// 


107  51  51 

107  51  31 

107  49  23 

107  47  18 

107  46  58 

107  52  7 

107  52  54 

107  49  SI 

107  48  18 

107  46  6 

107  47  3 

107  56  51 

ditto. 

107  47  12 

107  59  18 

108  00  7 
107  58  54 
107  46  31 
107  48  22 
107  49  41 
107  45  7 

107  45  oa 

107  52  se 

107  47  W 

107  49  15 

107  47  58 

107  50  48 

107  47  21 

107  51  33 

107  54  23 


BHODA.] 


ELEVATTOKS. 


495 


Quartzite  Pedks^  south  of  Bdke^^^s  ParJc. 


Name  or  number  of  peak. 

Heij^ht  above 
the  sea. 

Latitude. 

Longitude. 

Station  48 ..-. 

12, 305 
13,650 
13,000 
13, 275 
13,110 
13,380 
13, 640 
13, 630 
13, 180 
13,800 
13,580 
14,054 
14, 054 
14, 033 
13,728 
13, 928 
13, 746 
13,  78:j 
13, 560 
13, 680 
13,1(K) 
13, 600 
13,580 
13.6rj0 
13, 700 
13,800 
13, 750 
13,730 
13, 831 
13, 800 
13,  J>40 
13,046 

o      /        // 

37    29    20 
37    34    55 
37    34    57 
37    35    12 
37    35    48 
37    35    52 
37    36    29 
37    36    31 
37    36    41 
37    36    48 
37    37      9 
lYT    37    21 
37    37    24 
37    37    43 
37    37    43 
37    38      2 
37    38    40 
37    38    49 
37    39    52 
37    39.  52 
37    39    54 
37    40    18 
;f7    40    19 
37    40    27 
.37    40    43 
37    40    52 
37    40    57 
37    41     12 
37    41    27 
!^7    41     42 
37    41     56 
37    41    59 

O           1         II 

107    35    56 

9—23 

107    28    42 

21—31 

107    40    18 

10—23 

107    29      6 

11—23 

107    30    18 

8—23 

107    29      2 

Monnt  Oflo  ...... 

107    29    25 

9—21 

107    34    24 

13_23 

107    27    25 

1—23 

107    34    44 

2—23 

107    32    59 

7—9 

107    35    21 

Mnnnt   iTJolnH..,,,,  ,,,».,  ,.r,,. t  ^ r 

107    :i7     12 

8—9 

107    35    32 

Pidseon'a  Peak ............................. 

107    :J8    16 
107    38    36 

10—^^1 

107    37    27 

11-21 

1—14 

5—23 

107    34    51 
107    32    14 
107    35    18 

1—38 

107    43    22 

5—14 

107    34    36 

107    32    42 

4—14 

107    34    00 

3—14 

107    a3    24 

12—14 

107    35    18 

9—14 

107    34    47 

16—14 

7—14 

107    35    22 
107    35    56 

8—14 

107    36    25 

4—17 

107    33    18 

Station  38 

107    41    20 

Southeast  of  Baker^s  Park. 


Station  51 

Station  22 

11—17 

10—17 

12—17 

Rio  Grande  Pyramid 

3—18 

9—17 

Station  24 

2—18 

7—17 

8—17 

14—14 


12,5.36 
13,020 
13, 090 
13, 200 
13, 170 
13, 773 
13, 220 
1.3,090 
12, 9i37 
13,210 
13, 310 
13,260 
13,430 


o  /  " 

37  29  52 

37  36  6 

37  39  38 

?7  40  38 

37  40  39 

37  40  50 

37  41  24 

37  41  20 

37  41  46 

37  41  55 

37  42  14 

37  42  16 

37  42  47 


O  I  II 

107  22  24 

107  23  48 

107  29  11 

107  29  40 

107  :jo  15 

107  23  21 

107  22  17 

107  29  57 

107  29  55 

107  21  56 

107  28  38 

107  29  29 

107  27  18 


496 


GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  TERRITORIES. 


MUcellaneous  elevations. 


Xame  or  namber  of  peak. 


Height  above 
tbeaea. 

Latttnde. 

1 
Lonfptade. 

1 

o 

/ 

It 

o 

/ 

ti 

13,  MO 

37 

58 

12 

107 

4 

3 

12, 670 

38 

7 

42 

107 

12 

35 

9,100 

38 

16 

48 

107 

9 

6 

12, 971 

37 

42 

4 

107 

48 

12 

12,554 

37 

42 

48 

107 

55 

37 

12, 648 

37 

41 

19 

107 

14 

11 

10,613 

37 

35 

12 

107 

49 

55 

10,580 

37 

25 

40 

107 

55 

42 

8,100 

37 

16 

45 

107 

49 

20 

8.300 

37 

11 

18 

107 

59 

24 

8,930 

37 

19 

35 

107 

42 

15 

12,800 

37 

47 

'15 

107 

3 

6 

9,700 

37 

50 

12 

107 

35 

42 

9,400 

37 

48 

48 

107 

39 

40 

12,540 

12,090 

10,460 

11,570 
11,098 
12,600 

' 

10, TOO 

""""•     ~ 

Station  2* 

Station  V 

Station  ?• 

Eugiueer  Mountain 

Staiiou  36 

Station  'S7 

SrationW 

Station  4-i» 

SUtion  44* 

Station  45** 

Station  47* 

Bristol  Hea<l* , 

Howanl  ville 

Silverton .• 

Lake  Fork  Pass* 

Cnnningham  Pass* 

Pass  east  of  Sultan  Monnt* 

Pass  west  of  SnUan  Monnt*  ... 
Pass  at  head  of  Mineral  Creek* 

Bear  Creek  Pass  (a) 

Weminuche  Puss* 


The  Atar  denotes  points  whose  hei<;hta  depend  ou  a  single  reading  of  mercurial  barometer, 
(a)  Height  determined  by  aneroid  barometer. 


NOTES  USEFUL  FOR  THE  LOCATION  OF   MINERS'  MONU- 
MENTS IN  BAKER'S  PARK. 

m 

Salt<an  Monntain  is  tbe  peak  at  the  south  end  of  Baker's  Park.  In 
the  following  notes  the  monument  built  by  this  party  on  the  southern 
knob  is  used  as  the  station.  Station  16  is  a  high  massive  )H$ak,  two 
miles  northwest  of  Howardville,  but  not  quite  visible  from  the  town ; 
it  may  be  seen  from  a  point  a  little  up  the  side  of  Galena  Mountain. 
On  the  summit  we  left  a  small  monument  of  stones.  The  latitude  of 
station  16  is  37o  51'  30".5,  and  its  longitude  107o  37'  9".8.  The  latitude 
of  Sultan  Mountain  is  37°  47'  16",  and  its  longitude  107^  42'  1".5 ;  at 
station  16,  Sultan  Mountain  bears  south  i2P  11'  west ;  at  Sultan  Monnt- 
ain, station  16  bears  north  42^  8'  east.  The  distance  between  the  two 
points  is  6.60  miles.  By  using  this  as  a  base  any  engineer  can  locate  ac 
curately  a  monument  at  any  point  visible  from  the  two  stations.  Silver- 
ton  and  the  whole  lower  end  of  the  park  are  visible  from  both  points, 
as  well  as  points  on  the  side  of  Galena  Mountain,  and  also  others  near 
Arustra  Gulch. 

Declination  of  magnetic  needle. 


Locality. 


Station  11 

Bio  GraDde  Pyramid 

Station  30 

Engineer  Mountain 

Station  32 

Station  34 

Mount  Wilson 

Station  36 s. 

Station  37 


Doclination. 


E.  150  i.v 

E.  12°  56' 

E.  8o  ny 

E.  13°  56' 

E.  15°  5^ 

E.  ICO  55/ 

E.  130    8' 

E.  16°  15' 

E.  140  23' 


Date. 


1874. 
Anguet  1) 
Anfjrnst  9i 
September  6 
September  7 
September  9 
September  11 
September  13 
September  14 
September  15 


GENERAL  INDEX. 


A. 

Pago. 

Alkali  lands 260 

AUnviam  of  Nebraska 256 

Amphitheatre  Mouotain 70 

Analyses  of  coal - 175,176,177 

Loess  deposits....' , 246 

Missouri  River  sediment 252 

soils  of  Nebraska 258,261 

Ancient  lake-basins  of  the  West *.....  47 

ruins  in  Southwestern  Colorado 369 

Andrew,Prof.  E.  B 279 

Animas  Caflon 486 

City 486 

Forks 229 

Park 219,476,486 

River 206,369 

fall  of,  from  divide  to  lower  end  of  Animas  Park 446 

Antelope  Patk 199 

Anthracite  coal 67,176,177 

Creek 98,99,138,176 

Arastra  Gulch 230,466 

ArchsBan  rocks  of  Eagle  River 106 

Grand  River 107 

Gunnison  River ,...  107 

Arkansas  marls 52 

River 47,48 

morainal  deposits 47 

Ascent  of  Mount  Snefifels 479 

Aspen  Creek 66,69 

Angbey,  Samuel,  Ph.  D.,  report  on  superficial  deposits  of  Nebraska 243 

Avalanche  Creek 62 

Aztec  Springs 377 

ruins 378 

B. 

Bad  lands  of  Nebraska 261 

Baker's  Park 206,230,464 

rectangle 493 

Basalt. 163,198 

Basaltic  areas 178 

Bear  Creek 206,217,477 

Pass 477 

River  group 144,145,154 

Bellevue  Mountain 419 

Big  Casino  lode 2:^6 

Bitter  Creek  series 145 

Black  Butte 291 

Blue  Creek 97 

River 65 

Bluff  country 193 

Bradley,  F.  H 111,112 

Breccia •••• 156 

trachytic 200 

Bridger  group 140,149,156 

Bristol  Head 206,469 

497 


498  INDEX. 

c. 

Calciferons  rocks Ill 

of  Eagle  River 113 

Grand  Kiver 113 

Canadian  period Ill 

Ca&un  of  Eagle  River 81 

Grand,  of  Gannison 97,425 

Unaweep 94,104 

Capitol  Peak 55,ti6,417 

Carboniferous  age 114 

beds  and  strata (>l,66, 81.214 

coal-measures 117,281 

fossil  flora 27d 

group 42 

rocks  of  Eagle  River 114 

Grand  River 116 

sections 115,116 

Caclcade  Creek 215 

Castle  Peak 66,418 

Catalogue  of  minerals 178 

rocks fc 179 

Oanseof  peculiarities  of  Loess  deposits  in  Nebraska 248 

CeboUa  Creek 97 

Cedar  Creek 103 

Cenozoio  formations 140 

Chittendon,  George  B 5 

Cinnamon  Mountain 419 

Clifl-houses  at  Rattlesnake  Bend 373 

in  Mancos  Caiion 371,373 

Coal 67,99.139,175 

analyses  of 175,176,177 

table  of  comparison 177 

anthracite 67,176,177 

beds,  Cretaceous 226 

Creek 99 

measures,  Carboniferous 117,5281 

Cochetopa  Creek ^         94 

Colorado  group 45 

range ,      37,45 

geology  of 41 

Springs,  geology  of 41 

Comparisons  of  aneroids  with  mercurial  barometer 447 

Comstockiode ,. 234 

Prof.Theo 111,124 

Cope,E.  D 13,16,145,150 

on  the  Lignitic  group 153 

Monument  Creek  group 37 

Triassic  in  New  Mexico 42 

Creek,  Anthracite 96,99 

Aspen 66,69 

Avalanche 62 

Bear 217 

Blue 97 

Cascade 215 

Castle 57,60 

Cebolla 97 

Cedar 103 

Clear 58 

Coal 99 

Cochetopa 94 

Frying  Pan 87 

Godwin 204 

Junction • 221 

Kahnah 105 

Lake 48 

Lime 210 

Maroon 57,60 

McElmo 378 

Mesa 91 


. 


INDEX.  499 

Page. 

Creek,  Mineral 217 

Moantain 97 

North  Mam 89,90 

Oh-be-joyfal - 176 

Ohio 94,95 

Pine 22 

Piney 81 

Plateau 89,91,421,423 

Roche  Montonn^e 80,  HI,  83 

Eock 59,61,63,65,69,68 

Roubideau's 104 

Sopris 60 

Teocalli : 70 

Vallecito 216 

White  Earth 202 

Cretaceous  beds 55,57,60,61,64,65,69,86,87,89,90,97 

division  of 128 

flora 284 

of  Greenland 321 

North  America .-. 316 

^onp  ...^ 45,128 

m  New  Mexico 129 

Lower i-.  128 

Middle... 135 

No.  1  (see  Dakota  group.) 

No.  2 135,224 

No.  3 135 

No.  4 : 137,139 

No.  5    137,139 

Cunningham  Gulch 229 

D. 

Dakota  group 45, 64, 67, 69, 82, 87, 88, 96, 97, 101, 105, 128, 284, 292, 316, 321 

evidence  of  age  of 128 

fossils  of 128 

in  Arizona 134 

of  Eagle  River 129 

Grand  River 130 

Gunnison  River 130 

sections  of 131,132,133,134 

Daly,  Mount 66,418 

Dawson,  G.M 152,286,287 

J.W 287 

Declination  of  the  magnetic  needle 49t^ 

Description  and  enumeration  of  Cretaceous  plants 333. 

Devonian  age 114 

fossil  flora 277 

strata 115,211 

Dikes 55,99,100 

Discussion  of  use  of  aneroids 447 

Distribution  of  vegetation 428 

District  assigned  middle  division 415 

Divide  between  Grand  and  Gunnison  Rivers 92 

Dolores  River 206,215,370 

Dolerite 198 

DrlTb  of  Nebraska 243 

E. 

Eagle  River 79,  «1, 84, 161, 171, 421, 433 

Archaean  rocks  of 110 

Calciferous  rocks  of 113 

Carboniferous  rocks  of 114 

Dakotagronp  on 129 

Jurassic  rocks  of >. 124 

Middle  Cretaceous  of 135 

Permian  rocks  of 118 

Primordial  rocks  of 110 

rate  of  fall  of 433 


500  INDEX. 

Page. 

Eagle  River,  Triassic  rocks  of 122 

East  River 95 

Ecooomical  geology -        175 

Electrical  phenomeua 466 

Elevations 429,492,494,495,496 

of  junctions  of  streams 433 

monntains 441 

parks,  valleys,  &c 442 

passes  and  divides 443 

on  White  River  plateaa /42 

revision  of,  in  Elk  Moantaip 430 

Sa watch  range 429 

Elk  Mountain  range. ..^ 54,64 

geology  of 54,58 

northwestern  portion 59 

Mountains 92,100,416 

elevations  of .-  4:M) 

revision  of  elevations  in 430 

Endlich,  F.  M.,  S.  N.  D 103,114,124,139,152 

letter  to  Dr.  Hayden 183 

report  of 181 

Engineer  Mountain 207,217 

Erosion 161 

Eruptive  rocks - 163 

Excelsior  lode ....^ 235 

F. 

Fault-fold  of  Elk  range 68 

Florida,  Rio 224 

Fort  Benton  group 135 

Pierre  group 137 

Union  group 23, 141 

Fossil  flora  of  Carboniferous 278 

Cretaceous 284 

Devonian 277 

Jurassic 283 

Triassic 283 

plauts  of  Liignitic  group 32 

Silurian  group 276 

Fossils  of  Permo-Carboniferous 118 

Fox  Hills  group •. 35,45,137,139 

Fremont,  Capt.  J.  C 415,416 

Front  range 37,45,436 

Fruit  on  the  Loess  deposits 249 

Frying  Pan  Creek 87 

Fuel  fiom  surface-deposits  of  Nebraska 262 

G. 

Oallieteo  sand  group 150 

Gannett,  Henry,  M.  E.,  geographical  report  of 413. 

Garden  of  the  Gods t 43 

Gauging  of  streams 440 

GeographicaL  report  of  Henry  Gannett 413 

Geography. ..« 411 

of  middle  district,  etc 416 

Geology  of  district  drained  by  Rock  Creek 63 

eastern  base  of  Colorado  range 40 

Pleasant  Park 41 

Sopris  Peak  and  vicinity 61 

Gilbert,  G.K 162 

Gill,  Theo.,  letter  to  A.  C.  Peale ..' 153 

Glacial  action *. .,.49,161,192 

Godwin  Creek 204 

rate  of  fall  of. 447 

Gold 175 

Golden  City 33 

Gothic  Mountain 55,419 

Grand  River 57,85,93,101,172,421,437 


INDEX.  601 

r 

Grand  River,  Arcbsban  rocks  of 107 

Calciferous  rocks  of 113 

CarboDiferous  rocks  of 116 

Dakota  group  of 130 

Jurassic  rocks  of 125 

Middle  Cretaceous  of 135 

Pernjian  rocks  of l^O* 

Primordial  rocks  of Ill 

rate  of  fall  of 432 

Granite 66,68 

of  quartzites Ib9 

town  of 51 

Great  Amphitheatre 206 

Plateau 420 

Green  Mountain  lode 2i}4 

River  group 140.147,156,159 

Gunnison  cattle-camp ^ ^ 95 

Cafion 97,425^ 

Capt.  J.  W 415 

City 95,435 

River 94,161 

Aroba>an  rocks  of 107 

Dakota  group  of 130 

Jurassic  rocks  of 126 

Lake  Fork  of 94 

Middle  Cretaceous  of 135 

North  Fork  of .- 93,94,98,101,427 

rate  of  fall  of 433 

Smith's  Fork  of 94,97 

Valley 42a 

Gypsiferous  beds  on  Eagle  River 83, 119 

Grand  River 120 

Gypsum 178 

II. 

Hall,  Prof.  James .• 276,278 

Handle's  Peak 190,204,460 

Haydeu,  F.  V 100,117,121,126,145,150,178,285 

letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 1 

on  Jurassic 124 

Potsdam  sandstone Ill 

report  of 19 

Highland  Mary  lode 23:J 

Higlev's  mine 34,38 

Holmes,  W.H 7,48,100,126,178 

report  of 59 

Holy  Cross  Mountain 54,55 

Hopkins  mine 33 

Hoven weep  Valley,  ruins  in 381 

Howardville 465 

I. 

logersoll,  Ernest,  letter  to  Dr.  Hayden 385 

report  of 383 

Inscriptions  near  cliff-houses 375 

Introduction  to  report  of  A.  C.  Peale *  77 

T.  M.  Endlioh 185 

Intrnsfon  of  volcanic  rocks 219 

Italian  Peak 418 

J. 

Jackson,  W.  H 11 

on  ancient  ruins  in  Southwestern  Colorado 360 

report  of 367 

Junction  Creek 221 

Jurassic  flora 283 

group 44,124 

in  Elk  Mountains 57 

rocks 60,70,97,105 

sections  of 61,125.126,127 


502  INDEX. 

E. 


Kaboab  Creek 

King,  Clarence,  map  referred  to, 


L. 

Lacustrine  deposits  of  Nebraska,  origin  of ^30 

Mollusksin 266 

Ladd,  S.  B.,  M.  E.,  report  of 435 

Lake  Creek 4^ 

Fork  of  Gannison  Biver M 

rate  of  fall  of 447 

Lower  Twin 49 

San  Cristoval 203,455 

San  Miguel 228,477 

La  Plata  group 208 

Latitudes 432 

Lead ^ 175 

Leidy,  Prof.  Jos 21,24,140 

Length  of  Loess  age  in  Nebraska 253 

Lesquereux,  Leo 15,21,118,128,140 

LesquereuZ|  Leo,  letter  to  Dr.  Hayden 273 

on  fossils  from  Carboniferous  strata  from  Ca&on  City 42 

reportof 271 

Letter  of  A.  C.  Peale  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 75 

Ernest  IngersoU  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 385 

F.  V.  Hayden  to  Secretary  of  the  Interior 1 

Henry  Gannett  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 413 

Leo  Lesquereux  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 273 

8.  B.  Ladd  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 4:55 

W.  H.Holmes  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 69 

Life  of  Loess  age  in  Nebraska 254 

Lignitic  group 20,24,26,29,30,33,34,44,140,152,275,289 

at  Canon  City 28 

conclusions  in  regard  to • 35,155 

fossils  of '. 32 

history  of 19 

sections  of 30,31,33,34 

Lime  Creek - 210 

List  of  authorities  on  Mollusca 407 

localities  of  Mollusca 386 

Little  Giant  lode 235 

Lizard's  Head 207, 476, 483, 4» 

Lode,  Big  Casino 236 

Comstock 234 

Excelsior 235 

Green  Mountain .• 234 

Highland  Mary 233 

Little  Giant 235 

Ouray 236 

Pelican 236 

Pride  of  the  West 234 

Prospector 236 

Robert  Bruce 234 

Yreteva 2M 

Lodes,  age  of 237 

occurrence  of 232 

origin  of '      238 

Loess  age,  length  of 253 

life  of 254 

deposits  of  Nebraska 245 

analyses  of 236 

causes  of  peculiarities 243 

fruit  on 249 

scenery  of 250 

Longitudes 432 

Los  Pinofl  Indian  agency 95 

Rio 446 

Lower  Cretaceous 128 

Twin  Lake 49 


1 


INDEX.  503 

M. 

Page. 

Mallett,  Professor 67 

analysis  by 177 

MancosCa&OD,  cliff-houses  in 373 

ruins  in 370,373 

tower  in 374 

Rio^elos 369 

Manitou •. 44 

Marcellina  Mountain 99,166,420 

Marcou,  Jules 124,127 

Maroon  Mountain 66,418 

Mai-vine,  A.R 1,83,83,87,107,111,114,120,124,139,152 

McElmo  Creek 378 

Means  of  communication  between  Denver  and  San  Juan  country 443 

Medicine  Bow  Mountains 436 

Meek  and  Bannister 285 

Meek  and  Uayden 117 

Meek,F.B 15,139,145,152,212,279 

on  Silurian  strata  of  Canon  City 41 

Mesa  Creek -...  91 

Verde 369,370,378 

Mesozoio  formations 121 

Metamorphic  area 187 

rocks 106 

Methods  used  in  determining  elevations  of  points  in  San  Juan  district 488 

Middle  Cretaceous 135 

sections  of 136 

Middle  Park 85 

Mine,  Higley^s 34 

Hopkms 33 

Mineral  Creek 217 

Point 233 

Mines,  San  Juan 229 

Mollusca,  list  of  authorities  on 407 

special  report  on 388 

MoUusksin  Lacustrine  deposits 266 

Monument  Creek  group 36,37,150 

Moraines 49,51,52,53 

Mount  Daly 66,418 

Italia 55 

Lincoln 48 

Marcellina , 99,166,420 

Oso 188 

Sneffels 205,479 

ascent  of 479 

Wilson 207 

Mountain,  Amphitheatre 170 

Bellevue 419 

Cinnamon 419 

Creek 97 

country 193 

Engineer 207,217 

Gothic 55,419 

Holy  Cross 54,55 

Maroon 66,418 

Snow  Mass 55,66,418 

Sultan 217 

Teocalli 70,419 

Treasury 65,419 

West  Elk 65 

White  Bock 55,66,70,419 

Mountains,  Elk 54,59,92,100 

Medicine  Bow 436 

San  Juan 452 

N. 

Nebraska  alkali  lands 260 

badlands 261 

sand-hills 259 


504  INDEX. 


Nebraska,  snperflcial  deposits  of 243 

water-resoarces  of 863 

Newberry,  Dr.  J.  S 14,21,24,122,152 

on  Cretaceous  of  New  Mexico - 129 

Dakota  group  of  Arizona 1^ 

Jurassic 127 

Potsdam  saudstone  of  Colorado  River Ill 

White  River  group 25 

Niobrara  division  of  Cretaceous 135 

Notes  useful  for  location  of  miners'  monuments  in  Baker's  Park 496 

Nortli  Fork  of  Gunnison  River 9o  98,101 

Main  Creek '   8i>.90 

Park 436 

O. 

Oh-be-joyful  Creek 176 

Ohio  Creek 94,95 

Origin  of  Lacustrine  deposits  in  Nebraska 250 

Oso,  Mount 1«« 

Ouray  lode 236 

P. 

Painted  Desert  of  Arissona 127 

Paleontology  271 

Paleozoic  tormations .      110 

rocks 61,63,70 

Park,  Animas 219,486 

Antelope 199 

Baker's 206,230,464 

Cone 419 

Middle 85 

North 436 

Range 48,436 

Pass,  Bear  Creek 471 

Tennessee 47,52 

Passes,  elevation  of 442 

to  Baker's  Park 465 

Peale,  A.  C 00 

on  Carboniferous  strata  of  Eagle  River 42 

letter  of,  to  Dr.  F.  V.  Hayden 75 

report  of 73 

on  thickness  of  Red  beds  in  Pleasant  Park 4^ 

Peak,  Capitol 55,66,417 

Castle ^ 66,418 

Handle's 190,204,460 

Italia 418 

Pyramid 418 

Sopris 55.66,417 

Uncompahgre 204,452,453 

Pelican  lode 236 

Permian  fossil  flora * 281 

strata 80,117 

section  of 119 

Permo-Carboniforous  strata 117,118,119,120 

fossils  of 118 

Pine  Creek 52 

Piney  Creek 81 

Plateau  Creek 89,421,423 

country 193 

Plateauf*,  elevations  of 433 

Platteville 33 

Pleasant  Park 43,44 

geology  of 41 

Point  of  Rocks 155,285,287 

fossil  plants 286,289 

description  of 296 

Porpbyritic  trachytes 163,165 

Post-Tertiary  formations 161 


IKDEX.  505 

Page. 

Potsdam  group 80,110 

of  Eagle  River HI 

Grand  River Ill 

Previoas  explrratioDs  of  middle  district 415 

Pride  of  the  West  lode 234 

Primordial  period , 110 

Prospector  lode 236 

Pront,H.  G. 416 

Psendomorphs  after  salt 212 

Pyramid  Peak 418 

Rio  Grande 198,200,470 

Q. 

Qaartzite  monntains -. 187,473 

Qaebec  group 111,112 

B. 

Kaiige,  Elk  Mountain 54,58 

Front 37,45,436 

Park 48,436 

Sawatch 48,54 

Wasatch 47 

Rattlesnake  Bend 374 

cliff-house  at.... .' 375 

Red  beds 42,57,86,97 

age  of 121 

stratum 197 

Boportof  A.  C.  Ptale 73 

A.  D.  Wilson 443 

Ernest  IngersoU - 383 

F.  M.  Endlich,  S.  N.  D 181 

conclusion  of  ....^ 239 

Franklin  Rhoda 451 

F.  V.  Hayden 19 

Henry  Gannett 413 

Leo  Lesquerenx 271 

Samuel  Aughey,  Ph.  D 241 

8.  B.  Ladd 435 

W.H.Holmes 59 

W.  H.  Jackson 1 367 

on  northwestern  portion  of  Elk  Mountains 59 

natural  history 385 

Reports  of  Henry  Gannett,  S.  B.  Ladd,  and  A.  D.  Wilson 411 

Review  of  Cretaceous  flora  of  North  America 316 

Rio  Animas 206,369 

rate  of  fall  of 446 

delosMancos 369 

Dolores 206,:«'O 

Florida ' 224 

Grande  del  Norte 198,370 

rate  of  fall  of 446 

Pyramid : 198,200,470 

La  Plata 369 

Los  Pinos,  rate  of  fall  of 446 

San  Juan 369 

Miguel 206,216 

River,  Blue m , 85 

Dolores 7 :...206,315,370 

Eagle 81,84,421 

East  .  .  95 

Grand  .".".V.V.V.V.V.V.V-V.V.V.V.V. !"."!!!  I  HI ."!  Ill ."."".  I .".'.".' ." ." ."  .'57,'85.'93, 421, 437 

Gunnison 94,424 

North  Fork  of 93,98 

Mancos 369 

Slate 94 

Uncompahgre 94,103 

White 437 

Yampah 437 

Roads 428 


506  INDEX. 


Roads  SDd  trails 4^ 

Eoaring  Fork 56,66,86,88,422 

rate  of  fall  of 433 

synclinal 59 

Robert  Bmeelode «....         234 

Roche  Moatonn^e  Creek 60,81,83 

Roches  Montonn^es 161,192,230 

Rock  Creek 59,61.63,65,69 

Rogers,  Prof.  H.  D 2el 

Roubideaa's  Creek 104 

Ruflfner,  Lient.  E.  H 98.99,416 

Rains  at  Aztec  Springs 3/# 

in  Mancos  Ca&on 373 

on  the  Hovenweep 381 

McElmo 378 

Rhoda,  Franklin,  report  of 451 

Rhyolite 197,204,206 

S. 

Salt  Mountains 103 

San  Cristoval  Lake 203,455 

San  Juan  City 199 

mines 229 

Mountains 452 

River 369 

San  Mignel  Lake 223 

River 206,215,477 

rate  of  fall  of 446 

section  on 227 

Sand-hills  of  Nebraska 259 

Sawatch  range 49,54 

revision  of  elevations  of 429 

Scenery  of  Loess  age  in  Nebraska 250 

Schimper,  Professor 279 

Sedimentary  area  of  San  Juan  district 210 

Settlements >. 428 

Shumard,  Ur.  G.  D 117 

Sierra  La  Plata..-. 369 

LaSal 103 

San  Juan 309 

Silurian  age 110 

formation 210 

fossil  flora 276 

strata  in  Eastern  Colorado 41 

Elk  Mountains 57,69 

of  Eagle  River 113 

section  of - 113 

tables  of  comparison  of 112,114 

Silver 175 

Silverton 465 

Slate  River 94 

Smith's  Fork  of  Gunnison  River 94,97 

Sneffels,  Mount 205,479 

ascent  of 479 

Snow  Mass  group 65,^ 

Mountain 55.66.418 

SoprisPeak 55,66,41 

geology  of 61 

Special  report  on  Mollnsca 389 

Strata,  sections  of,  30. 31, 33, 34, 38, 102, 113, 115, 116. 118, 119, 122, 125. 126, 127, 130, 131. 

132, 133, 134, 130, 137, 138, 156, 169.227 

Saltan  Mountain 207,217 

Superficial  deposi  ts  of  Nebraska 24:1 

fuel  from *, 268 

Swallow  and  Hawn  on  Permian  strata 117 

T. 

Table  of  analyses  of  coal 177 

Bear  River  group 144 

Bitter  Creek  series 145 


INDEX.  507 

Page. 

Table  of  Bridijer  group 149 

Fort  Uniou  group 141 

Green  River  group 147 

relations  of  fossil  plants  of  Point  of  Rocks 286 

subdivisions  of  Tertiary  of  Europe 284 

Wasatch  group 147 

White  River  group 150 

Wind  River  group 148 

Tables  of  Tertiary  strata 23,151 

Tennessee  Pass 46,47,52 

Teocalli  Creek 70 

Mountain 70,419 

Terraces 161 

Tertiary  flora  of  North  American  Lignitic  as  evidence  of  the  age  of  the  formation  275 

fossil  plants,  new  species  of,  described 308 

strata 140,156 

tables  of 23,151 

Timber  in  modern  geological  times * 265 

Topography  and  geography 411 

Topographical  report  of  S.  B.  Ladd 4'\^ 

San  Juan  country 451 

Tonsland 33 

Tracborheites 163,168 

Trachytes 163 

classification  of 195 

Trails 428 

Treasury  Mountain 65,459 

Triassic  flora 283 

group • 42 

strata 70,97,105,121 

of  Eagle  River 122 

Grand  River 123 

Gunnison  River 123 

sections  of 122 

U. 

Unaweep  Gafion 94, 104 

UncompahgrePeak 204,452,453 

River 94,103 

rate  of  fall  of 446 

Valley 424,453 

Upper  Cretaceous 137 

sections  of 137,138 

V. 

Vallecito  Creek 216 

rate  of  fall  of 446 

Vegetable  organisms  of  uncertain  affinity 363 

Vegetation,  distribution  of 428 

Volcanic  area,  San  Juan  district 193 

rocks 219 

W. 

Wagon  Wheel  Gap 199 

Wasatch  group 147,158 

range 45 

Washakie  group X46 

Water-resources  of  Nebraska 263 

West  Elk  group 65 

West,  H.  T,  appendix  to  chapter  2,  report  of  F.  V.  Hayden 38 

White  Earth  Creek 202 

River 4:j7 

barometric  base 436 

group 24,25,150 

fossils  of 25 

plateau 437 

Rock  Mountain 55,66,70,419 


508  INDEX. 

Paft 

Wilson,  A.  D..  report  of 443 

Mount 207,4S3,4?S 

Wind  River  groap 148 

Y. 

Tampab  River 437 

Yretevalode 234 

Z. 
Zoology 3S3 


INDEX  OF  SYSTEMATIC  NAMES. 


Page. 

Abietitcs  ErnestiDSB 334 

AceracetB 359 

AceresB >, 332 

Adiantites 278 

Aescnlns  antiquas 289 

Affriocbanis 25 

Alethopteris 280 

Alnites  nniequilateralis 307 

Aluns  KeforsteiDii 293 

AmeDtaceso 339 

Ammonites • ' 29,35,56 

lobatos 30 

pericariDatus 129,134 

AmnicoliDie 390 

Ampelideo) 352 

Ampelophyllnm 354 

attennatam 354 

ovatam 355 

Ancbitberinm 23,25 

AncylinsB 405 

ADcylas  parallelns 405 

Andromeda  afflnis 348 

parlatorii 348 

Anisopbyllnm  semi-alatnm 363 

Annularia 276 

Anomia 34 

AqnifoliacefiB 359 

Aralia 138 

concreta,. 349 

qQinqnepartita 349 

oaportanea 350 

Towneri 349 

tripartita 348 

Arcbeopteris ; 278 

Aristolocbites  dentata 347 

Arteropbyllites  gracilis 279 

Artiodactyle 37,160 

Arundoobtasa 311 

reperta 311 

Asapbos 112 

AsarineiB 347 

Aspidiopbyllnm  trilobatam 301 

Atbyria ; 213 

Bubtilita 216 

Avicnla 115 

lingnaformis 137 

Avicniopecten 115 

Baculites 29,35,56 

ovatna 30 

Bakevellia 115 

Batbynrus 112 

Belleropbon 213 

Betala  beatrloiana ?...  339 

Vogdeeii 312 

Btcornea 348 

Calamites 42 

gigae 118 

Suckovii 118 

509 


510  INDEX   OF   SYSTEMATIC    NAMES. 

Canis 23,25 

Oardiocarpon  Soathwellii 279 

Cardiom  speciosum 35 

Carpinas  p^andis 313 

Carpitesvibarni 308 

Carpolithes 279,289.364 

Castanea  intermedia 313 

Caator 23.25 

Ohioensis • 263 

Canlinites  spinoea ,..» 361 

Celastrophyllum  ensifolium 'SjQ 

Cervas 25 

Chseropotamas 23 

Cinnamomam  Miasissipiense 291 

Cissites 352 

acuminatus 353 

affinis 352 

cyclophylla 353 

HarkerianoB 352 

Heerii 353 

obtasuin 354 

Cissas  parottiffifolia 314 

Clathropteris  134 

Colamniferesd 332 

Compsemys 23 

CoDchifura 406 

Conifers 334 

Conocoryphe 112 

Corbicala 22,23 

CorbicuiadsQ 406 

Cordai tea  principalis 42 

Crinoids 114,211 

Crocodilas 23,158 

Capalivierae i 340 

CycadeaB 283,334 

Cyclopteris 134.273 

Daphnogene  cretacea 343 

Heerii 343 

Dictionema  flabelliforme 276 

Dimyaria *. 406 

Diospyros  ambigna 348 

brachysepala 306 

f  ficoidea 314 

rotuudifolia 348 

Discorea  f  cretacea 338 

Discoreas 338 

Dombeyopsis  obtusa 32 

Dryophy Hum  oi*enatam 301 

(Quel ens)  latifolium 340 

primordiale 340 

saMcifolium 340 

subfalcatnm 340 

Elephas , 25 

Americanos 251 

Embothrites  daphneoides., ^ 347 

Emys 23,25,158 

EBtelodon....- 25 

Equihetnm 216 

Equus 23,25 

Eremophyllum  fimbriatum 363 

Euomphalus 112,213 

Fagus  polyclada 341 

Felis 23 

Ferrea  stern bergii 139 

Fious  asarifolia 303 

dalmatica 303 

distorta 342 

Halliana 341 

irregularis 304 


INDEX   OF   SYSTEMATIC   NAMES.  511 

Page. 

Ficus  laurophyllam 342 

ovalis r 313 

plaDicostatu 291,304 

pseudo-popalus 313 

tillffifolia 32,291,304 

Wjomiogiaua 314 

Fillices 333 

Flabellaria?  minima 338 

Frangulacesd 360 

Fucus  lignitum 296 

Gamopetalesa 348 

Gasteropoda 22,390 

Gieichenia  KarriaDa '. 334 

Nordenskioldi 334 

Glumacese 338 

Glyptostrobosgracillimns 337 

Goniopteris  puTchella 309 

Greviopsis  Clebami 291,306 

Haydenii 359 

Grypbaea  pitch<jri 129,134,224,226 

Halymeuites , 31 

Hamamelites  Eansaseana 355 

qnadrangulariB • 355 

Hedera  ovalis 351 

platanoidea 351 

Scbimperi 351 

Helicidro 392 

HelicinsB 396 

Helisonea  plexata   402 

trivolvis 404 

Helix 23,25 

Leidyi 24 

(Micropbysa)  iDgersoUii 397 

Hipparion 25 

Hya)uodoii 23,25 

HymeDopbyllites 280 

Hymenophyilum  cretaceum 333 

Hyopotamus .25 

Hypaam  Haydenii 309 

HyracodoD 25 

Ilex  strangulata 359 

IncertsD  s^is 361 

luoceramus 29,30,35,56,136,224,226 

barabina 137 

Crispii 129,134 

iDolepis 337 

Iscb^romys 25 

Iteoidete » 338 

Juglans  alkalina 308 

Debeyana 360 

rbamnoides 307 

rugosa 291 

Jnniperus  occidentalis • 86 

Lamellibranchiata — >-  22 

Laurinese 327,342 

Laurus  macrocarpa 342 

(Persea)  prcestansf 305 

proteififolia 342 

Legnminusites  altemans 315 

Lemnascutata 287,288,:i00 

Lepidodendron  carinatnm 279 

modulatam 279 

Lepidotns 23,24 

Leptancbenia 25 

LeptocbcBras 25 

Leptomeryx 25 

Limax  castaneiis 396 

moDtanuB 394 

Limnsea 23, 2& 


512  INDEX    OF   SYSTEMATIC   NAMES. 


LimnsBidss 406 

Lingula 112,134 

LiDgoIepis 112 

Liquidambar  integrifoliam 323,338 

Lomatia  inicrophyila 315 

f  Saportanea 346 

LodoviopBis « $90 

Lygodiam  Dentooi 309 

Marvinei  .. 309 

tricbomanoides 333 

Macbairodus 23,25 

Mactraalta 35 

formosa 35 

Magnolia  alterDans 355 

capellini 356 

teuoifolia 355 

Ma^oliacesd .- 331 

Mulvacead 358 

Mastodon 23,25 

Araericanus f&i 

Megaceratops  coloradoenBls '. , 150 

Megalomeryx 2> 

Megalopteris 279 

Melania 22,2:i 

MelaniidaD « 391 

Melaiupns 22 

MeuiHpermites I ^  331 

acerifoHus 3S7 

clyclopbyllus 358 

obtuBilobuH XS 

ovalin 357 

SopnlifoliuB 357 

alineuBis 357 

MerycbippiiB 25 

MerycodoB 25 

MoliuBca 390 

MoreiB 341 

Myriea  cretacea : 339 

inBigntB 312 

t  LesBiKiana 312 

Ludwigii 311 

obtasa 339 

semiua 340 

Negundoides  acntifolns 359 

NeuropteriB  faBcicalataB 279 

Noeggeratbia :. 278 

OboluB 112 

Odoutopteres 281 

OlenoB 112 

Orbicula 118 

Oreodaphne  cretacea 343 

Oroodon 23,25 

Ortbisdesmoplenra 112 

Ortboceraa 213 

Orthogomopteris 279 

Ostrea 20,22,23,136 

lugubriB 136 

Ottolia  ADiericana 300 

PalsBOcbsDniB 25 

PaleopteriB  Boscii 278 

Hailiana 2:8 

bybeniica 278 

JackBoni t 278 

obtnsa 279 

Roemeri 278 

Reusii 278 

uniequilateraiis 278 

Palinae 338 

PaliuruB  mombranacenB 360 


INDEX   OF   SYSTEMATIC   NAMES.  513 

Pago. 

Paliuacites  Goldianns 311 

rimosuB 290 

PalcBolagus 25 

Pappichthys 158 

Paradoxides 112 

Patula  Cooperi 396 

Pecopteris 134 

Nebraakaua 333 

Pectinibranchiata 390 

Persea  Lecouteana 343 

Sternber^ii 343 

Phaseolitesjaglandions i 314 

PhitolithuB 281 

Phragmi tes  oretaceouB 338 

Physa 25 

heteroBtropha 400 

PhysidfB 400 

Pbyllites  amorpbons 364 

betulaefoliiiB 363 

rboifolins ; 361 

rbomboideas 364 

umbonatus 3G4 

Yanoufe 364 

Pbyllocladns  BubiDtegrifoliiis 337 

Pinna 134 

Pinus  Quenstedti 336 

Pisidium 22 

Pistia  corragata 287,289 

Mapelii 289 

Planera  Ungeri 313 

PlanorbiDce 402 

Planorbis ,.  23,25 

PlaBtomenas 154 

PlatanesB 341 

Platamis-. 23,  UU 

aceroides 293 

diminativa 341 

Guillelma 293 

Haydeni 32 

Heerii 341 

NewberriaDa 341 

obtasiloba 341 

priniera 'Ml 

Plenropborus 115 

Poebrotberiam 25 

Polyoarpicro 355 

PomatiopsiDSQ 391 

Pompboliginte 405 

Populites  elegans 339 

lancastrieusis 339 

PopiiluB 23 

arotica 293 

melanaria 302 

melanarioides 291,302 

mutabiliB 291 

tremuloides 81,86,93 

Potaraoraya 22 

PrioiiocycluB  WyomingeDsis 136 

Procamelas 25 

ProduotuB 114,119 

aemistriatuB 216,233 

BubaoaleatUB 213 

ProteacesD 346 

Proteoides  acuta ' 128,347 

dapbnogenoides 347 

GreYilleseformiB 347 

Protomeryx 26 

Protopbyllum  crednerioides 363 

Ilaydenii 363 

33  H 


514  INDEX  OF  SYSTEMATIC   NAMES. 


Protopbyllum  LecoDteanum 363 

minaa 3GS 

tMudgel 363 

maltinerve 36B 

TNebraacense 362 

qaadratum : 363 

ragosam 36S 

Stembergii 368 

Pnimis  americana 949 

chickasa 249 

tcretaceus 361 

pentiillo ..•.^.-.  249 

PsyloplutOD S76 

Ptenostrobus  Nebrasceusis 364 

Pteropbj'llam  THaydenii 334 

Palmouata 391 

Pupidflp 391 

Papilla  alticola : 391 

Pupime 391 

Quercus  alba 86 

f  Ellaworthiaua 340 

furcioervis 203 

Hardingeri 313 

bezagona «... .  340 

Tporanoides 341 

Kbamuus 289 

rectinervU 291 

Rossmaasleri  f ^ 314 

teuax 360 

Rbiuoceros 23»25 

Ivbus  membranacea 306 

Khyncbonella 211 

Endlicbi 213 

KissoidosB 390 

Sabal  audegavensis 290 

Campbelli 32 

commnuis 311 

Grayana 289,290,301 

l)recur8oria 290 

Sageuaria  depressa 279 

SalixRbeanaT 28S 

protesefolia 339 

Salvinia  attennata 296 

Sapiudus  affinus 289 

DentoDi 315 

Sassafras 344 

aciitilobum 344 

(Aialiopais)  cretaceum 344 

Tar.  deDtatum 344 

obtusum 344 

mirabile 129,345 

recurvata 345 

Mudgei 344 

Scapbite* 135 

WarreDana ^.  136 

Selaginella  f  faloata 297 

.    laciniata 297 

Sequoia  acnmiData 310 

affinis IflO 

biformis 289,290.298 

brevifolia— 289,298 

condita 335 

fastigiata , »3 

formosa 33d 

langsdorfii 291 

longifolia 289,290 

Eeichenbacbi , 289,335 

rigida 26© 

Smitbiaua 289 


INDEX   OF   SYSTEMATIC   KAMES.  515 

Shepherdia  canadenBis 249 

Sigillaria 280 

Somatogyras  eeogouus 390 

Sphenopteris 134,278,280 

crassa •••..  280 

Hoeninghaiiflii 280 

Spirifer 114,115,119,211,216 

Spiriferina ,. 115 

Steneofiber 25 

St6rculia  lineariloba 358 

Stigmaria 279 

fucoides 42,118 

SacinineB 399 

TaDcredia  americana 35 

Taxodiam  dnbium 293 

TerebinthacesB 360 

Teetndo 23,24,25 

ThaUophytes 333 

Tiliaceae 359 

Titanotherium 23,25 

Todeat  Saportanea 322,346 

Trapa  borealis , 289 

microphylla 304 

Trionyx 23,24,158 

ITlmas 23 

Ulodendron  minus 280 

Unio 22,23 

ITnionidso 407 

Urticinece 341 

Valvata  Biucera 390 

Valvatidie 390 

V'ertiginiDfB ^ 392 

Viburnum  marginatum 291,306 

platanoides 314 

rotundifolium 305 

Wymperi 306 

Vitis  lestivalis 249 

cardifolia ; 249 

Vitriufie 392 

Vitrina  limpida 394 

Pfeifferi 394 

Vivipara 22,23,24 

trocbiformis 24 

Widdringtonia  complanata 299 

Zamiostrobus  f  mirabilis 309 

Zonaritcs  digitatns 333 

Zonites  conspectus 393 

fulvus 393 

viridulus » 393 

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